book review doi:10.17684/i8A124en DIACRONIA ISSN: 2393-1140 Impavidi progrediamur! www.diacronia.ro

Mihaela Munteanu Siserman, Nume și simțuri: corespondențe semantice în configurații denominative, Editura Mega, Editura Argonaut, Cluj-Napoca, 2015, 260 p.

Daiana Felecan˚ Faculty of Letters, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, North University Centre, Str. Victoriei 76, 430122 Baia Mare, Romania

Challenging even on the level of the paratext, Mi- topic). Two main concerns dominate Mihaela haela Munteanu Siserman’s volume Nume și simțuri: Munteanu Siserman’s interest: i) to list and explain corespondențe semantice în configurații denominative well-known common terms which “encapsulate” a [Names and Senses: Semantic Correspondences in proper name in their lexical-semantic structure and Onomastic Configurations] (Editura Mega, Editura ii) to convey briefly the history of the original Argonaut, Cluj-Napoca, 2015, 260 p.) reunites, referent (an anthroponym or a toponym), indicat- as we ascertain from the Introduction, contributions ing the (extra)linguistic odyssey of its lexicalization whose common research topic is the science of (“deonymization”). Pursuant to the statement above, names. The papers have been published by the author the collocation common name following proper name over the last few years, and are bibliographically in the title is legitimate, although the examples are updated and revised. Under the ægis of integrative “deonymized”. The author portrays in balanced onomastics, the book brings together studies that graphic parts the remarks related to both investigated analyse the capacity of proper names to contract categories (common names vs. proper names). various determiners, on the one hand, and instances The fields to which the proprial “traces” identi- of “deonymization” (through antonomasia), on the fied in the examined eponyms pertain are everyday other. For both approaches, the author employs life (lexical-semantic explorations of gastronomy, morphological and lexical-semantic methodologies. clothes, accessories, and entertainment), science and One can rightfully discuss the rhetoric of the technology, fauna, flora, mythology, religion, and so- chapter headings of the reviewed book, as the called onomastic curiosities. semantic effects can be noticed even on this (antici- The reverse strategy used by the author in her pative / advisory) preliminary textual positioning. approach, from eponym to source (with the source In the spirit of honesty characteristic of dedicated taken into consideration as a taxonomic criterion), researchers, Mihaela Munteanu Siserman mentions, allows for a clearer observation of the polyphonic after each of the 11 studies in the book, the original modalities implied in the formation of the investi- bibliographical reference or the name of the scientific gated nominal units. The reader is challenged to event on the occasion of which the paper was access (to update/to assimilate) a halo of correlative presented. information (encyclopædic context), lexicographical Upon examining the first study, Despre câteva knowledge, and data related to universal culture, clase lexico-semantice de nume proprii devenite nume meant to save the reader from a possible erroneous comune [On Certain Lexical-Semantic Classes of interpretative track (see, for instance, the explana- Proper Names Turned Common Nouns] (p. 22– tion for the origin of the dog breed name the Maltese, 40), included in the first section of the book, i.e., p. 31). Nume proprii vs. nume comune [Proper Names The “enclosure” of a proper name (anthroponym vs. Common Nouns], it becomes clear that we or toponym) in a common name—a frequent process are reading a pocket encyclopædia (the “controlled” in historical languages—is reflected in the onomastic character of the information can be explained by the connection between a “deproprialized” name and its author’s delimitation of the field of interest, which proprial origin (anthroponyms identified in the deep is, in fact, the intrinsic limitation of any research structure of eponyms indicate illustrious referents, ˚Email address: [email protected].

© 2018 The Authors. Publishing rights belong to the Journal. Diacronia 8, October 7, 2018, A124 (1–9) The article is freely accessible under the terms and conditions of the CC-BY Open Access licence. 2 Daiana Felecan while toponyms mark the locative incidence of for the identification of the referent” (p. 48). As designated products/properties). it results from the contextual analysis, the presence The second study in the book, Comportament of demonstratives may fulfil the following functions: morfosintactic și funcție discursivă în cazul numelor referent focalization, thematic perpetuation or, on proprii cu/fără determinanți [Morphosyntactic Be- the contrary, discursive demarcation. haviour and Discursive Function in Proper Names A special place is reserved by the author for “illus- with/without Determiners] (p. 41–66), is an analysis trious proper names (with or without determiners) performed mainly from the viewpoint of logical which lead to the rupture of onymic connection” linguistics. Mihaela Munteanu Siserman proves to (p. 53–56). These names refer to the exemplary, have thorough knowledge of the theories regarding metaphoric and metonymic uses within which “the the semantic and referential status of proper names modification of the initial referent aims at invok- (following Kripke, Milner, Mill, and Kleiber) and ing, on the level of discourse, another virtual or carries out a minute examination of the values of real referent by establishing connections based on proper names (provided by their designative property linguistic and cultural traditions” or “by means of or by their purpose) in various contexts with or direct indication of the initial referent” (p. 62). without determiners. The author identifies a series Proper names with possessive determination of discursive functions of proper names as part (p. 52–62) contribute to the correct “reading” of of certain nominal phrases, by investigating the textual referents. They produce various pragmalin- “faithfulness” of the name of a discursive referent in guistic effects, such as distancing from or familiarity relation to the reiteration of the name of the initial with the referents of possessive phrases. However, referent. such names underline “the autonomy of the pos- In the chapter dedicated to proper names sessed objects in relation to the possessor” (p. 63). without determiners (p. 43–47), it is worth noting The author motivates the title of the second that the author exceeds the limits of textual- section of the book, Onomastică senzorială [Sen- discursive interpretation through grammatical sory Onomastics], based on the correspondences remarks that reveal the researcher’s predilection established between different levels of onomastic for the exploitation of a language fact up to its knowledge (olfactory, gustative, visual, and tactile). last morphological and lexicographic potential. Mihaela Munteanu Siserman reinforces the belief Useful observations can be found in the analysis of regarding the need to place the act of naming among structures consisting of an appellative + a proper other psychological activities by analysing names name. The first component of the onymic formula is of perfumes, culinary products, TV shows, coins, considered to have the ability to confer an additional diseases/viruses, and rulers’ nicknames. individualizing power to the proper name and In relation to onomastics and the sense of smell, indicate the relationship between name bearer and Mihaela Munteanu Siserman investigates names locutor. Therefore, the components of a nominal of perfumes from a semiotic-linguistic perspective binomial become reference clarifiers, mutually (Nume proprii de parfumuri: o analiză semio- contributing to the “elucidation” of the denotatum. lingvistică [Names of Perfumes: A Semiolinguistic Determiners in proper nominal phrases (see Analysis], p. 68–85). According to the author, p. 47–56: demonstrative adjectives, definite/ indef- proper names can be analysed on three levels: the inite articles, possessives or extensive proper names) semiotic level (“the linguistic structures according to help establish reference or insert a disruption in the which an object is identified”), the pragmatic level onymic chain proper name – referent, with (semantic (as the product of a manufacturer for a potential and stylistic) consequences on the textual level. client), and the sociocultural level (the cognitive effort “Disembodied” proper names (Gardiner), due to the of the intended beneficiary—who makes use of extra- presence of an indefinite article, for instance, do not linguistic references—to decipher the proper name). establish the referent through the relation proper Considering the proper name as a sign, the fol- name – referent, but on the level of predication, as lowing categories of proper names (and subsequent the proper name loses (when it develops this indef- subcategories) were identified: proper names with inite status) “the referential value which would allow a generic component; proper names which convey M. Munteanu Siserman, Nume și simțuri: corespondențe semantice în configurații denominative 3 the name of the producer/the perfume house, using can be deduced from the author’s statement, the several mechanisms—transparent or linguistic and richness and diversity of tastes, shapes, flavours, and stylistic mechanisms. The pragmatic perspective colours of the ingredients and dishes in local and takes into consideration the target costumer, who universal cuisine. may be explicitly mentioned or inferentially recon- On reviewing the various stages of intercultural stituted. (For instance, the author notices that, contact in Romanian culinary terminology analysed among the feminine proper names in the corpus in diachrony, Mihaela Munteanu Siserman makes investigated, there is a single case in which one a classification of the terminology i) based on is able to find lexical-semantic clues regarding the the occurrence of an onomastic component in the identification of potential female customers, which investigated structures, ii) from the lexical-semantic are therefore retrievable only by comparison with point of view, and iii) by determining the etymons. the names of perfumes for men.) Perfumes are The consulted corpus comprises, on the one hand, considered by the modern individual an appendix of famous sources, which have become well-established personality, and they fulfil a social function as they due to their age and excessive use (cookbooks). On are “paired” with various events in an individual’s life. the other hand, the corpus also consists of units of Thus, the author’s classification includes circadian analysis collected by the author from the Internet proper names; proper names related to various social- or by directly recording product names from the life domains (sport, recreation etc.); synesthetic appropriate commercial spaces. proper names; proper names reiterating the names The author provides a definition of gastronyms, of the four primordial elements (water, air, earth, an umbrella term which reunites names of products and fire); proper names conveying a toponym (the in Romanian gastronomy: “names given to manufacturing/trading location of the fragrance); dishes/culinary products and beverages recorded encyclopædic proper names involving an inferential in specialized books or websites dedicated to journey (from a cultural, historical or social view- gastronomy from an onomasiological and/or point) to accomplish the correct semantic decoding semasiological perspective, that is, in sections that of the name; proper names evoking exemplary figures register recipes according to the order in which and personalities; proper names whose significance they are served during a meal or into taxonomies can be solved only by means of intertextuality; of various gastronomic categories” (p. 89–90). descriptive proper names (some of which reproduce The specific (onomastic) component in the lin- argumentative schemes, but all containing “closed guistic structure of gastronyms—according to which in their deep structure the unspoken true or de- the taxonomy of different (sub)classes was made— sired, projected story” (p. 80); numeral-based proper has an explicit or implicit lexical-semantic structure, names (which may be accounted for by placing the directly or indirectly pointing out the anthroponym product in a numerical chain or by the subjective- or toponym included in the signifier or signified. affective resonance encoded in the name by the The anthroponyms identified in the structure perfumer). of gastronyms are surnames and illustrious proper Most investigated proper names are objectively names whose presence is explicable in certain gastro- or subjectively motivated, as the author rightly states. nomic contexts. The key to the correct decoding of such names is not Gastronyms containing toponyms are grammat- reduced to their literal interpretation, as it involves ically distributed according to the following syntactic different levels of knowledge from an extended pattern: 1. appellative (the generic component (extralinguistic) context. ˘ preposition) + proper name determiner and 2. The reason behind choosing to research into the appellative + toponymized relational adjective. topic Onomastica senzorialului gustativ. Nume de Another (lexical-semantic) classification divides preparate culinare autohtone în perspectiva globali- gastronyms into de-toponyms and de-anthroponyms; zării (interpretări onomastice și socioculturale) [Ono- their origin also functions as a classifying criterion. mastics of Taste. Names of Autochthonous Dishes in The detailed analysis groups gastronyms stylistically Relation to Globalization (Onomastic and Sociocul- and pragmatically into metaphorical gastronyms, tural Approaches)] (p. 86–113) must have been, as pragmatic gastronyms (within this category, there are 4 Daiana Felecan

“gastronyms expressing attitudes against economic spective of analysis is multidimensional (linguistic- crises”,which the author considers to be “the negative structural and semantic-pragmatic), as the author effects of consumerist societies” (p. 109) that gener- investigates the relationship established between ate financial and temporal crises), and other semantic manufacturers (identifiable on the level of nominal categories of gastronyms. labelling) and beneficiaries (customers/consumers). As a general observation, Mihaela Munteanu The identified nominal structures are mostly Siserman notes the Westernization of the onomastic motivated designating expressions and have been corpus in contemporary Romanian cuisine: “‘Tell me grouped into many semantic categories, as follows: what you eat and I will tell you what you are’ seems names related to the ethnonym of the country of ori- to have lost its identity references in a globalized and gin (sometimes the structure integrates a hydronym, globalizing era. Names of local culinary products are an oronym etc.): Tămâioasă românească ‘Romanian a last resort against the assault of fast food, which Muscadine’, Dunărea Albastră ‘The Blue Danube’; has an impact not only on mentalities, but also on names that contain appellatives meaning ‘legacy’: culinary behaviour” (p. 110). Hereditas, Tezaur ‘Treasury’, Zestrea ‘The Dowry’; The author’s preoccupation for names in gastro- names containing toponyms denoting origin: Jidvei, nomy continues in the study Influența limbii franceze Murfatlar, Târnave, etc.—with the following sub- asupra numelor culinare românești [The Influence categories: the generic term domeniu ‘domain’ (sin- of the French Language on Romanian Culinary gular/plural form) + toponym: Domeniile Segarcea Names] (p. 114–130). It aims at achieving a ‘Segarcea Domains’; the term moșie ‘estate’ + top- lexicological/lexicographic outline of the influence onym: Moșia de la Tohani ‘Tohani Estate’; names of of the French language on the culinary Romanian landforms + determiner: Dealu Mare ‘The Big Hill’; word-stock. locatives: Beciul Domnesc ‘The Royal Cellar’, with In the semantic evaluation of the language facts, a particular subclass, casa/familia ‘house/family’ Mihaela Munteanu Siserman distributes the material + identifying anthroponym: Casa Isărescu ‘The according to isotopies subsumed under the following Isărescu House’, Familia Hetei ‘The Hetei Family’— categories: names of desserts, pastry and confection- the effects on name receivers: “familiarity, shared ery products; names of sauces; types of meat; names joy or tradition transmitted ‘from father to son’” of kitchen utensils. (p. 136); names referring to cultural, mythological The author points out that some of the terms have symbols: Drăgaica Roșie ‘The Red Drăgaica’, Rusalca undergone changes in meaning in the borrowing lan- Albă ‘The White Rusalca’, with various pragmatic guage as compared to their meaning in the language effects—conjuring (Balada ‘The Ballad’, Menestrel of origin, either by extrapolation or by semantic ‘Minstrel’), magic (Miracol ‘Miracle’, Misterium < conversion and/or the alteration of the signifier mister ‘mystery’); names evoking religious symbols: (due to the tendency to adapt to the phonetic Vin bisericesc ‘Church wine’, Vin liturgic ‘Liturgical and morphological requirements of the Romanian wine’, 7 Păcate ‘7 sins’, etc.; names containing the ap- language). Other terms have preserved their original pellative castel ‘castle’ [+ aristocracy] + determiner: “physiognomy”. In general, Romanian culinary Castel Huniade ‘Huniade Castle’, Castel Jidvei ‘Jidvei names originating in French preserve their initial Castle’; names preserving “noble reminiscences by meaning and even if various metamorphoses occur means of dignity or rituals of rank-related etiquette” over time, they can be explained through the contact (p. 141): Noblesse, Vinul Cavalerului ‘The Knight’s with other gastronomic ethnicities and civilisations, wine’ and Wine Princess among others. the change of mentalities, and the transformations in As regards names of Romanian grape variet- social-political and cultural life. ies, the author discusses about the existence of Invoking the long tradition of Romanian wine “semantic motivation in relation to the referent” (the recognition of the Thracian supremacy among (p. 142) based on metonymy or metaphor. The other regions of Europe in terms of the quality of the classification was made according to colour (Negru wines produced here), Mihaela Munteanu Siserman vârtos ‘Strong black’), the shape of the grape (Grasă dedicates a paper in this book to Names of Romanian de Cotnari/Românească, literally meaning ‘Fat Cot- Wines and Grape Varieties (p. 131–150). The per- nari/Romanian grapes’), the presence of an eponym M. Munteanu Siserman, Nume și simțuri: corespondențe semantice în configurații denominative 5 or ethnonym (Nausica, Nicorești), synesthetic names Anglicisms unaltered (Money News) or associate (“cumulative structures that activate the simulta- a Romanian word with a foreign (internation- neity of multiple senses by evoking visual, audi- alized) lexeme: Ora de business ‘The Business tory, olfactory, and gustative suggestions that ‘talk’ Hour’; to each other”, p. 144)—Tămâioasă (Românească) • in the section dedicated to names of weather ‘(Romanian) Muscadine’); zoomorphic/avimorphic forecast shows, the author deals with the contem- symbols (Cocoș ‘Rooster’, Sânge de Taur ‘Bull Blood’); porary individuals’ need to have constant access container/vineyard size (Babanu ‘The Big one’, Mini- to weather predictions according to which they aturi ‘Miniatures’); circadian names (which capture plan a series of behaviours (choosing clothes, the existential development sprout – ripened grapes going on holidays, etc.); – wine: Mugur de viță ‘Vine Bud’, Floare de • as regards the names of television shows ded- Toamnă ‘Autumn Flower’); therapeutic, aphrodi- icated to press review, the author goes beyond siac, or euphoric effectsBlack ( Doktor, Erotikon); mere linguistic and onomastic de-structuring by scientific words and linguistic structures (Nec plus formulating observations related to the close ultra, Proles Pontica); “academic brands” (Colocviu connection between show producers and the ‘Colloquium’). political party which they sympathize, along As a general tendency, Mihaela Munteanu Si- with verbal expressions (offensive language, per- serman notices that, due to their enclosure in the sonal attacks, etc.) conveying disagreement with specific linguistic structure, the names of Romanian those situated at the opposite end of the political wine and grape varieties in the investigated inventory spectrum; indicate a strongly autochthonous image (be it real or • in the lexical-semantic structure of the names imaginary, anthropomorphic or toponymic) that has of documentary shows (about history, art, nat- gained the prestige of functioning as a brand for the ural sciences, law, and economy among others) wine product which it represents (and with which it there are words that explicitly indicate the spe- is identified). cific nature of the approached topic: Digicult, As regards the onomastics of sight, the author România turistică ‘Touristic Romania’, Tele Arte discusses names of television shows in Romanian ‘TeleArts’,etc.; media space (p. 151–175). The approach is not • the designating units/phrases used in the names reductionist, as the designating structures are ana- of talk shows or reality shows illustrate direct refer- lysed not only in terms of onomastic aspects, but ence by evoking the time slot (Sinteza zilei ‘Daily also from a perspective that extends the analysis Summary’, 24 într-o oră ‘24 in an Hour’) or the towards semantics and pragmatics. Starting from function that the media should fulfil in relation the dichotomy paleo-/neotelevision—retrieved from to the events presented (Imparțial ‘Impartial’, French bibliography—, Mihaela Munteanu Siser- Vorbește liber! ‘Speak freely!’—alluding to “the man’s integrative approach classifies shows broadcast undisguised attitude that the analyst should on (national and commercial) TV channels accord- adopt as regards the commented/analysed event”, ing to the thematic criterion: p. 165). • informative television shows (whose titles are Due to the accuracy and thoroughness of the in- generally organized around the noun news pre- terpretation, worth noting are the two isotopies or postposed to the name of the TV chan- on which the author consolidates the designating nel: România TV News, Știrile ProTV ‘ProTV structure of the name of a successful reality show, News’); Big Brother. On the first level of interpretation, • economy television shows: some observations are big brother is suggestive of an “oppressive, totali- made on how the paradigm mutation in the tarian system. The idea of a security camera is also Romanian economic system of the past 25 years reinforced by the logo of the show: the eye that has affected the naming of economy-related supervises and sees everything” (p. 167–168). television shows; i.e., the tendency of economic Upon a second, relational decoding, the author Westernization is depicted on the level of the notices “the association in the collective mind names of television shows, which either preserve of the significance of big brother [+ authority 6 Daiana Felecan

(by means of reassignment, especially in the the name to the material/alloy (of metals) from absence of parents), + experience in relation to which the coin was made (gulden, rupie ‘rupee’), the others]” (p. 168); the meaning of the “unit of measure/weight” of • post-totalitarian Romanian entertainment shows, the metal that served as raw material for the coin as Mihaela Munteanu Siserman emphasizes, are (dinar, liră ‘pound’), the “illustrious” name “en- “(financially) beneficial only for the tenderer, but graved” on the obverse or the reverse of the coin not for the consumer (by watching only what (kings, emperors, rulers, and notorious personalities they are offered, consumers gradually give up all in a certain sphere of social life) (bolivar, ludovic, evaluative criteria and become ‘sedated’, without napoleon), the toponymic reference (state, kingdom, reaction, because their critical spirit has been region) imprinted on the coin (euro, forint, stambol), anesthetized/amputated). This form of enter- and the various (religious, animal and other kinds tainment reflects more and more accurately the of ) symbols indicated by the numismatic appellative particularities of tabloid press, juggling between (escudo, leu, sol). exacerbated sexuality and erotic alcove, between In the “exhausting” manner of the interpretative the offensive and the trivial, between a wedding detail and with the accuracy of exemplary humanist in the middle of the street at noon and an researchers, Mihaela Munteanu Siserman notes that interview with the victim of a rape, conducted by the onomastic options for the various investigated the first reporter arrived at the scene” (p. 170); currencies result from the ethnic communities’ or • names of health-related television shows are based sovereign’s decisions and are indicative of significa- on the principle of transparency and contain tion entrenched in the “national” linguistic code. at least a lexeme with medical meaning: Ce se The onomastic ramifications in medical nomen- întâmplă, doctore? ‘What’s happening, doctor?’, clature (Aspecte lingvistice în onomastica medicală Medici de gardă ‘Doctors on call’,etc.; [Linguistic Aspects in Medical Onomastics], p. 189– • among the names of the investigated gastronomic 204) reveals the researcher’s concern to apply the television shows, worth mentioning is Tinerețe philological perspective and to use the resources of fără bătrânețe ‘Youthfulness without old age’, an linguistic analysis even in the case of specialized oxymoronic structure obtained by joining the languages (i.e., medical discourse), despite their opposites of human existence, youth vs. old age, multiple particularities with various functions on all pointing out the reconstruction, by means of the levels of language. inference, of a conditional syntactic pattern: “If At the intersection of medicine and linguistics, you eat properly when young, you will not have Mihaela Munteanu Siserman proposes an interdis- health problems in the old age” (p. 173). ciplinary approach to names of diseases, syndromes, The names of the television shows broadcast by and viruses. various television channels (over 150) help (through The onymic structures of the semantic classes semantic and structural transparency) subsume the identified display the following configuration: shows under a genus proximum. Nevertheless, they • lexical root of scientific (Latin or Greek) origin may also hinder the foreshadowing of the content as + noun (< suffix-based derivation generating a result of blurring the meaning of the paratextual meaning): –ree (‘discharge, leak’: bronhoree naming structure due to the latter’s opacity (ambigu- ‘bronhorea’); –ism (‘permanent illness’: mongo- ity) (see p. 174). loism ‘mongolism’) (see p. 194); In Considerații privind onomastica numismatică: • determiner + anthroponym/toponym (the dis- numele de monede naționale [Considerations Regard- coverer of the disease/the place of incidence of ing Numismatic Onomastics: Names of National the disease): maladia Charcot-Marie ‘Charcot- Currencies] (p. 176–188), the author employs the Marie tooth disease’; pre-existing lexical-semantic taxonomy (see footnote • the anthroponym may indicate an “illustrious” 8, p. 179) as a starting point and classifies vari- referent: complexul (lui) Oedip ‘Oedipus com- ous national currencies according to the reiteration plex’, sindromul Stendhal ‘Stendhal syndrome’, (through translation) of those names in different sindromul “Alice în Țara Minunilor” ‘Alice in languages (dram, lari), the trace of a reference in Wonderland syndrome’; M. Munteanu Siserman, Nume și simțuri: corespondențe semantice în configurații denominative 7

• tropes identified in the linguistic structure: me- In a relevant cultural, stylistic, and functional tonymy (the anthroponym substitutes the name approach, Mihaela Munteanu Siserman signals the of the disease/syndrome, e.g., Parkinson) and motivation of the identified onomastic structures, synonymy (there are different stylistic options by discovering a relationship between the onymic depending on the language registers: the speaker references and a factual event assumed by a particular chooses one of the variants from the synonymic ethnolinguistic community. Moreover, the author series constituted based on the standard name of notes the evocative function of these structures, as the disease/syndrome—e.g., boala Biermer ‘Bier- well as their various semantic effects: deliberate mer disease’ ≈ anemie pernicioasă ‘pernicious ambiguization, banter, and irony among others. anæmia’); The surface structure facilitates the classification • determiner + toponym (= the area of incidence of fixed expressions according to the onomastic of the virus/illness): sindromul Stockholm ‘Stock- categories to which the constitutive proper names holm syndrome’, sindromul Ierusalim ‘Jerusalem pertain: anthroponyms (a fi de pe vremea lui Pazvante syndrome’; Chioru’, lit. ‘to be from the time of Pazvante the One- • ethnonyms (referring to the name of a nation): eyed’; e țara lui papură Vodă, lit. ‘it is Lord Bulrush’s gripa spaniolă ‘Spanish flu’; country’; a fi Cănuță om sucit, lit. ‘to be Cănuță • “chromonyms” (referring to the colour identified the misfit’); ethnonyms (a lua luleaua neamțului, lit. in medical semiotics): boala limbii albastre ‘to take the German’s pipe’, ‘to get drunk’); biblical ‘bluetongue disease’, febra galbenă ‘yellow fever’; characters and religious holidays (built mostly on • medical “bestiary” (animal analogies (some of the names of the Creator, Easter, and Christmas: which are metaphorical) in patients’ morpho- Domnu’ a dat, Domnu’ a luat ‘the Lord gave, and pathology): boala vacii nebune ‘mad cow disease’, the Lord has taken away’, la Paștile cailor ‘at horses’ gripa aviară ‘avian flu’, gripa porcină ‘swine flu’; Easter’, Crăciunul al sătulului și Paștele al fudulului • exotic, “picturesque” names: boala mâinilor ‘Christmas [is] of the satiated and Easter [is] of the murdare ‘dirty hands disease’ ≈ hepatita A ‘hep- swagger’); toponyms (a nimeri ca orbul în Brăila, lit. atitis A’, sindromul copilului zgâlțâit ‘shaken baby ‘to reach something as the blind reached Brăila’); syndrome’ ≈ sindromul Silverman ‘Silverman colours (a fi/deveni negru de supărare ‘to be/to turn syndrome’; black in anger’, a fi/a se face alb ca varul ‘to be/to • logos, abbreviations, acronyms: CT, RMN become white as lime’). ‘MRI’,EKG. With respect to the category of chromonyms, Mihaela Munteanu Siserman brings together in a among the interpretations of the investigated struc- very successful formula the scientific austerity— tures worthy of attention is the explanation regarding specific to the medical field—of the names ana- the phrase a aduna bani albi pentru zile negre (‘to lysed and the picturesque of the same terminology save white money for black days’; ‘to save money “translated” to be comprehensible for patients. In for a rainy day’): “The fear of ‘tomorrow’ and of other words, the strictly specialized language is being unable to make a living is ‘abolished’ by the given a “transfusion” of popularization and “becomes reflex of the prudent individual to save money during transitive”, as it allows the deciphering of the “story” good times for situations that could arise at a certain (genuine anthroponymic/toponymic reference) be- moment in life (physical, financial or other types hind a complex of sounds otherwise “condemned” to of ‘dark days’). On the phraseological level, the be obscure for the nonprofessional. situation is conveyed by invoking a structure that In her scientific approach, the author also in- underlines the black/white chromatic opposition: a cluded collocations, proverbs, and Romanian phra- strânge bani albi pentru zile negre ‘to save white seology (Repere onomastice în structuri fixe românești. money for black days’. Through antiphrasis, the Perspective sociolingvistice și culturale [Onomastic ‘reversed’ phrase creates semantic effects that are Markers in Romanian Fixed Structures. Sociolin- opposite to the original meaning: Some people save guistic and Cultural Perspectives], p. 206–224) in white money for black days, while others save black whose semantic nucleus one can recognize the “trace” money for white days and nights” (p. 220). of a proper name. By means of detailed notes, Mihaela Munteanu 8 Daiana Felecan

Siserman invites readers and, at the same time, or by the posterity (some of the bynames were guides their comprehension towards connotative given during their bearers’ lifetime, others were interpretations, which are the only ones that facilitate given post-mortem), the author divides the onomastic the metaphorical recovery of the denotative meaning corpus into two categories: bynames with positive of the explored structures. connotations vs. bynames with negative connotations. The author’s onomastic journey ends in a struc- Using semantic, stylistic, and pragmatic criteria, tural and semantic analysis of the bynames given Mihaela Munteanu Siserman sketches the “portrait” to Romanian rulers in Wallachia and Moldavia of certain rulers, evoking the famous events that in the Middle Ages (Supranume ale conducătorilor indestructibly “welded” them to their bynames. (voievozilor, domnitorilor) din Evul Mediu românesc Among the positive bynames, one can [Bynames of Medieval Romanian Voivodes and mention Basarab I Întemeietorul ‘Basarab I the Rulers], p. 226–246). Founder’, Bogdan I Descălecătorul ‘Bogdan I By joining the exegetical line in the field, Mihaela the Dismounter’—figures whose (by)names are Munteanu Siserman points out the individualizing associated with/“translate” the founding/the and differentiating role of bynames, in general. The creation of a “country” (establishing borders and byname-giver is on the side of the sovereign or rules for a Romanian land). Other bynames are opposes him. transparent on the level of the ethnic qualifier (most Before explaining the anthroponymic phrases often alluding to maternal origin): Iancu Sasul ‘the taken into consideration, the author focuses on the Saxon’, Vasile Lupu Albanezul ‘the Albanian’, Petru generic terms that precede or follow (in different Cazacul/Polonul ‘Peter the Cossack/the Polish’, thematic roles) a historical character’s byname/first Alexandru Stolnic Românul ‘Alexander Seneschal name/surname (or a combination of two such the Romanian’. In some cases, the bynames “record” names). The appellatives in question, to which a lex- the ruler’s good, wise, brave nature: Alexandru icographical study is dedicated, include domn ‘lord’, cel Bun ‘Alexander the Good’, Mihai Viteazul domnitor ‘ruler’, vodă ‘lord’,and voievod ‘voivode’. ‘Michael the Brave’. Bynames function as operators Each of the semantic categories of bynames is of differentiation in the succession to the throne illustrated, first of all, by advancing an example of those who had the same name (“homonymous (which may be nominal) belonging to other histor- anthroponyms”). The author notes that the practice ical and cultural spaces than the one announced as of “numbering” does not characterize the specificity a research area of the study. Thus, the reader can of Romanian tradition (compared to France and easily notice the resemblances between the onymic England, where the succession to the throne was systems of different ethnolinguistic civilizations, as restricted by dynastic affiliation): Petru cel Tânăr a result of mentalities and habits that are similar ‘Peter the Young’, Vlad cel Tânăr ‘Vlad the Young’, on the level of psychosocial behaviour. Therefore, Mircea cel Bătrân ‘Mircea the Elder’ etc. A byname Mihaela Munteanu Siserman’s study goes beyond may also include a religious isotopy with positive methodologies that generally claim a philological connotations (Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt ‘Stephen approach, tending towards an integrative perspective the Great and Holy’, Radu Paisie) or with negative (by including the local into the universal). History connotations (the betrayal of the original religion and legend (folklore) coexist with the study of the by converting to Islam: Mihnea Turcitul ‘the specific language fact that is lexicographically, struc- Turkified’). Occupations/crafts practised before turally, and semantically investigated to its ultimate investiture are also included in the lexical-semantic signified/signifying potential. Somehow, the present structure of some rulers’ bynames: Vlad Călugărul study has the profile of a history lecture consisting ‘Vlad the Monk’, Mircea Ciobanul ‘Mircea the of the “story” behind the byname; based on all the Shepherd’, etc. The pleasant physique, the concern aforementioned, the reader reaches in medias rerum for mundane vanities, and gallantry are also written the nominal history indicative of the complementary in the unconventional nominal code: Radu cel factual context. Frumos ‘Radu the Handsome’, Petru Cercel ‘Peter Depending on how the circumstances (extralin- Earring’. The predilection for certain culinary guistic references) were assessed by contemporaries passions becomes a distinctive onymic marker: M. Munteanu Siserman, Nume și simțuri: corespondențe semantice în configurații denominative 9

Mămăligă Vodă ‘Lord Polenta’, Mălai-Vodă ‘Lord Siserman applies modern nominal reference-centred Corn flour’. theories (the research topic of her PhD thesis) on Bynames with negative connotations point out the (anthroponymic, toponymic etc.) stock of names a deficient moral character, by exaggerating physical investigated in her latest book. abnormalities or the way the referent managed a The prowess to orchestrate—under the onomas- climate crisis that took place during his reign. All of tic “wand”—“rhythms” from different instruments the above are developed on the semes [+ tyranny]: and instrumentations is admirable and not available Ștefan cel Crud ‘Stephen the Cruel’, Aron Vodă to everyone. As the author is highly knowledgeable cel Cumplit (Tiranul) ‘Lord Aron the Fierce (The about lexicology, she fruitfully correlates informa- Tyrant)’, Mihnea cel Rău ‘Mihnea the Evil’, Vlad tion in this field without missing the opportunity to Țepeș ‘Vlad the Impaler’; [+ physical infirmity]: “decompose” each analysed name into its immediate Ștefan Surdul ‘Stephen the Deaf ’, Petru Șchiopul or distant constituents. In other words, the author ‘Peter the Lame’, Negru-Vodă ‘Lord Black’; [+ natural is an adept of the integrative research technique, calamities]: Ștefan Lăcustă ‘Stephen Locust’, Papură- which always exceeds the initially announced mono-, Vodă ‘Lord Bulrush’,etc. bi- or tri-disciplinary approaches and goes beyond The reviewed book is a reference point in ono- them, providing an interpretation from multiple mastic bibliography. By combining methodologies perspectives: from the lexical and grammatical from domains that are not always explicitly comple- scheme of a name, through meaning (speech), to the mentary, this research proves to be a landmark in recovery of reference (denotation). Through an ef- Romanian philological exegesis. fective cohabitation (and compliance) of precepts of Having a remarkably good command of French various methodological origins, Mihaela Munteanu and being a talented idiomatic interpreter (see the Siserman rebuilds in her investigations the objective translations made by the author), Mihaela Munteanu or subjective history of “life in the world of names”.