Anthroponyms in Russian appellative names for alcoholic drinks (yerofeich, erokha, ivashko, ivanushko, etc.)

Abstract

The article considers two groups of appellative names for alcoholic drinks, namely those derived from the personal names Yerofey (yerofey, yerofeich, etc. ‘a kind of bitter infusion’) and Ivan (ivashko, ivanushko, etc. ‘mid-strength beer’). These may be either direct derivatives from personal names or secondary derivatives from appellatives or chrononyms. The paper gives a critical review of existing etymologies and suggests some corrections and additions. For yerofeich, there have been suggested two main etymologies: from the name of the drink’s inventor (Yerofey or Yerofeich) or from the noun designating the primary good necessary for the drink to be made (dial. yerofey ‘perforate St John’s-wort, hypericum perforatum’), both vulnerable from the morphological point of view. The arguments in favour of derivation from the chrononym Yerofeyev den’ ‘Yerofey’s day’ are refuted by the author for being untenable in both linguistic and cultural respects. Dial. yerokha ‘a kind of infusion,’ ‘beer’ may be associated with the appellative deanthroponymic noun yerokha ‘bully, troublemaker,’ probably with a certain impact of the common Russian yerofeich. For ivashko, ivanushko, and other similar words, it seems more reliable to trace them back not to the chrononym (Ivanov den’), but directly to the personal name, such derivation could be motivated either by paronymic attraction (pivo — ivanets (ivanushka, ivashka), brazhka — ivashka) or connotations inherent in the name (e.g. ivanushka ‘every man,’ ivanushka-durachok ‘a silly person’). In conclusion, the author makes some general observations as to the use of anthroponymic (and, wider, anthropological) code for the naming of alcoholic drinks. © 2017, Ural University Press. All rights reserved.