The dialectic of conversion of description into proper name in mythological discourse

The article is focused on the analysis of dialectical interaction of descriptions and proper names at the first stages of their evolution. Proper name is regarded as a definite description that can be defined as a language structure expressed by an appellative (appellative word-combination) capable to identify an individual referent and to function as a proper name in a discourse. The interpretation of a proper name as a description is based on the linguistic and logic researches presented in the works by N. D. Arutyunova; E.V. Paducheva; A.D. Shmelev; Yu.S. Stepanov; B. Russell; G. Frege; S. Kripke, etc. Materials for research are ancient myths of Khakas culture collected by N.F. Katanov. Three types of mythological nominations have been identified. These types express the features of conversion of an appellative as a simple description into a proper name. The first model is presented by transformation of an existential (introductive) description into a definite description by means of anaphora. As a result of such transformation the definite description receives the role of a functional proper name. The model demonstrates the dialectic interrelation of two types of names (an appellative and a proper name) and two types of descriptions (indefinite and definite) in the cosmogonic myth. The second model demonstrates conversion of a predicate description into a definite description. Conversion provides the transition of a predicate description (related to any objects in general and attributes denoted) to the actantial position. In this syntactic context the appellative gets definite reference and the aptitude to signify an individual being. The ancient Khakas myths also show a model, where a fragment of the myth is presented by the word-combination that becomes a functional proper name. In this case, the dialectic of transformation of the description in a the-onym is revealed through the formation of a multicomponent definite description as a combination of appellative I (existential descriptions with the taxonomic meaning) and appellative II (characterizing predicate specifying the semantics of the first). The combination of two appellatives creates a new definite description that becomes a proper name. It must be emphasized that these types of nominations express the dialectic of conversion of description into a proper name as a complex process of interaction and correlation of binary phenomena, leading to the emergence of the proper name as a separate lexical category.

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