The function of proper names in the linguistic landscape: a case study in rural León
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48075/odal.v7i1.36674Keywords:
socionomastics, linguistic landscape, rural environment, proper namesAbstract
The study of onomastics within the linguistic landscape (LL) has focused on crematonyms in urban contexts, both to examine their formation and to challenge the boundaries of this category. Previous research has considered whether these index spatial coordinates by virtue of their location in the LL, whilst also observing the visual elements that influence their perception as proper nouns (PN). In this study, we broaden the unit of analysis and move to the rural setting, where the LL is smaller but still present, to observe the onomastic phenomena that occur in this context. We ask which types of PNs are most frequent in the LL and whether their placement in public space influences the function they perform. To this end, we have collected the onomastic elements present in a corpus compiled in an exhaustive manner from five rural localities in different districts of the province of León. Firstly, we conducted a quantitative analysis of the types and subtypes of PNs present; secondly, we carried out an exhaustive qualitative analysis that enables us to reflect on the function of the NPs in the LL and to observe the patterns that emerge regarding the creation of crematonyms, the absence and presence of PNs in the LL, and the linguistic trends they reflect. The results show, on the one hand, a prevalence of both place names and the toponymic function and, on the other, that the structure of proper names and their linguistic uses reflect the social and identity dynamics of the territory in which they are embedded. In doing so, this study contributes to a holistic and synchronic understanding of onomastics within the LL, enabling a re-examination of the behaviour of PNs in its context and an analysis of the social and identity-related phenomena occurring in a given territory.
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