Who is Whose Namesake and Contemporary? (Interaction of Grammar and Pragmatics)

The article deals with the asymmetry [quasi – symmetry] of the group of nominal predicates-relatives, due to the pragmatic rules of use, and the restriction of these rules to grammatical forms of words. Two groups of substantive predicates are investigated. One is represented by the names of persons who have the same first and last names – the words “tezka” (namesake) and “odnofamilets” (the same-last-name-bearer). The article notes the asymmetry of the actual use of these predicates: the namesake of someone can be called, as a rule, a person less significant (by fame, talent, role in the public consciousness, etc.). So, a person with the name Peter can be called the namesake of Peter I, but to call Peter I the namesake of a certain Peter Ivanov would be incorrect according to the unwritten rules of pragmatics. A similar pattern is observed in the use of the word namesake.

The asymmetry of predicates is neutralized in the plural form, which, as it is known, cancels out other individual features of the named persons: cf. relatives, among whom there are also female relatives, perhaps, suspects or somebody at fault with the law, etc.

The second group of words studied are nouns with the Russian prefix “so-” (co-), which name persons by joint participation in a certain situation: contemporary, co-author, co-owner, accomplice. This is also a group of asymmetric predicates, in which the pragmatic components (different in semantics) are not included in the lexical meanings of words, but affect their actual use.

The article provides examples of incorrect use of some words.

The study has demonstrated that the pragmatic restrictions in the use of predicates are not strict. While their neutralization in the plural form has no exceptions. Grammar gets in the way of pragmatics.

Keywords

nominal predicates-relatives, asymmetry, pragmatic rules, grammatical forms

Publication date

24.06.2021

Number of characters

17458

Cite

GOST	Ermakova O. Who is Whose Namesake and Contemporary? (Interaction of Grammar and Pragmatics) // Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka – 2021. – V. 80. – Issue 2 C. 81-86 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://izv-oifn.ru/S241377150014557-5-1 (circulation date: 27.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S241377150014557-5
MLA	Ermakova, Olga P. "Who is Whose Namesake and Contemporary? (Interaction of Grammar and Pragmatics)." Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka 80.2 (2021):81-86. DOI: 10.31857/S241377150014557-5
APA	Ermakova O. (2021). Who is Whose Namesake and Contemporary? (Interaction of Grammar and Pragmatics). Izvestiia Rossiiskoi akademii nauk. Seriia literatury i iazyka 80(2), pp.81-86 DOI: 10.31857/S241377150014557-5

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