Types and functions of precedent names in English-language cinematic discourse

Abstract

The subject of this study is precedent names in the English-language cinematic discourse. The focus is placed on determining the functional potential of precedent names in this type of discourse. In this work, precedent names are considered as a kind of precedent phenomena: names of personalities, events and works of fiction. The study of precedent names has significance within the framework of cultural linguistics, cognitive science and intertextuality theory, as precedent names contain information about important cultural and historical phenomena, give insights into the mechanism of metaphorization, and serve to create intertextual connections. The frequency of their use in different types of discourse, especially in cinematic discourse, is steadily increasing, which explains the relevance of research in this field. Using the methods of discourse analysis, functional-semantic analysis, inductive analysis and continuous sampling, we examine the types of precedent names, source spheres and the functions that these lexical units perform in cinematic discourse. Such analysis makes it possible to establish the cultural significance of personalities, events, and other phenomena, as well as their reflection in such a mass art form as cinematography. Due to its mass appeal and depiction of various social groups, cinematic discourse is of particular interest within the framework of sociolinguistics in regard to such culturally significant units as precedent names. The analysis of the functions of precedent names allows one to establish their role in cinematic discourse, their artistic value, semantic potential and cultural significance. The analysis revealed which types of precedent names are most frequently used in the English-language cinematic discourse (anthroponyms and names of works of art); identified productive sources of precedent names (the sphere of art and the social sphere); and introduced a list of characteristic functions that precedent names perform in cinematic discourse (among which ludic and evaluative functions are especially prominent).