Some people live trying to do something significant, something that leaves a mark on history. Of course, with a positive impact on society. Therefore, they strive to exploit their skills and stand out among the best.
If they are athletes, they fight to win as many medals and trophies as possible, if they are singers, then the goal will be to record an album and go straight to stardom. The same could be said of scientists, pacifists, writers, etc.
However, some acquire these merits without realizing it. They just did something that was of benefit to others and thus got recognition from the community involved in the matter. Hence, throughout the world, there are schools, monuments, squares, streets and even diseases that bear the name of a certain person.
This action, of naming something after someone, is known as an eponym, did you know? Probably not. But don’t let the parrot go! Through reading this article, you will have the opportunity to become more familiar with this word and even integrate it into your vocabulary.
Our language is very rich. It’s full of words we don’t know. But if you make the effort to learn one every day, you might be surprised how much your understanding of the language will improve. This will not only make you a more educated person, it will also open the doors for you to perform as a professional in different areas.
Many companies are interested in people who have a good vocabulary, as well as a good capacity for expression, in order to serve as a promoter or as a host in different public events. Improving your vocabulary will make you an excellent candidate for this type of job.
So, what do you think if we start by learning a little more about eponyms and the different uses they have? Let’s see it.
Instructions
An eponym is nothing more than the name of a person or place, which is used to designate diseases, objects, concepts, periods of time, among other things. It comes from the Greek word Eponymos. Which, in turn, comes from Epi, which means About and Ónoma, which means Name. That is, it is a nickname or title that is given to something.
It is the term used to distinguish certain places, inventions, etc. In honor of the person who discovered it or had some part in it. Such is the case of the famous explorer Américo Vespucci, which is the eponym used to name the American continent. So we can say that eponyms are common names that come from proper names.
They function by metonymic designation. That is, by replacing the main word with another that is closely related to it. It can work as a noun, but also as an adjective or attribute.
Characteristics of eponyms
- It is a very old word formation process, which was already used in Athens, Rome and Japan during classical times. For example, in the specific case of Japan, it was used in the name of a dynasty to mark an era.
- Until very recently, they were not recognized by the Royal Academy of the Spanish language. That is, they were not included in his dictionary. In fact, at present, there are still many to include.
- It is a universal lexical heritage . Which means that they are found in almost all languages and their writing is very similar, since they come from a proper name. This is a great advantage when doing translations, because it allows us to deduce the meaning of what they are saying and use our multilingual competence.
What do you need:
Depending on how fossilized they are in the language, that is, if they have already become part of the normal vocabulary of our language, we can find two types of eponyms:
- The most fossilized or used. For example, the word Nicotine, which comes from J. Nicot, ambassador of the French court, who introduced the use of tobacco at court.
- The less fossilized or those that are not so frequently used in the language, such as the word cantinflada, which comes from the character Cantinflas, among others.
Some examples
In the Dictionary of the Royal Academy of the Spanish Language we can find a large number of eponyms. Some of them are the following:
- The word academy, defined as a scientific, literary or artistic society, comes from the eponymous character Academus, a hero who lived near the place where Plato taught his disciples. With the passage of time, this place became known as an academy.
- August, the eighth month of the year, comes from Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome.
- Algorithm, the set of instructions or defined, ordered and finite rules, which allow a decision to be made or a problem to be solved. It comes from the character Al-Juarismi, a mathematician and astronomer of Persian origin.
- Asperger syndrome, which is a type of autism, comes from Hans Asperger, the proper name of an Austrian doctor.
- Athens, the capital of Greece, owes its name to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, reason and just war.
- The béchamel room was named after Louis de Béchameil, a French financier who was fond of gastronomy.
- The term boycott, which refers to the interruption of the proper functioning of a certain social or commercial activity, as a form of pressure for a certain purpose, originates from the eponymous character Charles Cunningham Boycott, a British administrator who exploited the peasants of Ireland, because they they refused to pay rent and to work.
- The name gatekeeper, which refers to a porter or guard with a very brusque manner, refers to Cerberus, a character from Greek mythology. He was a three-headed dog, who had a snake instead of a tail, who guarded the gate of Hades so that the dead would not come out and the living could not enter.
- Colombia, one of the South American countries, owes its name to the navigator Christopher Columbus, who discovered America.
- Lazarillo, a term used to designate the person or animal that guides a blind man, comes from the eponymous character Lázaro de Tormes, the protagonist of the homonymous novel, who, as a teenager, served as a guide to a blind man.
These are just a few of the many examples of eponyms that exist. This helps us to know its meaning or origin, without having to consult a secular source of information.
Tips
The process of creating a word, using another name, is known as eponymy. This is a very common procedure in the case of creating neologisms. That is, the introduction of new voices in order to replace some that already existed. A natural process in languages.
Eponymy is also closely related to metonymy, lexicalization, and etymology. Concepts familiar with the language and its correct use. There are three ways to create terms through eponymy:
- Using a generic word followed by the preposition de, preserving the spelling of the eponym. For example: Oedipus complex.
- Using a generic term, which is always in lower case, with the eponym, in this case, in apposition. The spelling may vary, since the eponymous is being adapted to Spanish, with a lower case. However, it can also be left in its original form.
- However, the Spelling of the Spanish language, a normative work of the RAE, recommends the use of lowercase letters in the case of varieties and types of food, appliances, etc. An example could be: Alcalá street.
- Finally, adapting, if necessary, the original proper name, which functions as common or is lexicalized. These types of names, which have been formed in this way, are known as deonomastics. Sometimes it does not fit, but is italicized. Especially when it doesn’t follow the Spanish spelling guidelines. For example:
On some occasions, the same concept can have two different formations, as is the case of:
- The bain-marie and the bain-marie.
- A Saint Bernard dog and a sambernardo, among other similar cases.
On the other hand, it is also possible to create proper names by eponymy. Such is the case of educational centers, since they take their name from a person or place. For example: Simón Bolívar School or Miguel de Cervantes Educational Unit.
The eponym and its relationship with metonymy
As we have mentioned before, the eponym is closely related to metonymy. But what is metonymy? It is a literary resource which consists of giving one thing the name that belongs to another. However, for this, there must be a relationship between them in terms of their meaning and similarity.
In other words, it makes it possible for a term to be exchanged for another, whose meaning is directly related. Although its use is applied to literary texts, it has been rapidly gaining ground in colloquial language.
Some of the types of metonymy are as follows:
- Effect for its cause.
- Cause for its effect.
- Symbol for the thing it symbolizes.
- Place for what is produced in it.
- Trademark for the object of the mark.
- An artistic work by the name of who made it.
- The part for the whole.
- The whole for the part, etc.
However, it may be much easier to understand if we use examples instead of concepts to show what metonymy is. These are some examples:
- Music is joy for the soul.
- The soldiers swore to be loyal to the flag.
- Pedro ate two plates of paella.
- While I’m on vacation I’m going to dedicate myself to reading Cervantes.
- He painted an oil canvas.
- Marco is the best guitar player in the band.
- The best pen of Spanish poetry is García Lorca.
- The White House had no comment on the attack.
- There wasn’t room for another soul in the theater.
- He drank the entire bottle by himself.
- Give me your phone and I’ll call you later.
- I’ll just have a couple drinks.
- I’ll go to the beach to sunbathe for a while.
- Arriving at work I found a new face.
- She is pure heart, etc.
Without realizing it, you have been using more metonymic expressions than you thought. This adds richness and variety to the language. It should be noted that more and more people express themselves in this way, so it is important to keep up with the advancement of language in society.
Like metonymy, eponyms help us better understand the meaning of words in our everyday vocabulary. Knowing its definition will make us more aware of its existence and importance.