Onyms in the film titles of the USA in 1920

Dolgopolova Liliya Anatol'evna ORCID: 0000-0003-1327-2454 Doctor of Philology Professor, Department of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University named after Fevzi Yakubov 295044, Russia, Republic of Crimea, Simferopol, Bastionnaya str., 41, of. -- lilian2000@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Adzhigel'dieva Lenie El'darovna Postgraduate student; Faculty of Philology; Crimean Engineering and Pedagogical University named after Fevzi Yakubov 295015, Russia, Rep. Crimea, Simferopol, Uchebny lane 8 ablyakimovalenie@gmail.com

Introduction

Cinema has been one of the most widespread forms of art for over a hundred years, the influence of which on the formation of the worldview of society is very great. Any film product combines the qualities of various artistic genres: literature, art, theater and music, thus representing great interest for philological research. A special position in this context is occupied by the name of the film, which, on the one hand, serves as a key factor in choosing a film to watch, on the other hand, is the key to commercial success ^{[4, p. 32]}. Creating a film product's name is a creative process in which various specialists take part, which allows us to consider it as an interdisciplinary object of research, where linguistic, cultural, historical, pragmatic and other aspects are intertwined.

The increased interest in the study of the film title contributed to the emergence of a special term filmonym for its designation. This term was introduced by E. V. Knysh, considering the filmonym as a statement representing the situation modeled by the film, its verbally encoded image ^[5].

In modern linguistic research, special attention is paid to the localization and socio-cultural adaptation of the filmonym ^{[1; 2; 7]}, its linguistic and cultural differences ^[6]. At the same time, the study of the structural, semantic and functional features of the film title in diachrony remains relevant, which makes it possible to establish the specifics of the creation of the name in various historical periods.

The purpose of this article is to identify the features of the functioning of onyms in the names of US films produced in 1920.

Methodology

The theoretical basis of the research consists of works in the field of onomastics by A.V. Superanskaya ^[9]; V. I. Suprun ^[10], which contain fundamental knowledge about the nature of proper names and possible criteria for their classification.

The main provisions representing the interpretations of the linguistic status of filmonyms by Yu. N. Podymova ^[8], V. E. Anisimov, A. S. Borisova and G. R. Conson ^[1], A. V. Zubareva ^[3] were also taken into account, where filmonyms are presented as a special type of ideonyms performing nominative, advertising, attractive and influencing functions.

The practical research material was the List of American films of 1920, which includes 567 film titles and is presented on the electronic resource List of American films of 1920, URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_films_of_1920 ^[11].

The choice of material is determined by the following reasons: the 20s of the last century are traditionally considered the heyday of American cinema. During this period, a powerful American film industry was being created, producing up to 800 films per year. Each new film needed its own individual title, which, on the one hand, referred to the content of the film, on the other hand, attracted a large number of moviegoers. A synchronous cross-section of the features of the use of proper names in the 1920 film titles will make it possible to establish the historical and cultural conditions for choosing onyms for names during the formation of the process of creating filmonyms as a mass phenomenon.

Research and results

Filmonyms, as a special type of onym, are artificially created, invented names, which, according to A.V. Superanskaya, are divided into names used in real life along with natural, established names (new personal names, artificial surnames, etc.) and book names (titles of works, names of heroes, etc.) ^{[9, p. 30]}.

Naming of a film product, as a rule, occurs consciously and is associated, on the one hand, with a reference to the content of the film, on the other hand, with the intention of stimulating interest in it. The first trend in naming is manifested in the fact that a filmonym can indicate an object, a place of events, the time of events, or include several semantic components simultaneously ^[8]. The second trend is realized in the choice of means of creating a name, among which there are various kinds of reinterpretations, oxymorons, borrowings, antitheses, wordplay, etc. ^{[6, pp. 59-60]}. The use of onyms in film names can be caused by both trends, since the name usually indicates an object/subject, a place of events, or contributes to the creation of an emotional and evaluative effect.

In the names of the 1920 US film production, onyms are widely represented: out of 567 filmonyms, proper names occur in 97 cases, which is approximately 17% of the total. Preliminary analysis shows that filmonyms contain both bionyms in the form of anthroponyms (female and male names, surnames, ethnonyms) and abionyms (various types of toponyms). Let's take a closer look at the features of their functioning.

Women's names. The name Mary ‘Mary’ is most often found in filmonyms: In Walked Mary ‘Mary's Walk’, Mary Ellen Comes to Town ‘Mary Ellen Comes to Town’, Mary's Ankle ‘Mary's Ankle‘, Merely Mary Ann 'Just Mary Ann’, Up in Mary's Attic ‘In Mary's Attic’. Mary is one of the Christian names, presumably derived from the ancient Egyptian “mry” ‘beloved, beloved.’ In English-speaking culture, including American culture, this feminine name was and remains one of the most common. In filmonyms, it is combined with other female names like Ellen: Mary Ellen or Ann: Mary Ann. In addition, in everyday life, diminutive versions of Molly and Polly were often used, which are also found in the film names of that time: Molly and I ‘Molly and I', Polly of the Storm Country ‘Polly from the land of storms', Polly With a Past ‘Polly with the past', Pollyanna ‘Pollyanna'. In the latter case, the name Polly is a component of a compound name, the second part of which is the onym Anna. In all the analyzed films, the name Mary and its derivatives is borne by the main character, around whom dramatic or comedic events unfold. The choice of this name for the filmonym can be explained by its high frequency, as well as the desire to present the heroine as an ordinary girl living next door, and thereby create the effect of reality of what is happening. In this case, this name enhances the attractive function of the filmonym, emphasizing the fact that the events of the film can happen to any resident of the United States.

The name Rose and its derivatives are also often found: Lady Rose's Daughter, The Shadow of Rosalie Byrnes, The Sins of Rosanne‘ What Happened to Rosa, What Happened to Rosa. The film name Lady Rose's Daughter is based on the most popular 1903 novel by Mrs. Humphrey Ward with the same name. In the rest of the films, the name Rosa indicates the main character going through a dramatic situation. This name was also quite common in the USA, especially among Catholics.

Among the popular female names in filmonyms at the beginning of the twentieth century, there are also Peggy: All of a Sudden Peggy, Jenny: Jenny Be Good ‘Jenny, be good’, Pat: Flying Pat ‘Flying Pat’, Prudence: Away Goes Prudence ‘Goodbye, Prudence'. These names primarily serve a referential function, pointing to the main character of the film.

Among the precedent names, there are those often used in works of fiction, which formed the basis of the film script: Bonnie May ‘Bonnie Mae (based on the 1916 novel by Louis Dodge)', Even as Eve' (based on Robert W. Chambers' short story "The Shining Band"), The Courage of Marge O'Doone 'The Courage of Marge O'Doone' (based on the novel by James Oliver Curwood), Mrs. Temple's Telegram ‘Mrs. Temple's Telegram' (based on Frank Wyatt's Broadway play of the same name), Nurse Marjorie ‘Nurse Marjorie’ (based on the play of the same name by Israel Zangwill), etc.; names of heroes of fairy tales, biblical plots and myths: Cinderella's Twin ‘Cinderella's Twin’, A Modern Salome ‘Modern Salome’, A Sister to Salome ‘Salome's Sister’.

The functioning of the surnames of the female characters is accompanied by a combination with the honoratives of Miss or Mrs.: Alias Miss Dodd ‘Alias Miss Dodd', The Frisky Mrs. Johnson ‘Frisky Mrs. Johnson’, Miss Hobbs ‘Miss Hobbs’, Notorious Miss Lisle ‘Infamous Miss Lisle’, The Notorious Mrs. Sands ‘Infamous Mrs. Sands’, Young Mrs. Winthrop ‘Young Mrs. Winthrop’ and others.

Jimmy / Jim are the most common male names: Alias Jimmy Valentine ‘Pseudonym Jimmy Valentine’, If Only Jim‘, If Only Jim’, Call Me Jim ‘Call Me Jim’; Jack: Jack Straw ‘Jack Straw’, Daredevil Jack ‘Daredevil Jack’. In this list, only two films have precedent names: Alias Jimmy Valentine is based on the play of the same name by Paul Armstrong, which is based on the story of O. Henry "The Restored Reformation" in 1903, Call Me Jim is based on the novel by Josiah Gilbert Holland "Sevenoaks: the Story of Our Days", published in 1917. Both names also refer to popular male names in English-speaking culture.

Among the common names of that time in American filmonyms are Andy: Alarm Clock Andy ‘Andy's Alarm Clock’, George: Fixed by George ‘Fixed by George’, Hutch: Honest Hutch ‘Honest Hutch’, etc. The characters in these films are shown as ordinary U.S. citizens who find themselves in various unusual situations.

The names of the heroes of famous works are used as precedent anthroponyms: Huckleberry Finn 'Huckleberry Finn' (based on Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' (based on Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1886), The Mark of Zorro (based on Johnston McCully's 1919 short story "The Curse of Capistrano"), The Revenge of Tarzan (based on Edgar Rice Burroughs' book Tarzan. The Adopted Monkey" (1912). There are also cases of using the Christian name St. Anthony: The Sins of St. Anthony ‘The Sins of St. Anthony’; Cupid's mythological name: Cupid the Cowpuncher ‘Cupid the Cowboy'.

As for surnames, unlike female surnames, they are used either with a first name: Jack Straw ‘Jack Straw', Alias Jimmy Valentine‘The pseudonym is Jimmy Valentine’, Felix O'Day ‘Felix O'Day', or with an indication of the profession: Captain Swift ‘Captain Swift'. At the same time, there are no fees at all.

We also note the presence of exotic male names, for example, The Brand of Lopez 'Lopez Brand' (about the Spanish matador Vasco Lopez), Li Ting Lang 'Li Tin Lang' (based on the story "Li Tin Lang, the Chinese gentleman" in 1916).

Among the ethnonyms, there are indications of the hero's region of origin or ethnicity: The Texan ‘Texan’, An Arabian Knight ‘Arab Knight’, The Corsican Brothers‘Corsican Brothers’ (based on the novel of the same name by Alexandre Dumas), The Luck of the Irish ‘Irish Luck’ (based on the novel of the same name by Harold McGrath 1917)

The abonyms in the film names under consideration are represented by oikonyms, among which New York is mentioned twice: The New York Idea ‘New York Idea’, While New York Sleeps‘While New York sleeps." Place names of American origin are also the name Cumberland: A Cumberland Romance ‘Novel in Cumberland’, the names of American states like Kentucky: The Kentucky Colonel ‘Colonel from Kentucky'; New York area: A Manhattan Knight ‘Manhattan Knight'. The list of filmonyms mentions 2 oikonyms of non-American origin. These are Tokyo: A Tokyo Siren and Istanbul: The Virgin of Stamboul ‘Istanbul Maiden'. In Paris Green's filmonym, Paris Green, the action takes place in Paris, where certain events occur with the main character of the film, Luther Green, as a result of which he receives the nickname Paris Paris. This onym can be considered simultaneously as an anthroponym, which arose as a result of the metonymization of an oikonym, and an oikonym.

Let's note the fairly frequent use of godonyms in film names, among which Broadway dominates: The Broadway Bubble ‘Broadway Bubble’, A Broadway Cowboy ‘Broadway Cowboy’, Broadway and Home ‘Broadway and Home', 45 Minutes from Broadway ’45 minutes from Broadway'. This fact is most likely due to the fact that Broadway was already considered the main theater street of the USA at that time, where the basis of American theatrical culture was being formed. The name of this street attracted all those who longed for a beautiful life and, undoubtedly, contributed to an increased interest in film production.

In addition to Broadway, New York's Avenue A Street is mentioned in film names: The Prince of Avenue A ‘Prince of Avenue A’, 39th East Street: 39 East ‘39th East Street'. We also note the single use of the caronym Elsinore in the film The Mutiny of the Elsinore, based on Jack London's novel The Elsinore Mutiny in 1914.

As for the structural features of filmonyms in which proper names are used, we will identify the following types::

– word forms. The name of the film can be represented by a single lexeme-an onym in the form of a name: Babs 'Babs', Dinty 'Dinty', Pinto 'Pinto'; a combination of "first name + last name": Bonnie May'Bonnie Mae', Felix O'Day 'Felix O'Day', Jack Straw 'Jack Straw', etc.; "honorative + surname": Madame Peacock 'Madame Peacock', Miss Hobbs 'Miss Hobbs' "profession + surname" Captain Swift 'Captain Swift'; Nurse Marjorie 'Nurse Marjorie';

- phrases where the onym (mostly anthroponyms) acts as the subject of possession: Alarm Clock Andy ‘Andy's Alarm Clock’, The Brand of Lopez ‘Lopez Brand’; as a definition, where toponyms are mainly used: The Broadway Bubble ‘Broadway Bubble’, A Broadway Cowboy‘Broadway Cowboy’, The Corsican Brothers ‘Corsican Brothers’ and others. Let's also highlight the frequently used phrase "determinator + anthroponym": Flying Pat, The Frisky Mrs. Johnson ‘Frisky Mrs. Johnson', Honest Hutch ‘Honest Hutch', etc.

- suggestions. Filmonyms can take the form of a simple, common sentence: Homer Comes Home ‘Homer goes home’ and Mary Ellen Comes to Town ‘Mary Ellen comes to town’. Often a movie name has the form of an imperative: Jenny Be Good, "Jenny, be good," Drag Harlan, "Drag Harlan," Call Me Jim, "Call me Jim," and others.

The structural models of the phrases may be identical, despite the fact that the films themselves were created at different film studios, for example, Alias Jimmy Valentine ‘Alias Jimi Valentine’ (Metro Pictures Corporation) and Alias Miss Dodd ‘Alias Miss Dodd’ (Universal City Studios LLC); An Arabian Knight ‘Arab Knight' (FBO Pictures Corp.) and A Manhattan Knight ‘Manhattan Knight’ (Fox Film Corporation), Notorious Miss Lisle‘The infamous Miss Lilly’ (First National Pictures Film Studio) and The Notorious Mrs. Sands ‘The Infamous Mrs. Sands' (FBO Pictures Corp.).

Conclusions

Thus, in the 20s of the last century, the film industry was formed in the United States, allowing for the mass production of film products, which contributed to the beginning of the search for ways to name a film product. One of the productive means of naming a filmonym at that time was proper names, represented by female and male names, toponyms of various types. For pragmatic purposes, the authors of filmonyms most often resorted to using everyday onyms familiar to the American moviegoer, including such anthroponyms as Mary, Rose, Jimmy, Jack, etc., as well as toponyms Broadway, New York. Well-known precedent synonyms Cinderella, Cupid, St. Anthony, Salome, etc. were also used. They are found in film titles based on popular works of fiction such as Huckleberry Finn, Tarzan, Zorro, etc. In this case, we are dealing with the reproduction of biblionyms created by the authors of these books.

An analysis of the form of filmonyms shows that their structure depends to a certain extent on the type of onym. Anthroponyms can be expressed by a word form in the form of a first or last name. Female surnames are combined with the honoratives miss and Mrs., and male surnames are combined with the profession. In phrases, anthroponyms function as a subject of possession, while toponyms are definitions. Anthroponyms, accompanied by determinants, form filmonym phrases.

In filmonym sentences, anthroponyms exclusively participate, with the most common type being the incentive sentence. This type of offer is always aimed at the recipient, which indicates a high degree of attractiveness of the filmonym.

Summarizing the above, we emphasize that onyms are an effective means of creating a filmonym, primarily due to their multifunctional nature. They perform, first of all, a referential function, pointing to the main character or heroine of the film and the place of the event, and an attractive function, arousing a certain interest among the broad strata of society. In addition, familiar and well-known anthroponyms and toponyms create the effect of proximity of what is happening on the screen, which in turn also helps to increase the viewer's interest in the film product.

The use of onyms in American filmonyms from 1920 shows that their use does not differ in a wide variety of name choices and structures, which affects the repetition of both onyms and structural types. In addition, anthroponyms and toponyms typical of the United States dominate among the onyms. These facts are, in general, typical of the initial stage of the formation of specific mechanisms for the formation of film production names.