Naming types and subtypes of tenement houses in Polish cities

Abstract

This article presents the proper names of tenement houses (57 urbanonyms) from selected cities in Poland. They are described in two basic types: single-denomination and multiple-denomination. Within these types there are also distinguished semantic-formal subtypes. Among the types mentioned, the highest frequency is indicated by two-nominalisation, with an anthroponymic derived component (29), according to the model: tenement (house or palace) + surname (or first name and surname) of the owner, e.g.: Klonowica Tenement House, Copernicus House, Pulawski Palace, Jan Starowicz Tenement, Jan Matejko House. Some urbanonyms are motivated by the name of the tenement’s occupant, e.g.: Helena Majdaniec Tenement House. Among these urbanonyms, constructions distinguishing some ornamental element of the building are also common (28). The predominant nominalisations here are multi-components, containing the preposition under, and the antroponymic or apellative derived component: tenement + preposition under + character term, e.g.: Tenement under Gutenberg, Tenement under Negroes, Tenement under Marriage, and model: tenement + preposition under + term of animal or geometric figure, e.g.: Tenement House under the Rams, Tenement under the Star. There are also urbanonyms containing in their structure an appellative derived name, without the preposition under (10): tenement + appellative derived name, e.g.: Hetman Tenement House, Black Tenement House, The Mint House. It is extremely rare to find nominations with a toponymic derived element (3): tenement (house) + toponym or choronym: Gdansk Tenement, Italian Tenement, Turkish House, and with an component in the function of the proper name (1): tenement + (ideonym) film title: Tenement House Vabank. A foreign name of foreign origin is once attested: Hansa Haus.

The few remaining examples of tenement names (5) do not fit the models listed, e.g.: Herrings Tenements (a group of tenements) also nominations without using the tenement component: Lion’s Castle, Old Convict, Old Mint and a one-component nomination: Beijing. The names of the tenement houses show the various ideas of the namers, which commemorate the names of the house owners, emphasise the beauty of the building or the predilections for exotic elements.