Motivated nicknames in Hungarian folk-tales

Abstract

Motivated nicknames in Hungarian folk-tales

Examining nicknames in folk-tales is considered in this paper to be a sub-field of examining names in fiction. The author first defines the technical term "nickname-in-tale" and then classifies the collected nicknames according to their motivation. Naming can be motivated by 1. appearance (Babszem Jankó 'Tom Thumb'), 2. an inner characteristic (Csalóka 'deceptive' Péter), 3. a habit, a typical activity (Nagyehető 'one who can eat a lot, greedy'), 4. an event (Hajnalka 'dawn' + the diminutive suffix; 'born at dawn'), 5. occupation (Halász 'fisherman' Jancsi), 6. a favourite saying (Nemtudomka 'I-don't-know' + the diminutive suffix), 7. origins, sex (Többsincs 'no more', Fiú 'boy'), 8. wealth (Szegény 'poor' János). Names of unknown origin (Nyehó) are listed in group 9. Naming is often motivated by the meaning of the name: the majority of nicknames in tales are nicknames that inform us about a specific characteristic of their bearers. At the end of the study the author discusses some related morphological, syntactic and stylistic questions.