Semantics and Creation of Eponyms in the English-Speaking World

Abstract

The relevance of the topic of the article is determined by the importance of researching derivational processes in the modern English-speaking world, in particular using the example of eponyms, with the aim of tracking the transition of proper names to common names, creating occasional vocabulary and its unification and codification at the national or international level. The purpose of the article is the structural-linguistic analysis of eponymous units with regard to the sphere of everyday life in different contexts (medical, political, social), the study of various derivational models functioning in the English-speaking environment. The main method is a comparative study of various productive word-forming classes on the example of the development of the English language system, a historical-typological study of the mechanisms of adding elements to its derivational composition. This article reveals the main word-formation models that are most characteristic for the formation of eponymous vocabulary (conversion, suffixation, composition, blending, acronymization), analyzes the metaphorical and metonymic features of figurative reinterpretation during the transition of a linguistic unit from the composition of its own vocabulary to general use, points out the grammatical nature of eponyms (noun, adjective, verb, adverb), highlights productive suffix morphemes, indicates the linguistic potential of various means of word formation, the main lexical-semantic transformations as a result of the implementation of derivational models, and special attention is paid to suffixation as the main way of forming new eponyms. The materials presented in this paper will further help in the study of various language systems in view of the derivational, lexical-grammatical, structural features of a separate national language, the study of global influences on the linguistic culture of creating occasional vocabulary and its standardization and codification in the national language space.