RUSSIAN NEGATONYMS: PROSPECTS FOR STUDY

The work is devoted to the study of negatonyms — a type of anthrop onyms that are derivative pseudonyms, the derivates of which express the meaning of the negation of what their motivators name (for example, Alexander the Non Macedonian, Non-doctor). The material for the study is the lexemes included in the Dictionary of Pseudonyms of Russian Writers, Scientists and Public Figures by I.F. Masanov. It is established that the study of negatonyms is a current task of modern linguistics. The range of problems that require solutions within the framework of the study of this group of words is determined. It is proposed to clarify the scope of the concept of “negatonym”, recognizing the possibility of classifying as this type of pseudonym not only derivatives with the formant “ne (not/non)”, but also words formed with the help of other derivates. The types of unique word-formation mod els for negatonyms are established and described. The problem of their variable spelling is raised; it is established that the variability is manifested in the choice of: a) continuous, hyphenated and separate spelling of the formant “ne (not/non)”, b) spelling of the motivator with a lowercase or capital letter. The features of nega tonyms formed from derivational bases belonging to different parts of speech are established. It is noted that negatonyms can be classified based on the typology of the meanings of the derivational bases: this type of classification seems to be ex tremely important for determining the linguacultural characteristics of the object of study. It is established that the definition of the semantic bases of nomination is problematic in a number of cases: examples of negatonyms are given, the analysis of which shows that a correct explanation of semantic motivation is possible only if extralinguistic information is taken into account. Examples are given and analyzed proving that the formation of negatonyms is associated with the author’s desire for word creation, which requires the use of various techniques of language play. The composition of the group of negatonyms of the late 19th — early 20th centuries is established, the derivational bases of which are the onyms of Russian writers of the first half of the 19th century. It is suggested that the creation of such pseudonyms was possible only under the condition that these names were well known, in con nection with which another aspect of the study of negatonyms as lexemes is deter mined, the analysis of which allows us to establish the composition of precedent names of a particular era.