Functioning of allusive anthroponyms in a fiction text: the pragmatic aspect

The article is devoted to the study of the pragmatic aspect of the functioning of allusive anthroponyms in a literary text using the example of the novel by D. Tartt The Secret History (1992). The aim of the work is to analyze the pragmatic potential of allusive anthroponyms, which lies in the performance of a number of functions by these linguistic units in the studied fiction text and in the expressive impact on the addressee of the text. An allusive anthroponym is understood as a unit possessing associative and connotative semantics. The article reviews the main trends in the analysis of the semantics of anthroponyms, the author comes to the conclusion about the multidimensional nature of these linguistic signs, which have a rich cultural and historical potential, participate in the organization of the compositional and thematic structure of the text, in the creation of expressiveness of the narrative, in the description of the characters, and perform a number of other important functions. The structure of the meaning of this unit has denotative, significative, and pragmatic features. Pragmatic semes contribute to the realization of the pragmatic potential of the name in connection with the impact of the narrative situation on the addressee of the text. The analysis of the functions of allusive anthroponyms in the D. Tartt’s novel showed the predominance of the functions of increasing expressiveness, characterization of the character/place of action, and the function of evaluation. Next in descending order of importance and frequency are the function of semantic unfolding, the function of creating a textual concept, the aesthetic function, the function of creating an illusion of reality, and the function of perspectivation. The performance of a wide range of functions by allusive names indicates the importance of these units in a fiction text, their participation in the realization of the meaning of the text, its interpretation, and the creation of imagery.