Syntactic Patterns in Welsh and English Nicknames: A Comparison

Abstract

The paper aims to investigate linguistic constructions that underlie Welsh and English nickname formations and, consequently, provide clues as to the function of nicknaming in both languages. The analysis, backed with examples, reveals that Welsh llysenwau retain their identificatory function and focus on enabling unambiguous nomination of individual community members. This assumption is borne out by the observation that the proper noun is the indispensible element in the structure of a Welsh nickname and the rule as such is harmed in a handful of examples only. In contrast, in English denominations instead of the proper noun it is mostly the common noun that constitutes the core of the formation. What follows is that the linguistic reality of nicknaming patterns might be considered as more context-sensitive in the English language, while the inherent presence of official designations, i.e. the first/second name or the surname, in Welsh designations increases the autonomy of reference. It could be anticipated then that English nicknames would outweigh their Welsh counterparts with regard to descriptive content employed to compensate for the weakening of direct reference as otherwise guaranteed by the inclusion of the name proper. Another issue tackled in the paper is the criterion of word order as the underlying feature of nicknames under discussion. The investigation is aimed at determining whether the two systems typical of Welsh and English, namely VSO and SVO, remain relatively undisturbed or show traces of interaction.