PSEUDONYMS INCLUDING CHURCH SLAVONIC NAMES OF CYRILLIC LETTERS: STRUCTURE AND METHODS OF FORMATION (ARTICLE 1)

In: Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta: naučnyj žurnal = Moscow State University bulletin. Serija 9, Filologija, Heft №2, 2023, S. 71-83

Abstract

In a series of articles on the material of the Dictionary of Pseudonyms of Russian Writers, Scientists and Public Figuresby I.F. Masanov we consider the structure and methods of formation of pseudonyms, which include in their composition Church Slavonic names of Cyrillic letters. There are simple (single-word) and complex aliases. It is established that the inclusion of letter names in pseudonyms in most cases is motivated by the author's onym (most often the first letter of the name or surname), his other pseudonym or the onym of another author. In the first article of the cycle, an analysis of statistical data is made, indicating that this model had the greatest productivity in the period from the 70s of the 19thcentury to the 10s of the 20thcentury. That was the time when the study of the Church Slavonic alphabet was mandatory in educational institutions of various types, as evidenced by the data of the ABC-books and primers of the pre-revolutionary era. It is pointed out that the importance of the Church Slavonic alphabet for a native speaker of the 19thcentury is also evidenced by the fact that the Church Slavonic names of Cyrillic letters were often used in phraseological units of various types. In the second part of the article, simple pseudonyms are considered: the features of their formation and graphic design are described. Analysis of the material shows that the most commonly used are simple pseudonyms, which are the names of the first letters of the alphabet - Az, Buki, Vedi, Glagol, as well as the letter Fita. It is noted that as pseudonyms, not motivated by the author's onym, the names of only two letters are regularly used - Azand Buki. The features of the functioning of the pseudonyms Fitaand Firth, as well as the pseudonym Yus, are established.