Onomastic map of Russian rap lyrics

Abstract

This article discusses the question of the functioning of poetonyms in rap texts. Currently, there are not so many studies devoted to the onomastic space of rap texts. The novelty of the research is in the fact that the study of proper names which are an integral part of the rap text allows us to fully understand the specifics of the rap genre as part of verbal culture and describe its linguistic and cultural potential. Traditional linguistic methods are used to characterize the onomastic space of rap texts. The choice of the concept of a poetonym as a key term is due to the idea of other semantic and pragmatic properties of a proper name, functioning in a literary text in comparison with texts of other discourses. The results of descriptive and analytical observation of genre features of rap texts, extralinguistic, linguistic factors influencing the active use of poetonyms in rap texts are presented. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the most common groups of poetonyms including anthroponyms, toponyms and pragmatonyms. The authors of the article focus on stylistic techniques, tropes, intertextual inclusions as the main ways of including poetonyms in rap texts. It has been revealed that poetonyms play a special role in the content and construction of the semantic opposition "us – them" in rap texts. The study has shown that poetonyms, acting as a "filter" of their listeners, are able to reveal a whole layer of "beyond-the-text" information about the historical past and current topical problems of Russian society. As a result of the analysis, the following main functions of poetonyms in rap texts have been determined: text-generating, expressive, integrating, creative, symbolic. Having linguistic and cultural potential, poetonyms determine the aesthetic quality of rap texts, and also ensure its inclusion in the context of national Russian culture.