Contemporary nomination acts in rural communities – continuity and variation

Abstract

The objective of the article is discussing nomination acts as a result of which unofficial anthroponyms are constituted: nicknames and by-names. Material exemplification consists of the names that function in seven villages located in the commune of Babice, in the Chrzanów district. Nicknames and by-names are still a living element of villagers’ linguistic behaviours, so they preserve the lexis that belongs to the active language resource of village inhabitants. What unofficial anthroponyms are made of is, therefore, a kind of carrier of information about name trends valid in a given environment. Contemporary nomination acts, as a result of which unofficial anthroponyms are created, reflect the evolution of naming motivations, and, on the other hand, they prove certain linguistic and cultural continuity. The analysis that was carried out shows the direction of linguistic and mental changes taking place when the traditional folk worldview meets the global culture. Villagers are trying to adjust their verbal behaviours to the new reality, but in emotional situations they like to refer to their local dialect – mainly as for expressive vocabulary which seems to be more adequate to express disapproval of actions that threaten the rural existence. Despite the new trends that become more and more visible in the villagers’ lifestyle, rural community still remains a society which is strongly attached to its traditions.