Book Review: Dictionary of Proper Names in Russian Riddles, Proverbs, Sayings and Idioms (on a New Book of M. L. Kovshova)

This dictionary describes proper names – anthroponyms, intended to name anthropic and anthropomorphic (human-like) images in Russian paremias and idioms. The dictionary is an innovative lexicographic product that has no analogues in the world. It is based on the linguoculturological principle of describing paremias and idioms as signs capable of storing and transmitting cultural information from generation to generation,  and specifically by using an indicative component as a proper name. The dictionary consists of three blocks: ‘Proper names in riddles and answers’; ‘Proper names in proverbs and sayings’; ‘Proper names in idioms’. The principles of description in each block are due to the peculiarities of the use of proper names in different genres of folklore – riddles, proverbs, sayings and in phraseological units of the language – idioms.

The dictionary invites the reader to find out which anthroponyms, as well as the names of which mythological, religious, literary, historical characters in the entire history of Russian and world culture have been "selected" by speech practice and fixed in Russian paremias and idioms. The dictionary contains proper names, direct and derivative (including folk forms of personal names), genuine and artificial, their structures and constructions in paremias and idioms. The dictionary contains necessary explanations of the historical, etymological, semantic and cultural nature and references to the sources of the material.

The dictionary is intended for philologists, cultural linguists, teachers, writers, journalists and a wide range of curious readers.