USAGE OF ANTHROPONYMS IN MODERN GERMAN AND UKRAINIAN MEDIA DISCOURSES

Abstract

The article is dedicated to establishing the peculiarities of using anthroponyms in modern German and Ukrainian political media discourses. The study materials were modern online media news from Germany and Ukraine during January-March 2023.
Onyms in general and anthroponyms in particular occupy a central place in reference in the information flow. Proper names are undoubtedly an essential component of media discourse, as any complete message presupposes the presence of referents that are identified through anthroponyms, toponyms, or other types of onyms.
When referring to anthroponyms in German and Ukrainian media practices, a similar set of collocations with anthroponyms can be observed: from maximal identification of the referent with attributive expressions to the use of traditional contextual synonyms. Nevertheless, certain features of reference to onyms in the analyzed political media texts can be observed. In German media linguistic culture, the use of elaborate anthroponyms is typical, where party affiliation, age, and other information can be indicated, which is obviously due to the desire for comprehensive identification of the actors. In Ukrainian media practice, there is a tendency towards shorter identification of anthroponyms In modern German and Ukrainian media texts, we observe the following principle of using anthroponyms:
the headline provides minimal identification for actors, the opening provides maximum identification of the anthroponym, and in the text itself, reference to the anthroponym is made through the surname or other reference markers.