e-Onomastics in Sweden (part 2)

e-Onomastics in Sweden (part 2)

Onymic Phrases in Early Modern period

http://www.sofi.se/servlet/GetDoc?meta_id=1825

This interesting project on the semantics, syntax and morphology of the Old Swedish and Early Modern Swedish name phrases is conducted by Lennart Ryman:

From here: http://www.sofi.se/5155

The project examines how individuals are mentioned from the 1200s to the 1700s. Manuscripts reveal a lot about how people were identified and categorized in that time. A hypothetical person in different contexts could be called a wife Anna, Anna Larsdotter or Olaf shoemaker's wife. Such phrases are called here name phrases or onymic phrases.

The project aims to identify the name phrases in time and space. The investigation focuses on the period between 1450 and 1520. The following questions should be investigated:

· How a person had been identified people by name phrase?

· What determines whether an individual is named or not?

· What determines whether an individual is mentioned with the forename or with a more developed name phrase?

· Which parts of name phrases are closely linked to the first name and which are more or less related to descriptions?

· Which parts of name phrases are proper names and which parts are not?

Among others the author endeavours to elaborate the typology of names on the ground of the chronological, geographical, social, gender terms from the onymic phrases?


Examples of name phrases:

discretus vir dominus Bero Longus canonicus eiusdem (1304)
Fulko Jonsson (1311)
hedhirlekin wife wife Ramfrydh Bændiczdottyr (1359)
Joni in Svartenø (1420)
Mans [Måns] køpmantz maid (1493)
Peder Green Skull (1558)
wife Karin fiskeblöterske (1558)
M [aster] Lars (1606)
Mr. Akerman (1666)
Brita Lundholm (1730)

The first name phrase can be translated as 'reasonable man Mr. Bear Long, a canon'.
The second phrase comes from a Latin text, the first name Folke is Latinized but Jonsson is written in Swedish manner.
A fiskblöterska (7) was a woman who soaked and sold dried fish.
Master Lars (8) is better known as Laurentius Paulinus Gothus, later Archbishop.
Name phrases 9 and 10 illustrate the propagation of modern hereditary names  from the 1600s. Akerman was a professor, Brita Lundholm was the maid.