Aspects of multiculturalism in the diminutivisation of anthroponyms

This paper mainly aims to identify the psychological, affective and sociolinguistic motivations that determine the change of the basic form of an anthroponym, in our case the evolution towards a diminutive form. The research is based on a comparative analysis between the multicultural elements that influence the process of turning proper names specific to Romanian and European areas into diminutives. To illustrate the goals of our research, we will begin by classifying the anthroponyms into two main categories − conventional (official) names and unconventional names (hypocoristics). There is a certain degree of relativity regarding the use of diminutive forms of proper names in European space, as they have a twofold character in the process of naming: on the one hand, they denote feelings of affection and, on the other, a certain degree of irony. The methodology employed consists of methods and concepts specific to onomastics, psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. The body of the paper will illustrate and analyse pieces of information and results obtained through sociolinguistic inquiry and surveys and will also introduce examples taken from online sources.