The role of the onomasticon in shaping institutional identity

The paper presents an analysis of the onomasticon of the 19th-century institutional narrative based on the book History of Tufts College, 1854–1896. The study focuses on the mechanisms through which proper names construct institutional identity. In the theoretical section, we justify using the concept of ideologeme in relation to proper names: we view names and their accompanying explanatory constructions as units that consolidate institutional affiliation, social and hierarchical subordination, and mechanisms of collective memory. A comprehensive examination of naming patterns, visual presentation, and the institutional position of referents provides the basis for a typology in which we distinguish core proper names (anthroponyms and their constructions), peripheral proper names (ergonyms), and background proper names (oeconyms). We establish that the degree of onymic elaboration within the text correlates directly with the status of the name-bearer. Analyzing the narrative's onomasticon reveals that ergonyms function as symbols of the institution's belonging and identity; oeconyms organize the institutional space of the text. Our findings confirm that the examined onomasticon constructs a multilayered structure where each element participates in shaping institutional identity. The proposed model can serve as a framework for analyzing similar historical sources.

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