Phonosymbolic literary names and nicknames: A classification proposal

Abstract

The paper aims to delve into a relatively uncharted territory within scholarly inquiry: the realm of sound-symbolic literary onomastics. It meticulously scrutinizes 100 names and nicknames spanning from the 18th to the 21st century across diverse textual genres, with a specific focus on those found in children’s language or texts, as well as dialect varieties. The objective is to establish a classification system for the names and nicknames of literary characters, facilitating the identification of their motivational factors, formation mechanisms, and predominant linguistic structures employed.