Original scientific paper

Biblical Onyms in Croatian

Maja Opašić orcid.org/0000-0003-4310-2835 ; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci

Abstract

In this contribution only one particular layer of the extensive corpus of Croatian biblisms is analysed, i.e. the biblical onyms exhibiting the lexical peculiarities of the biblical style on the lexical level. A selection of biblical onyms was made for the purposes of this paper, encompassing those that are also constituent parts of phrasemes. The aim of the paper is to examine and analyse the function and status of biblical onyms in Croatian. The initial assumption is that biblical onyms are largely attested as parts of phrasemes considered to be biblisms. The biblical origin of such phrasemes is therefore ascertained, and their background, motivation and meaning explained. The origin of collected biblical phrasemes with a biblical onym as a constituent part is also examined, and it is further established on the basis of the etymological analysis that these phrasemes are indirect biblisms. The currency of biblisms with an onym constituent is also examined by searching for examples of active use, which brings us to the conclusion that a number of these biblisms are no longer actively used. In addition, it is shown that some biblical onyms have through deonymisation and appelativisation gained the status of appellatives, which can also be considered features of biblical style, i.e. biblisms, whereas a small number of biblical onyms have become terms.

Keywords

biblical onym; biblical phraseme; biblism; appelative; deonymisation; Croatian language

Hrčak ID:

140872

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/140872

Publication date:

7.7.2015.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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