The article concerns the history and unique nature of local names derived from exonyms, such as Alexandria, Spain and Lisbon. It describes both past and contemporary onyms, i.e. the names of housing estates, such as Little Tuscany, and apartment buildings, such as Rome, London and Mont Blanc, which are the continuations of the toponymic model launched in the past. The author embeds this model of names in a broader cultural context by referring to language universals. In addition to the rich collection of the oldest biblical names that have been transferred to present names, transfers of old names can be observed among contemporary names. In the past (in the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries), these were mainly the names of countries and, less frequently, those of cities, lands and geographic objects. Today, toponyms are usually based on the names of European cities, attractive geographic objects (lakes, rivers, islands, mountains, volcanoes) and, more rarely, states. While the names of biblical lands were fascinating and attractive in the past, they are almost absent in contemporary names, and if they are present, they concern culturally fixed images such as that of Eden. Both formerly and today, the creators of this kind of names show a longing for the creation of a new world which is no longer inhabited by God in a strictly religious dimension, but a secular one where happiness, peace and joy are sought. In both characterised spaces, the names transferred serve commemorative functions and also imitate coveted spaces which cannot be physically inhabited but can at least be imitated by their names. Formerly, they were real imago mundi representing sacred places (e.g. names such as Calvary). Today, they are created as part of the contemporary architectural tendency for coherence in planning space, names and design.

The goal of the article is to describe the new and progressive category of onyms in contemporary Polish: names of awards. The author proposes for this category the term lauronyms. Synchronic analysis of lauronyms reveals their typical structure and their meaning. There are special collections of lexical items which are used to create the onyms the most fit for particular type of awards. The creation of lauronyms in Polish mirrors these areas of life, which are nowadays especially important for society and which can be the field of competition.

The author of this article carries out an analysis of the evolution of the term ‘commemorative names’ in the aspect of municipal onomastics. She primarily researches how the scope of this term has changed and which name groups have been included with that term. Moreover, she researches how the commemorative names themselves have changed. She concludes that the names of symbolic motivation that refer to cultural competencies of their users do not form a homogenous group, but they differ in genetic and motivational terms. Thus, four such groups may be identified: 1. commemorative names bearing real meaning, 2. conventional discretionary names (honorifying), 3. commemorative-discretionary names referring to local heroes, places and events, 4. names resulting from the broadly understood ‘cultural memory’, commemorating ideas, values, literary and movie characters, titles, Slavonic mythology and Polish legends, faith in its various dimensions, literary trends, artistic styles, art, etc. All four groups have their dual functions in common: deictic and cultural.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the distinguished properties of by-names as forms different from official ones, to analyze their structural and semantic features and to search for their historical evidence. By-names of Chinese places should not be defined as unusual and informal, since actually in many cases by-names are formal and very common in China nowadays. By-names are generally bestowed on important places (mostly cities) that win the public interest. Most of them have two structural parts, the front specific parts are determiners / qualifiers and the back ones are generics. The generics generally are: cheng 城 ‘town / city’, du 都 ‘capital’, jiang 江 ‘river’, shan 山 ‘mountain’, dao 岛 ‘island’ etc. The lexical meanings of lexical items forming specific parts of by-names mainly refer to animals, plants, minerals, local manufactured products, climate and natural scenery, geographical location, humans, areas, etc. Chinese contemporary by-names, used on various occasions, vary in frequency and stability. The by-names discussed in the paper only account for a small proportion and are listed just due to their relatively high frequency, stability and acceptability.

In this paper, the issue of the correlation between the status of the onymic object, its social range and the general rules used when naming is considered. The author proposes to distinguish two basic levels of where the proper names function: a local one and a global one. Then, two particular patterns of naming are connected with these levels: an innovative pattern and a conservative pattern. The conservative names mostly refer to objects that are of social importance and have a general, wide range of functioning. On the other hand, innovative names generally refer to unstable objects that have a rather low social position, and a restricted, narrow range of functioning. Examples of both levels are analyzed, particularly the anthroponyms, toponyms and chrematonyms. The paper contains the argument, that more known conservative names have provided the characteristics of the prototypical proper name in general, and these characteristics are usually expanded to all proper names in their theoretical approaches.

The paper considers a particular case of onomastic motivation, providing examples of the use of the adjective tani ‘cheap’ in the creation of pharmacy names in Poland (e.g. Tanie Leki ‘cheap medicines’, Tania Apteka ‘cheap pharmacy’). This Polish word is frequently used in marketing, both as an element of company names and marketing slogans. In many instances tani constitutes part of a complex pharmacy name, e.g.: Całotygodniowa Apteka Familijna — Tylko Tanie Leki, Super Tania Apteka im. Zawiszy Czarnego, Centrum Tanich Leków — Apteka św. Barbary. On the basis of judgments from Polish administrative courts, the article discusses the question of the distinction or lack of one between advertisements and proper names. The significant fact is that the Pharmaceutical Law has prohibited the advertising of the operations of pharmacies since 2012 and, as a result, the use of names with the component tani was found to be in violation of the provision. In response to this, the owners of stores have argued that the proper name refers to the object alone, having no literal meaning. The controversial phrases were used to create legal names which are placed on signboards and in announcements. The paper focuses on a more general problem: chrematonyms and appellative lexis can hardly be distinguished due to their persuasive and marketing value.

The article is dedicated to the analysis of ideologically meaningful proper names, mainly oikonyms, and also to the indication and description of the three main tendencies noticed in Ukrainian oikonyms from the end of 1989 until 2016, during the social and political transformations in Ukraine and the decommunization processes connected with it. Using examples, the authors illustrate the phenomenon of korenizatsiya (nativisation), namely the recovery of historical names from before sovietisation, allusiveness, ensuring a neutral nature for names by referring to objects outside the area of politics and ideology, as well as glorification, the honoring and memorializing of events, heroes, and symbols connected with the past and modern history of Ukraine.

The article contains an analysis of the word formation of proper names which are used in the texts of advertisements. The analyzed examples are drawn from the texts of advertisements found on television, radio, press, the Internet etc. which were produced at the end of 20th century and the beginning of 21st century. The article analyses two categories of these proper names: word formations which are used in contemporary Polish language (f.e. Robuś, Marysia, Stefcia, Kasia, Jasio, Krzyś, Rozalka, Basia, Bartuś, Sabinka, Julka, Karinka, Tomek, Adaś, Goździkowa) and neologisms f.e. Zapobiegalska, Zarażalski, Kichalska, Krzywonogi, Przyklapiusz, Musztarderowie, TurboDymoMan, SuperEs, Zozolka, Łazienkowo). The analysis conducted in the article proves that both types of proper names, which are word formation derivatives, appear relatively often in the texts of advertisements. This is the case since they are easy to form (advertisements take the majority of them from usage) and can perform many functions, which advertisements willingly use for their own needs. Proper names that are word formation derivatives and just proper names serve mainly as an assessment as they connote the values appreciated both culturally and socially and the values attributed to proper names are carried on the advertised products. Proper names which are derivatives create a desired picture of advertised products more expressively than other proper names, thanks to their clear word formation structure. Moreover, they expose their commercial assets so they fully use and at the same time cocreate the system of values of consumption culture.

This article deals with the name of the town Węgrów on the river Liwiec, whose name is based on the obscure hydronym Węgra Potok. This name is juxtaposed with another place name, Węgra, which is found near Przasnysz and is named after the river Węgra (today known as Węgierka), as well as other names beginning with wągr-||węgr-. The author challenges Witczak’s (2015) hypothesis that the name of Węgra comes from the Sudovian (Jatvingian, Yotvingian) language. The article raises historical, archaeological and geographical arguments that oppose the possibility of a Yotvingian influence in these regions. Consequently, the author contends that the place names have a Slavonic root, linked to the noun węgorz (a type of fish), or the meandering nature of both rivers. There is also a discussion of the name patok||potok (stream/brook).

The aim of this paper is to discuss selected formal and pragmatic aspects of the Austro-Hungarian military name policy in the last quarter of the 19th and in the early 20th century. In the introductory section the proprial status of the names of military units (which constitute a part of military chrematonymy) is discussed. An attempt is made to outline the location of these names on the classificatory map of chrematonomastics as well. A brief discussion of the historical and terminological background of the Austro-Hungarian military unit names follows. The most important concepts of the theory of name and naming policy are outlined. The presentation of the analysed onymic material covers unit names included in the officer lists (Schematismen) of the Austro-Hungarian forces as well as names present in the paper seals (Verschlussmarken). On the basis of the material, polymorphism of the discussed names is shown in the sense that obligatory and facultative elements of the names may appear in different ways and within various syntactic name models, depending on the context (including continuous text within which a name is used). Two main syntactic models of the discussed names are proposed. The orthographic and syntactic rules of unit numbering and the ways of embedding geographical names and names of patrons and honorary regiment owners (Inhaber) into unit names are outlined. The meaning and spelling of the expressions imperial-royal (k.k. = kaiserlich-königlich) and imperial and royal (k.u.k. = kaiserlich und königlich) are explained.

The article discusses one of the categories of marketing chrematonyms — the names of cafés, which constitute a colourful element of the naming landscape of Upper Silesia. The analysis has several research aims: 1) discovering the naming techniques and types, 2) the presentation of structural models, 3) identifying the changes of meaning and the (con)textual functionality of linguistic units which serve as a commercial medium of evaluation. The names of cafés are presented from the perspective of cultural linguistics, sociolinguistics and pragmalinguistics, as well as the theory of semantic fields. This combined methodological approach enables the author to draw conclusions about marketing chrematonyms in the sphere of culture and language, whereas the structural-semantic analysis of the onymic description of Upper Silesian cafés reveals tendencies that confirm the fact that naming models are created in a serial way. The material presented indicates that commercial chrematonyms belong to semantically and structurally diversified naming categories. The structures show the repetitiveness of naming, the tendency for language internalization and the use of native material, including local dialects.

The paper is dedicated to the names of associations from the period of the Second Polish Republic, taken from a publication which is a guide to the rich and differentiated world of the social organizations of the 1930s.

The introduction is devoted to the state of Polish linguistic research into the names of organizations. The description of the collected material is based on the concept of social chrematonymy by Artur Gałkowski.

Next, the names are investigated from both a structural and a semantic perspective. The following elements are regarded as distinct qualities of the naming structures: descriptive character, multicomponent structure, development of right-sided attributives, insignificant share of names with a separate distinctive element, including some other types of proper names as components (toponyms, anthroponyms, names of historical events). Also, lexemes in the function of the main component of the analysed structures — nouns having the semantic value of ‘formalized group of people’ – have been presented.

When analysing the semantic aspect of names of organizations more closely, the author indicates the most frequently exposed bases of community feeling of members. Those could be: common experience, social and professional status, the purpose of activity, gender, generation, religious identity, nationality, ideology, place of activity or founding an organization. In the majority of names, various elements of community feeling are combined.

Finally, attention is paid to the tremendous informative value present in the names of associations, connected with their descriptive quality. The close link between socioideonyms and the reality they are connected with means that they are bearers of various historical-cultural contents.

Therefore, the names of associations, especially historical ones, might be an interesting object of culture-oriented linguistic studies.

The hydronym Szywra refers to the small river in the Warta basin flowing in the central part of Greater Poland. Although its name remained unclear for most of the researchers, it was believed to be of Pre-Slavic or Balto-Slavic origin. The paper reveals that these hypotheses were based on the wrong interpretation of the source material, and provides a new etymology for the name Szywra. Based on the critical analysis of all of the reachable records of names referring to the river Szywra, it has been proven that its Polish name is an adaptation of the former German name Schieferbach. Such a process was possible due to the long-term bilingual situation in the region of Greater Poland.

The article aims to demonstrate the role of chrematonymy in a broadly understood contemporary (modern) world culture. The author identifies possible chrematonimic categories and subcategories, discusses their formal and functional properties, and the methods and conditions involved in their creation. The paralexical and communicational phenomena associated with this general class of onymy (e.g. the use of logotypes and extralinguistic signs as well as letter and numeric codes in chrematonymic function) is also discussed.

Polish microtoponyms, as they were used in the middle 20th century, are known today mainly thanks to a field names-gathering action probably initiated in 1954 and finished as late as in 1970, carried out by Polish linguists from Krakow, Warsaw, Łódź, Wrocław, Toruń, Lublin and Poznań. The present paper tries to reconstruct its process and the fate of the collected materials, which served as the basis for the incomplete series “Official names of localities and physiographical objects” published in 142 county fascicles between 1963 and 1975. While part of them have been saved and are being published on a digital platform, a lot of information has been irretrievably lost due to the carelessness of its depositaries.

The paper studies the work by Andrzej Urban entitled “Pamiętnik. Nasz ród, moja rodzina i moje przy niej losy” [A Diary. Our Kind, My Family and My Life with Them], a farmer from the Podkarpacie Region who was born in Lutcza. It was published twice, in 1936 and in 2015, and not only significantly enriched Polish diary literature, but also serves as a source for recently developing research into oral history. The analysis in this article is based on the second edition of the “Diary”, which repeats the text written by the author verbatim, with all its spelling, syntactic and stylistic imperfections. It is a precious piece of material for research for not only historians and sociologists, but also for linguists.

The material basis for the article are numerous official and unofficial anthroponyms occurring in Urban’s narrative. These are authentic onyms that have mostly reference, informative and expressive functions. Their use, especially referring to generally known persons in the social micro- and macro-scale, has a positive effect on the authentication of the described events. They also characterise the author of the text indirectly, showing, for instance, his somewhat deep onymic awareness and historical knowledge.

W pierwszej części artykułu przedstawiam zaproponowane przez Profesora Jerzego Pelca funkcjonalne podejście do semiotyki logicznej języka naturalnego. Najważniejszą cechą tego podejścia jest zwrócenie szczególnej uwagi na użycia analizowanych wyrażeń. Jednym z istotnych celów zaproponowanej przez Pelca analizy jest zaś denominalizacja semiotyki języka naturalnego. Zdaniem Pelca, analiza, która zajmuje się przede wszystkim sposobem użycia i wyrażeniami wyjętymi z kontekstu, przecenia rolę nazw w języku. Natomiast analiza, której przedmiotem są użycia i podużycia, siłą rzeczy musi zwracać uwagę na kontekst i sytuację pozajęzykową i dzięki temu może „dowartościować” zdania. W drugiej części staram się usytuować stanowisko Pelca w ramach toczonej współcześnie debaty między minimalizmem semantycznym a kontekstualizmem, dotyczącej wpływu kontekstu pozajęzykowego na znaczenie. Osobny podrozdział poświęcony jest analizie wypowiedzi niezdaniowych. Stawiam tezę, że pogląd Pelca można uznać za stanowisko pragmatyczne, zgodnie z którym takie wypowiedzi są rzeczywiście – a nie tylko pozornie – niezdaniowe, niemniej jednak mogą wyrażać sądy i mieć określoną moc illokucyjną.

The text, inspired by the book in question, is devoted to contemporary investigations of Slovak terrain names, presenting them to the Polish reader. The main questions discussed are perspectives of a study of the archaic lexical stock, chiefly of Slavic origin, conserved in Slovak toponymy, as well as the current organization of the dictionary entry, which is judged to be far from optimal. Some corrections to the entries in A- regarding concrete etymological solutions are suggested as well.

There are many ways of choosing or creating a name, the ways of which vary from culture to culture, and from language to language. Chinese onyms are usually constructed of one or more elements, being mostly lexical items (morphemes or words), and retaining in most cases their own lexical meaning in a name, therefore they are usually semantically transparent. However, the “true” significance of some names is sometimes very difficult to discover, and the conclusion is often based upon guesswork. What is evident, Chinese onyms are not random combinations; they usually have a certain underlying significance, reflecting the reason or reasons why particular lexical items are used in the naming process. Chinese researchers usually do not mention “the meaning” of names as a criterion for their semantic divisions. Their classifications are mainly based upon the variously termed “reasons”, “methods”, “motivations”, or “sources of naming”. Therefore, this paper deals with some selected, typical and untypical, “methods” of creating Chinese names, especially given names and place names.

This descriptive review presents proper names from the perspective of brain science. It contains the characteristics of individual groups of proper nouns (and common nouns for comparison) and takes account of their neurobiological background. This makes it possible to confirm many opinions on the status of proper names reported by linguists. The Baker and baker paradox and the so-called double dissociation in the search of proper names and common names are discussed in order to confirm (at least in part) the thesis that proper names and common nouns are searched for in the mental lexicon independently of each other. The author also presents the characteristics of proper names to make a thesis about the uniqueness of this class of lexemes. It becomes clear that they are more difficult to learn, especially in patients with neurological deficits, and it takes healthy individuals longer to recall them than to search for common names. Moreover, the recollection of names is associated with more phonological mistakes and is often accompanied by the tip-of-the-tongue syndrome (TOT syndrome), which becomes most evident in elderly patients. The article also presents individual adaptive compensation techniques in impaired naming of objects and faces (e.g. aphasia), which facilitate the recreation of categories within the mental proper name lexicon.

The main purpose of this article is an attempt at the description of the role of roadside shrines and crosses in geographical names. The study encompasses more than 1,000 microtoponyms collected in the years 2011–2017 in the area around the village of Wręczyca Wielka near Kłobuck (Silesian voivodeship). The analysis also offers a justification for the onyms, as well as stories and legends elicited during informal conversations with the middle and the oldest generation of inhabitants of the explored area. The author uses the research tools of cultural onomastics. The objects of sacral architecture which appear in geographical names frequently have a number of functions. Mostly, roadside shrines and crosses help to locate or mark fields, meadows, forests and paths. Furthermore, the data that shed light on the motivation of microtoponyms document the relationship between the abovementioned examples of sacral architecture with the surrounding physiographic objects, highlighting the role of these forms in folk culture. Both roadside crosses and shrines commemorate past events and preserve the elements of rural customs. The few specimens of sacral architecture functioning as the motivation for microtoponyms also confirm the fact that, for the oldest generation of village inhabitants, religion is still one of the most important values.

In the second part of the article, the history of standardization programmes concerning the names of physiographic objects is discussed. The basis of the standardization programme currently followed by the Commission on Names of Localities and Physiographic Objects is described. The paper also presents the criteria of linguistic correctness adopted by the previous standardization commissions as well as by the present one. Issues of linguistic correctness of geographical names with dialectal properties and of names borrowed from minority languages are discussed. Attention is paid to some structural discrepancies in the approaches to the issue of correctness taken by the Commission on Names of Localities and Physiographic Objects and by local authorities.

The study aims to contribute to research on the onomastic-stylistic diversity of Polish prose in the late 20th century. In focus are those onomastic properties of literature that reveal connections between names and language in the process of creating non-mimetic, literary-style fiction. These properties also point to the nature of proper names as they function in a literary work of art — that work being a post-modern intellectual-literary game. The names used in the novel (anthroponyms, toponyms, chrematonyms, also zoonyms) mainly derive from the author’s linguistic creativity: they contribute to the world-view projected through the text. That world-view is “purposefully and totally unusual”, different from the real world.

This article addresses the issue of the interpretation of proper names in poetry. The state of research on the functions of proper names in literature is well described, but it is possible to note the lack of a fixed interpretation strategy in poetry which means that, despite little interest in poetry, its researchers often try to propose their own methods of analysis. The authors of the article, who tackle onyms in the poetry of Bruno Jasieński, present their own methodological approach to the matter, based on B. Waldenfels’ concept of the “phenomenology of the alien”.