Semantic peculiarities of diminutive forms of Spanish anthroponyms

Abstract

The subject of this research is the polemical linguistic question on the peculiarities of the semantics of proper name. The object of this research is the diminutive forms of Spanish anthroponyms, which function mainly in the colloquial discourse. Analysis is conducted on the semantic peculiarities of such diminutive forms as Paco, Pepe, Charo, Maruja from frequent Spanish anthroponyms, such as Francisco, José, Rosario, María. The analysis of practical material relies on the theoretical provisions and methods of empirical research of the Russian linguoculturologists and psycholinguists, as well as on the data of the Spanish National Institute of Statistics, materials of explanatory dictionaries of the Spanish language, and publicistic texts. The conclusion is made that the colloquial discourse is the core area of verbalization of the diminutive. It is also revealed that the semantics of diminutive forms of Spanish anthroponyms contains additional connotative elements that covey unique ethno psycholinguistic information characteristic to a single linguistic consciousness. Namely the presence of culturally determined components of meaning substantiates the transition of diminutives to the category of appellatives. This article is first to analyze the semantics of diminutive forms of Spanish anthroponyms  as separate proper names, as well as distinguish additional nuances of the  meanings of these lexical unit, which defines the scientific novelty.