THE ROLE OF THE PROPER NAMES OF THE LITERARY HEROES IN MYROSLAV DOCHYNETS' NOVEL "CHILDREN OF THE FERN"

The relevance of our study is due to the fact that in modern linguistics is still insufficiently studied the potential of the proper names of the literary heroes in the prose texts of famous authors. Therefore, in our opinion, the study of the hero's own name needs special attention, and a thorough analysis of the proper names of the literary heroes in M. Dochynets' novel "Children of the Fern" opens opportunities for further generalizations in the field of relevant linguistic and stylistic issues. The purpose of our article is to study the role of the proper names of the literary heroes in the novel "Children of the Fern" written by the Transcarpathian writer, winner of the Shevchenko Prize Myroslav Dochynets; our task is to describe the proper names of the literary heroes, to reveal their information loading, the role in the development of the plot. The object of the research is the novel "Children of the Fern" by M. Dochynets. The subject of the research is the proper names of the literary heroes and their functional content. Methods and techniques. Research methods are determined by the specifics of onymic material, which requires a systematic approach and the use of traditional descriptive method and its basic techniques: observation, interpretation and generalization. The functional load of the proper names of the literary heroes is determined by the method of contextual analysis. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time the role of the proper names of the literary heroes functioning in the novel "Children of the Fern" by M. Dochynets is studied. Attention is paid to the role of the proper names of the literary heroes (including pseudonyms) and the conditions of their origin; the etymological meaning (internal form) of the proper names of the literary heroes is revealed. It is proved that proper names of the literary heroes in the novel are the most important lexical elements that have a variety of semantic and emotional content, they are accompanied by connotations and various associations, and they characterize the character by national, social origin, and create a certain emotional tone, reflect the author's attitude to the named character. Conclusions. Proper names of the literary heroes in the novel "Children of the Fern" are a powerful layer of vocabulary. Their role in the text is difficult to evaluate: they are indicators of time, nationally significant, informational and evaluative – they perform different functions.