SPECIFICITY OF CONNOTATION MEANING OF MERKEL-EPONYMS (to «Theoretical Course of the Second Foreign Language (German)»)

Abstract

The article focuses on the specificity of connotation meaning of Merkel-eponyms – word-formation types based on the proper name Merkel. Such Merkel-eponyms are widely used in the modern German-language media-political discourse. The extensive usage of these eponyms is explained by the fact that A. Merkel is a significant figure in the European area. The significance of the Chancellor of the European Union is confirmed by the emergence of the eponyms «merkeln» and «Merkelismus» («Merkelism»), which is interpreted as the style, the way of policy by A. Merkel. The leader of Merkelism («Anführerin des Merkelismus») seeks social consensus, stability and balanced political decisions.
In this paper the eponymic derivation, the eponymic conversion, the eponymic contamination and the eponymic word combination are analyzed. An important role is attributed to the eponymous derivation that is the most productive type. Of particular interest are the eponymic contaminations in this discourse. The eponymic conversion, i.e. the transition of one part of speech into another without usage of affixes, is presented by substantivation (Merkeln, Ausmerkeln).
The eponyms derived from the name Merkel have the component of connotative value, explicit negative or positive connotation and take the form of verbs, nouns and adjectives. They accumulate extensive information, draw attention to their creativity, are markers of humor and irony. The Merkel-eponyms are determined by a context and require a recipient of additional extra linguistic knowledge.