Veliuonos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija

ILONA MICKIENĖ Vilnius University Research fields: lexicology, onomastics, word formation. RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ Vilnius University Research fields: syntactic semantics, functional grammar, linguistic pragmatics. NICKNAMES OF THE RESIDENTS OF THE ENVIRONS OF VELIUONA: ONOMASIOLOGICAL MOTIVATION Nicknames of the residents of the environs of Veliuona: onomasiological motivation ABSTRACT This article analyzes 386 nicknames of residents recorded in the Veliuona area as part of the Lithuanian Language Institute project Contemporary Geolinguistic Research in Lithuania: Optimization of the Network of Survey Points and Interactive Dissemination of Dialectal Information. The study aims to establish the onomastic motivation of the nicknames, that is, the reasons for their selection that determine their structure and appellative meaning. The nicknames are examined from an onomasiological perspective. Only those for which respondents provided motivations are discussed. The chosen methodology will make it possible to reveal the most common motives for creating nicknames, their characteristic connotations, and the typical traits that individualize local residents and are encoded in the nicknames. ANNOTATION The article analyses 386 nicknames of residents recorded in the environs of Veliuona in the framework of the project of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language Modern Research of Geolinguistics in Lithuania: The Optimisation of the Network of Points and Interactive Spread of Dia- K E Y W O R D S: nickname, onomastic motivation, onomasiology, connotation. K E Y W O R D S: nickname, onomastic motivation, onomasiology, connotation. Straipsniai / Articles 175 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ lectal Information. The research aims at identifying the onomastic motivation of nicknames, i.e. the reasons of choice determining the structure and appellative meaning of nicknames. The study of nicknames is onomasiological. Only those nicknames are discussed the motives of which were specified by respondents. The methodology selected will enable us to identify the most common motives for the creation of nicknames, the characteristic connotations and the typical features individualising local residents encoded in nicknames. INTRODUCTION As part of the Lithuanian Language Institute project Contemporary Geolinguistic Research in Lithuania: Optimization of the Network of Survey Points and Interactive Dissemination of Dialectal Information1, the aim is also to investigate the living-language name inventory as part of the cultural heritage. The name inventory—place names and nicknames—collected at dialectal survey points in the Kaunas, Marijampolė, and Pasvalys counties has already been analyzed by the authors of this article (Mickienė, Baranauskienė 2012: 208–215). In the summer of 2011, the Jurbarkas area was surveyed. One of the survey points was Veliuona. During a visit to Stasys Liutvinavičius, a former Lithuanian-language teacher, the researchers learned that the town school museum preserves nicknames and toponyms of local residents, pupils, and teachers, collected and recorded at the teacher’s initiative by senior pupils. The teacher, and later the school representatives, agreed that the collected material could be used for scholarly research. The article also presents and discusses nicknames recorded by the authors themselves. When the nicknames were transcribed from the pages of school notebooks, it was noticed that many of them recur (sometimes their origins are described somewhat differently; all recorded instances will be presented in the article), so there is no doubt that many local residents know and use these nicknames. It is also easy to see that nicknames are passed down from generation to generation (the whole family has the same nickname); it can therefore be argued that they persist longer than the nickname-bearer lives. Another group of nicknames, it may be assumed, consists of pupils’ nicknames, known and used by a much smaller number of people. These nicknames may have a somewhat shorter lifespan (depending on whether they stick to a person for a longer time or exist only for as long as that person attends school), but they too reflect various naming motives and are significant. About 800 nicknames of people who have lived or currently live in the town of Veliuona and surrounding villages were collected in total. Naming motives are not provided for all of the surnames. These nicknames are not analyzed; they are kept in the Veliuona School Museum. 1 Contemporary Geolinguistic Research in Lithuania: Optimization of the Network of Survey Points and Interactive Dissemination of Dialectal Information (project code No. VP1-3.1-ŠMM-07-K-01-028). The project leader is Prof. Dr. Danguolė Mikulėnienė. 176 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII Veliuonos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija This article aims to identify the onomastic motivation of nicknames in the Veliuona area, that is, the reasons for selecting a nickname that determine its structure and appellative meaning, and thereby to reveal typical traits of the inhabitants expressed through nicknames. The nicknames are analyzed onomasiologically: the motives for assigning them are identified. The article does not undertake semasiological analysis, in which, when the motives for assigning a nickname are unknown, appellatives are semasiologically linked to dictionary definitions. Therefore, only nicknames whose motives were indicated by respondents are examined. For objective reasons, the actual personal names of those nicknamed are not mentioned, except when a surname or given name is the motive for the nickname’s origin. The research material consists of 386 nicknames. Nicknames are unofficial personal names that describe people according to various characteristics: appearance, temperament, place of residence, occupation, speech, interests, marital status, and others (LKE 1999: 494—495). Nicknames not only provide additional names for people but, unlike surnames, also describe and individualize them (Aleknavičienė 2009: 1). Therefore, as Evalda Jakaitienė notes, a nickname is given when a given name and surname are insufficient to distinguish people, or when there is a desire to provide an additional description of someone (cf. Jakaitienė 2009: 268). 1. REASONS FOR ASSIGNING NICKNAMES The use of nicknames is determined by two kinds of reasons—objective, or onomastic, and subjective, or psychological (cf. Butkus 1995: 22—25). Antanas Salys also mentions these reasons for creating nicknames, stating that “this often occurs in the countryside, where more than one resident has the same surname, or where a tendency to give one another nicknames takes hold, usually beginning when someone with a sharp tongue invents one for a person” (Salys 1983: 43). 1.1. For objective, or onomastic, reasons, nicknames in the Veliuona area have been formed for people sharing the surnames Vieverskiai, Ramonai. To distinguish them, the former were given the nicknames Selveriai and Korneliai, based on their patronymics, while the latter were given the nicknames Tamošiai, Tadausiai, Feleksai, Juzai, Pranai. Such nicknames are generally stylistically more neutral than those prompted by subjective, or psychological, reasons. 1.2. Most nicknames in the Veliuona area arose for subjective (psychological) reasons, when the motive for a nickname is a distinctive human characteristic noticed by those around the person. According to Salys, “what a person eats or drinks, particularly likes or makes can give rise to a nickname” (Salys 1983:46). Nicknames in this group usually have quite pronounced connotations. Straipsniai / Articles 177 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ 2. ONOMASTIC MOTIVATION OF NICKNAMES In studying the onomastic motivation of nicknames, it is important to identify their motives. Nickname motives are generally physical characteristics, kinship, activities, speech content, temperament, associations, place of residence, wealth, origin, nationality, and so on (cf. Butkus 1995: 26—27). In analyzing surnames and their origins, Willis Van Langendonck observes that metaphor or metonymy often underlies their semantic motivation (cf. Langendonck 2011: 19—20). Some nicknames could be examined in this way, especially those denoting a person’s physical or temperamental characteristics. They can be regarded as tropes that associate a person with something compared to them on the basis of some resemblance, for example: Bu ožgalvis—because he has a big head; Zombis—because he is always bald; Pomidoras—because his face is constantly red; Varna—because she has her mouth open; Asilas—a thoughtless person; Ciba—a stubborn person. The nicknames of the Veliuona area have been grouped according to their characteristic motives into those denoting kinship, origin, place of residence, physical characteristics, inner qualities, speech content, activities, various associations, and so on. Nicknames with two kinds of motivation were also found. 2.1. Kinship nicknames indicate membership in a family. They can be formed from a personal name: a given name, surname, or nickname. Twenty-one such nicknames were recorded in the Veliuona area (5.44%). Nicknames denoting kinship relations are divided into patronymic and marital nicknames. 2.1.1. Patronymic nicknames are more common (17). These are nicknames inherited within a family, in other words, formed from the personal name of a father or mother (cf. Butkus 1995: 57). For example: 1) from the father’s given name (10): Adomukas—because his father was Adomas; Juzutukas—because his father’s name was Juozas; Levukas—because his father’s name was Levas; Severas—because his father’s name was Severinas; Zanimų / Zankė—from the father’s name Zanas; Zigmas—because his father’s name was Zigmas; Antosiukas—his father’s name was Antosius; Melniko Andrius; Jagorikės—a nickname for the whole family; 2) from the mother’s given name (1): Rožinukas—from the mother’s name; 3) Nicknames formed from the personal names of a grandfather, grandmother, or uncle were also found in the Veliuona area (3): Liudas—because his grandfather’s name was Liudvikas; Stasė—because of her grandmother’s name; Teodorinė—because her uncle’s name was Teodoras; 4) A nickname derived from the grandfather’s nickname (1) is classified as patronymic: Janciukas. 2.1.2. Marital nicknames form a smaller group (4 nicknames) among all kinship nicknames. Women’s and men’s marital nicknames can be distinguished. Women’s nicknames are formed from the husband’s given name: Dionizienė—because her husband’s name was Dionizas; Pranienė—because her husband’s name was Pranas. A man’s nickname is based on his wife’s name (Bronkinas—his wife was called Bronka) or his mother-in-law’s surname (Sluoksnaitinis—because his mother-in-law’s surname was Sluoksnaitienė). 178 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII Veli unos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija 2.2. Another group consists of 49 nicknames (12.69%) denoting activity. The motivations for these nicknames are highly diverse, helping to individualize people according to their occupations. Activity-denoting nicknames can be divided into groups. 2.2.1. The largest group comprises nicknames related to service and trades (18). They indicate the professions held or currently held by residents of the Veliuona area, the positions they occupied or currently occupy, and types of trades. It was observed that some are associated with the activity of the person themselves, while others are associated with the activity of their grandfather, father, or mother. For example: 1) nicknames related to the person's own service or trade (15): Bocmanas – served in the navy; Brigadierius – previously worked as a team leader; Bulius – because he is a veterinarian; Dailys – from the word for “artist”; Diras – director; Lietuvos lenciūginis – policeman; Marozninkas – because he sold ice cream; Mentas – policeman; Pieninis – collects milk; Pipiras – pepper seller; Pipirinis – because he sells pepper; Žibalinė – because she used to sell kerosene; Žuvedra – served in the navy; Kalvis – the surname is Masaitis; Molpetris – Petras, who used to build stoves; 2) nicknames related to the activity of a grandfather, father, or mother (7): Girinis – because of his father's profession; the profession is forester, and his father works as a forester; Kalvis – his grandfather was a blacksmith, and his father was a blacksmith; Kliurkė – his mother and he sell bleaching powder, because they used to sell “chl iorka”: It can be seen that some nicknames directly denote a trade or service, while others have certain additional connotations and semantic nuances; cf.: Dailys – from the word for “artist”; Diras – director; and Bulius – because he is a veterinarian; Žuvedra – served in the navy. 2.2.2. Fewer nicknames denoting an occupation were found (7). This shows that nicknames among residents of Veliuona are less often formed on the basis of non-professional activities. Nicknames based on such activities may be described as positively or negatively connoted, for example: 1) Samba – because he studied karate; Sodininkas – because he has a garden; Tr iu šinis – because he raised and sold rabbits; 2) Ilgapirštė – steals; Padlinis – slaughters calves; Pampalinis – hunter; Šėtanė – practices fortune-telling with cards. 2.2.3. Descriptions of hobbies are also uncommon in the Veliuona region. Eight nicknames denoting hobbies were found, for example: Astra – due to a fondness for asters; Kanalizacijos undinė – due to a fondness for walking around late at night; Pijokas – a person who consumes a lot of alcohol; Šernas – because he likes acorns; Latriukas – likes to drink; Metaliūga – likes heavy metal music; Modistė – because she is very fashion-conscious; Ožka – what two sisters who are a little “artsy” are called. 2.2.4. Only a few nicknames are associated with a situation (2), for example: Meškiukas – because he played a teddy bear at a carnival; Zemsiurbė – because he used to eat algae. Straipsniai / Articles 179 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ 2.3. The most common nicknames among residents of the Veliuona area based on physical characteristics and distinctive physical features. A total of 140 (36.27 percent) were recorded. 2.3.1. Most of these describe a person’s appearance (118). This group includes nicknames referring to body parts, height and build, resemblance and beauty, posture, clothing, and clothing details. 2.3.1.1. The greatest number of nicknames describe body parts (53). It was observed that in the Veliuona region, nicknames are most often formed on the basis of distinctive features of the face and head. Alvydas Butkus, who studied Lithuanian nicknames, also notes this (Butkus 1995: 36). The motivations for such nicknames are: a) facial features (6): Baisūnas – because “a very frightening mug”; Griūšiukas – because the face is pear-shaped; Pomidoras – because of a constantly red face; Stalčius – because of a protruding chin; Sūrinis – because the face is flat; Žąsinas Žandinis – because he has a mole on his cheek; b) skin (1): Graikas – because of dark skin; c) neck (2): Anfisa – a long neck; Ciegė – a very thin neck; d) head (3): Buòžgalvis – because of a large head; Gaublys – because of a large head; Trikampė – because the head is triangular; e) moustache, beard (2): Senis – not old yet, but called that because he has a moustache and walks like an old man; Barzda – wears a beard; has a large, thick beard; f) hair and hairstyle (19): Avis – because the hair is very curly; Bigudas – because he is curly-haired; Burius – because he is curly-haired; Garbanius – a person with curly hair; Mopsas – because of curly hair; EŠerys – because he is “red-haired” and his hair sticks straight up; his hair is tousled; Lapiukas – because his hair is very “red”; Ryža – naturally red hair; Rudis – red hair; Raudongalvė – dyed hair; Geltonplūkis – fair-haired; Pūkys – because he is fair-haired; Šyla – fair hair; Undinė – very long hair; Vilnonis – a young man with long hair; Zombis – bald all the time; Žilius – because his hair is very light; Plikis – a bald person, because of his hairstyle; Kuodė – because of her hairstyle; g) eyes (4): Čiukčius – narrow eyes; Šamas – because his eyes are bulging; a tall person. Akiniuotas smurfas, arba Grifas – wears glasses; a person who wears glasses; Keturakė – because she wears glasses, glasses with bifocal lenses; h) ears (1): Leopoldas – because of protruding ears; i) teeth (5): Dantistė – teeth protrude forward; very prominent teeth; Kiškis – because of large teeth, as he looks like one; Triušis – protruding teeth; Zylė – because of broad front teeth; Dantys – because his teeth are very large; j) nose (4): Dumčius – a large nose; Grifas – because of a hooked nose; a person with a long nose; Paukštis – because of a very hooked nose; Paukštvanagis – a hooked nose. k) features of the arms and legs (6): Čerpė – because his hands are very scaly; Kiras – knock-kneed; a person with crooked legs; Klipšė – because one leg is bent- 180 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII Veliuonos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija crooked; Klišė – crooked legs; Klišius – because he is bow-legged; Leška – because of his thick thighs. 2.3.1.2. The nicknames of 45 residents of the Veliuona area characterize their build and height. They denote stoutness and thinness, and short and tall stature. 1) Eighteen nicknames denoting stoutness and thinness were recorded. Of these, nicknames referring to stoutness are more frequent (14), for example: Bačiutė – because of her stoutness; Banginis – because he is stout; a stout person; Bekonas – because he is stout; Blizgė – a stout young woman; Bomba – stout; Erotika – very stout; Filmukas – a stout-built woman; Gringrasas – a stout person; Kalnas – because of his appearance; Kiaulė – a stout person; Kindziulis – because of his stoutness; Krokodilė – stout; Reizė – a very stout woman; Storas – because he is stout, a real fat man. Thinness is described less frequently (4): Agurkas – because of thinness; Džiūvėsėlis – because she is very thin; Sliekas – a skinny person, because he is thin; Šapokliaka – slight of build. 2) Height is characterized by 18 nicknames, which more often refer to shortness and low stature (13), for example: Musė – because she is small; Snarglis – 16 years old, yet very small; Snarglius – in 10th grade, but very short from smoking and drinking; Trumpas – because he is very short; Pempiukas – short in stature; Mažylis – short in stature; Mažius – a short person; Mažas – short in stature; Mažiukas – short in stature; Coliukė – because she is small; Degtukas – short in stature; Grūzdas – very short in stature; Kiškelis – very short in stature. Tall stature is emphasized less frequently (5): Didžioji apkė – tall in stature; Ilgas – very tall; because he is very tall; Sabonis – because he is very tall; Stulpas – a tall person; Žirafa – female, because she is very tall. 3) Some nicknames describe both height and build (9), e.g.: Gysla – tall and “skinny,” tall and thin; Gringrasas – stout and tall; Kulverstukas / Kūlverstukas – because of his appearance; because he is short and stout, short; he gave himself that nickname; Mažiuks – short and stocky; Medis – tall and “skinny,” a tall person; Meškis – short and stocky; Silkė – tall and very “skinny”; Burundukas – short in stature; short and stocky; Kirminas – tall and “skinny.” 2.3.1.3. Fifteen nicknames denoting outward resemblance, beauty, and posture were identified. Several categories of resemblance to something or someone can be distinguished: 1) personal and ethnic names (9), for example: Džina – very similar to the actress Gina from the series “Santa Barbara”; Leninas – because of his balding head; Stu čkus – because of his resemblance to a character in a film; Šaris – resembles the film hero Šarik; Šimša – because of his appearance; Šūrikas – because he resembles someone; Tedas – because he resembles Ted from “Santa Barbara”; Teresė – walks and talks like a woman; Čigonas – a baron; resembles a Gypsy; Straipsniai / Articles 181 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ 2) zoo-terms (3), for example: Bičiulio beždžionė – resembles a monkey; Čiukas – resembles a pig; Driežas – because she resembles a lizard; 3) supernatural beings (1), for example: Velnias – because he looks like one, because he gets drunk like the devil. The beauty and bearing of Veliuona’s residents are very rarely emphasized (2): Gražuolė – because she is beautiful; Kuprius – because he stoops, because he has a hump. 2.3.1.4. Clothing and its details are invoked relatively rarely (5): Matrosas – wears a striped shirt; Miltonas – used to have “Miltons” jeans; Kotas – wears a kerchief; Aptiaškė – because she always wears tight trousers; Boružė – because her clothes are usually spotted. 2.3.2. Eight nicknames describe a person’s movements and locomotion. They have been found to denote characteristics and defects of gait: Klipšys – walks with a limp; Nindzės – the whole family is called this; they walk like crabs; Pingvinas – because of her gait; she is stout and walks with a waddle; Sprendžina – because of his gait; Strutis – because he runs fast; Ančiķės – because they waddle as they walk; Kiškutis – walks with a little hop; Zuikis – because of his quick running. 2.3.3. Few audible physical characteristics associated with speech have been identified (5): Cypalas – because of his very thin voice; Fleita – because she has a melodious voice; Perkūno oželis – because of his thin voice. 2.3.4. Physiological nicknames highlight negative human characteristics. Only 3 were found: Siurblys – sucks noisily while drinking; Smirskė – because she stinks; Šeškas – a person with bad body odor. 2.3.5. When explaining the reasons for nicknames, respondents sometimes cite several characteristics describing appearance (6): Žiurkė – protruding teeth like a rat’s, and she also dresses ridiculously; Indėnė – because she speaks loudly and wears striking makeup; Kaukolė – very “skinny”; a person whose face resembles a skull; Kiaušinis – an egg-shaped face; always dirty clothes, unwashed and uncombed; Klebonėlis – speaks and walks like a woman; Kupriukas – short and walks hunched over. 2.4. Association-based nicknames “do not describe the person nicknamed, since they are derived from a first or last name” (Butkus 1995: 103). Hypocoristic first names—that is, shortened forms of a first name—are not considered nicknames, for example: Liucė – because her name is Liucija; Rička – from the name Riĉardas; Vitka – from the name Vytautas. Many such name variants have been recorded in the Veliuona area; they are particularly widespread among younger residents. Hypocoristic surnames, however, are treated differently. Their shortened forms and cases of lengthening are considered nicknames that designate people and personal names. Some associative nicknames are derived from a person’s first name (28), others from a surname (60), for example: Aucas – the name is Antanas; Bimbis – because his name is Rimvydas; Borutė – from the name Birutė; Cytrius – from the name Žydrius; Čėcha – because his name is Česlovas; Džekis Kiau Kiau – Džeraldas; 182 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII Veliuonos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija Bakanė – because the surname is Bakanaitė; Balanda – from the surname Baradauskas; Biga – because the surname is Begonis; Bulis – Babenskas; Cilius – because the surname is Cilišauskas; Drugelis – from the surname Daugelis. Interestingly, a case of atypical nickname formation was also found, in which the nickname is formed from a given name and surname, for example: Simas – from the surname Simanavičius and the given name Rimas. A total of 94 (24.35%) such nicknames were recorded. They can be divided into phonetic and semantic types. 2.4.1. There are 88 nicknames formed through phonetic associations. Associative nicknames denote: a) names of objects: Rubinas – the given name is Robertas; Rublis – from the given name Robertas; Spurga – because the given name is Jurga; Sulė – because the given name is Saulius; Vadenilis – from the given name Vandelinas; Žarna – because the given name is Žana; Moria – from the given name Jūratė; Iešmutis – because the given names are Irmantas, Irmutis; b) names of animals: Bimbis – because the given name is Rimvydas; Borutė – from the given name Birutė; Šarka – from the given name Šarūnas; Žaltys – because the given name is Žilvinas; Bulis – Babenskas; Drugelis – from the surname Daugelis; Cilius – because the surname is Cilišauskas; Gužas – the surname is Gudžiūnas; Kabans – from the surname Bakanas; Levas – because the surname is Liutvinavičius; Ryklys – the surname is Rykliavičius; Šeškas – maiden surname Šeškauskaitė; c) names of plants: Giliukas – because the given name is Gileta; Pinavijas – the given name is Bijūnas; Balanda – from the surname Baradauskas; Diemedėlis – because the surname is Diemenis; Biga – because the surname is Begonis; Lauras – because the surname is Laurinaitis; Liepa – because the surname is Lieponis; Malina – Malinauskas; Žibutė – because the surname is Žibaitė; d) names of characteristics: Mindžius – the given name is Mindaugas; Sadistė – because the surname is Sadauskienė; Sukčius – from the surname Sutkus; Šiaurinis – from the surname Baltrušaitis; Šniokštas – because the surname is Šniokaitis; e) names of persons and personal names: Bakanė – the surname is Bakanaitė; Džiugas – from the surname Džiongys; Elzė – because the surname is Elzbergienė; Gudas – because the surname is Gudaitis; Gusta – the surname is Gustaitis; Gutė – from the surname Gotautas; Jasius – the surname is Jasukynas; Letas – Letukas; Lukas – the surname is Lukianskas; Maja – because the surname is Majauskas; Mikas – Mikalauskas; Petia – from the surname Petkus; Petras – from the surname Petravičius; Poškė – because the surname is Poškutė; Skadimiras – because the surname is Skadas; Šležac – the surname is Šleževičius; Urbas – from the surname Urbanavičius; Vizgė – the surname is Vizgaitienė; Zeblė – because the surname is Zabl iauskaitė; Undra – from the surname Unduraitis; f) other appellatives, most often negatively connoted: Pinda – because the given name is Inga; Dirmovas – because the surname is Birmanas; Drabas – the surname is Drabatiukas; Optavkas – the surname is Optažas; Zombė – because the surname is Zambezevičiūtė; Šapronas – the surname is Saprončikas. Straipsniai / Articles 183 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ 2.4.2. There are considerably fewer nicknames (6) formed through semantic associations, i.e., from the appellative meaning of a personal name, for example: Žuvelė – from the surname Karosas; Sondeckis – from the given name Saulius; Rokis – because his name is Romas; Reiganas – the given name Raimondas; Karmenas – from the given name Romas; Sabas – from the surname Sabotaitis. 2.5. Fifty-seven nicknames (14.77%) denoting character, or inner, traits were recorded in the Veliuona region. They are formed on the basis of characteristic personal qualities. According to Butkus, they are best classified according to the principle of opposing motives, using two most general features as a basis (Butkus 1995: 94). The nicknames recorded in the Veliuona region can be divided into several groups. 2.5.1. The largest group comprises traits denoting cleverness / stupidity, more often describing negative character traits, for example: Mažvaikis – someone who has not grown out of childhood; Varna – because she is gaping; Asilas – an unthinking person; Ciba – a stubborn person; stubborn; Gaidys – a show-off; Išsižiojėlė – because she opens her mouth when she shouldn’t; Kietekas – a person who considers themself superior to others; Viščiukas – because he is a fool; Visų galų meistras – a person who praises themself; Ponia – she considers herself educated; Ožka – because of stubbornness; a stubborn person. Only a few nicknames describe a person's cleverness and wisdom, for example: Lapė – a clever person; Liaudies išmintis – knows a lot; Proto bokštas – a person who thinks too much; Moksliukas – a person who studies and knows a lot. 2.5.2. The group denoting personal traits of openness–reserve is also large. It is notable that nicknames more often describe people inclined to speak and communicate more openly (to chatter, gossip, and talk a lot), for example: Barbė – because she chatters a lot; Kielė – a great gossip; Kniauklys – speaks in an unusual way; Trydmarė – chatty Marytė; Tirškė – a very talkative woman; Šarka – a huge gossip; Šarkiukas – because of a penchant for talking a lot; Širšė – because of her character; bothersome; Parakinė – a noisy woman. People who are reluctant to socialize, reserved, or timid are nicknamed less often, for example: Lauko pelė – very quiet; Tundra – because of a difficult character; Šakalas – a coward; Pelė – a person who is afraid of everything. 2.5.3. Veliuona residents are more often described as hardworking and energetic, while no nicknames for people characterized by laziness were recorded at all, for example: Bitė – because of diligence; Buožė – works a great deal; Velniukas – very mischievous; Triedenienė – does everything very quickly; Flegmatikas – a slow-tempered person. 2.5.4. Few nicknames denoting cheerfulness / gloom were recorded. They show that both kinds of human emotion are represented, for example: Saulutė – because of her smile; Juokdarys – a person who jokes; Žvengalius – because he is always laughing for no reason; Liūdnutė – she is often sad; because she is constantly sad. 2.5.5. It is clear that Veliuona residents who behave rudely, angrily, and badly are nicknamed more often, for example: Tigras – a fierce person; Šiurpas – an angry woman; Blogietis – a person with a bad disposition; Kenkeja – someone who harms others; 184 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII Veliuonos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija Bloodsucker – of a bad and coarse disposition; Moth (a girl) – a person who harms others; Stalin – very angry and jealous. Only one nickname with a positive connotation was found: Goodie – a person of good disposition. 2.5.6. In the group describing neatness / untidiness, only negatively connoted nicknames describing a person’s clothing and lack of cleanliness were recorded, e.g.: Dirty woman – an unclean woman; Scruffy – clothes unironed, hair tousled, unwashed; Pampolė – because she does not know how to dress properly. 2.5.7. In the group of motives related to spendthriftiness / thrift, only one nickname denoting a person’s spendthrift nature was found: Sponsor – likes to buy things for everyone. 2.6. Nicknames based on place of residence are considered among the most archaic (cited from: Butkus 1995: 109), and as having given rise to the emergence of surnames (cf. Zinkevičius 1977: 35). Such nicknames describe people according to where they live, near whom, or with whom. Seven nicknames (1.81 per cent) were recorded; these more often indicate which natural feature a person lives beside, e.g.: Pakhmenorius – lived by the Akmena canal; Beaver – lives beside a stream; Peatman – because he is from the peat bog; Forester – because he lives in the forest; Villager – a person who lives in a village; Little Grandchild – lives with his grandmother. 2.7. Nicknames sometimes describe the content of a person’s speech: frequently repeated words, fillers, sayings, forms of address, song lyrics, or words from expressions. There are 9 such nicknames (2.33 per cent). Nicknames of people in the Veliuona area show that people are named according to the filler or saying they use, or the songs they like to sing, e.g.: Ajajus – used the saying ajajai constantly; Vodnas – that was his saying; Rupūžna – the saying was the same; Dear Little Caterpillar – because of the habit of repeating dear; Nothing, nothing – because she always says that; Everything, so – because of the habit of repeating that sentence; Little Witch – because she always sang the song “The Barefoot Little Witches Dance”; Učkudų – liked to start singing a little song of that kind. 2.8. Nicknames indicating origin and nationality are given when a person comes from another place of residence, is of another nationality, or belongs to another ethnic group. Such nicknames are rare in the Veliuona area; only 4 (1.04 per cent) were recorded: Polish woman – because of her origin; Russian – his mother was not Lithuanian, but Russian; Pasvalys – comes from Pasvalys; Samogitian – comes from Samogitia. 2.9. For some nicknames, people in the Veliuona area give two motives for their assignment, so it is useful to discuss these nicknames separately. In the article, they are called nicknames with dual motivation. Five such nicknames (1.3 per cent) were recorded. It was noted that nicknames with dual motivation usually describe a person in terms of character and physical features, character and associations, or character and activity, for example: Little Canary – a fair-complexioned man with a calm disposition; Dog – talks a lot about things he shouldn’t; smells of dog; Spider – because of his figure and character; Tsar – thinks very highly of himself; because his surname is Karalius; is in charge of everything; Goose – very clumsy; played a goose at the carnival. Straipsniai / Articles 185 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ There is, one might say, no end to the creation and variety of nicknames. The circumstances and motives for giving nicknames can be endlessly varied, while the occasions themselves are sometimes entirely accidental (Salys 1983: 47). CONCLUSIONS To summarize the study, it should be noted that, in carrying out the project Contemporary Geolinguistic Research in Lithuania: Optimization of the Network of Points and Interactive Dissemination of Terminological Information, after examining more than 800 nicknames collected and preserved at the Veliuona School Museum, the article selected for analysis only those that are clearly motivated. In total, 386 nicknames with onomastic motivation were examined, that is, cases in which a nickname is formed for subjective reasons. The most common motives for giving residents of the Veliuona region nicknames were identified. The largest group consists of nicknames based on physical characteristics. As many as 140 such nicknames were recorded (36.27% of all nicknames). Nicknames formed on the basis of phonetic and semantic associations are also common. A total of 94 were recorded (24.35% of all the nicknames collected). Nicknames describing character and activities were found in similar numbers: 57 (14.77%) and 49 (12.69%). Nicknames based on kinship ties are somewhat less common. A total of 21 were recorded (5.44% of all nicknames). Nicknames describing speech content (9; 2.33%), place of residence (7; 1.81%), and origin (4; 1.04) are particularly rare in the Veliuona region. The article also distinguishes nicknames with dual motivation, in which a person is named on the basis of two motives. Five such nicknames were analyzed (1.3%). Nicknames are created to individualize a person on the basis of characteristics typical of them. It is also interesting to note that in the region studied, some nicknames are seemingly inherited. They are given not only on the basis of parents’ but also grandparents’ occupations, nicknames, and surnames. Nicknames are thus passed down from one generation to the next, so it can be argued that they survive longer than the person who bears them. As expected, negatively connoted nicknames predominate, highlighting negative physical characteristics (unattractive facial features; the shape of the head, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, and legs; corpulence; short stature) and character traits (stupidity, coarseness, ill temper, and untidiness). However, residents of Veliuona are also described as industrious and energetic people, while no nicknames for people characterized by laziness were recorded. LITERATŪRA Aleknavičienė Ona 2009: Kazlų Rūdos ir jos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės. – Lietuvos valsčiai. Kazlų Rūda. Interneto prieiga svetainėje Lietuvos lokaliniai tyrimai: http://www.llt.lt/pdf/kazlu_ruda/kalba.pdf. Publikuota 2009-02-23; žiūrėta 2012-02-24. Butkus Alvydas 1995: Lietuvių pravardės. Kaunas: Aesti. 186 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII Veliuonos apylinkių gyventojų pravardės: onomasiologinė motyvacija Jakaitienė Evalda 2009: Leksikologija. Vilnius: Vilniaus universiteto leidykla. LKE – Lietuvių kalbos enciklopedija, red. Vytautas Ambrazas. Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas, 1999. Mickienė Ilona, Baranauskienė Rūta 2012: Onomastikos rezultatai geolingvistikoje: ekspedicijų patirtis. – Respectus Philologicus 21(26), 208–215. Salys Antanas 1983: Pravardė. – Raštai 2. Tikriniai vardai. Roma: Lietuvių katalikų mokslo akademija. Van Langendonck Willy 2011: Diachronic classification of bynames given by adults, and bynames given by young people. – Regioninė onomastika: ką sužinome iš vardyno. Tarptautinės mokslinės konferencijos tezės. 2011 m. lapkričio 10–11 d., 19–20. Interneto prieiga: http://www.khf.vu.lt/images/stories/naujienos/konferencijos/lietuviu_filologijos/Regionine-onomastika_2011_TEZES.pdf. Zinkevičius Zigmas 1977: Lietuvių antroponimika: Vilniaus lietuvių asmenvardžiai XVII a. pradžioje. Vilnius: Mokslas. Nicknames of the residents of the environs of Veliuona: onomasiological motivation S U M M A R Y While participating in the Institute of the Lithuanian Language project Modern Research of Geolinguistics in Lithuania: Optimization of Network of Points and Interactive Spread of Dialectal Information during the summer of 2011 the nicknames of one of the dialectal points, i.e. the region of Veliuona were analysed. The paper aims at identifying the onomastic motivation of Veliuona region nicknames, i.e. the reasons for nickname choice determining its structure and appellative meaning, whereof revealing the prototypical characteristics of the locals that are implicated in nicknames. The nicknames are analysed onomastically – determining the assigning motives of the nicknames. The paper excludes semasiological analysis in which the motives for the given nickname are not known and appellatives are semiologically associated with a dictionary definition. For this reason only the nicknames for which the respondents provided the motives were analysed. For the objective purposes the real nicknamed people names are not mentioned except the cases when nickname was derived from the surname or the personal name. The object of study consists of 386 nicknames. Summarising the research it is possible to denote the most frequent motives for Veliuona region nicknames. The largest group consists of nicknames that are given according to the physical properties. 140 nicknames were found (36,27% from all the nicknames that were analysed). Nicknames that stemmed from phonetic or semantic associations are also frequent. Straipsniai / Articles 187 ILONA MICKIENĖ, RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ 94 of them were recorded (24,35% from all the nicknames that were analysed). The nicknames denoting temper or occupation divide almost evenly: 57 (14,77%) and 49 (12,69%). The nicknames that are created according to kindred are less frequent – 21 (5,44%). Far more uncommon are the nicknames denoting language content (9; 2,33%), living place (7; 1,81%) and background (4; 1,04%). The paper also distinguishes the nicknames with double motivation, i.e. when the nickname for individual is created according to two motives. 5 (1,3%) of such nicknames were analysed. In attempt to individualise a person the nicknames are created according to the features that are characteristic of him. It is interesting to notice that in the region that was analysed the nicknames are as if inherited. They are given not only according to parents’ but also grandparents’ occupation, nicknames and surnames. As it was expected, the nicknames with negative connotation are dominant. Negative physical properties (such as unattractive face features, head, eye, ear, nose, teeth, leg form, stoutness or small height), certain traits of temper (as stupidity, harshness, malice or untidiness) are exposed. Nevertheless, people living in Veliuona region are described as studious, strong personalities and no nicknames describing lazy people were found. Įteikta 2012 m. gegužės 6 d. ILONA MICKIENĖ Vilniaus Universitetas Muitinės g. 8, LT-44280 Kaunas, Lietuva [email protected] RITA BARANAUSKIENĖ Vilniaus Universitetas Muitinės g. 8, LT-44280 Kaunas, Lietuva [email protected] 188 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXVII