Giving titles to paintings by elementary school children

Abstract

Giving titles to paintings by elementary school children  

Research into titles has always been a neglected field in Onomastics, though, because of its interdisciplinarity, it deserves attention. This study examines what titles are given to paintings of different representation modes by elementary school children. Challenges in giving titles to paintings depend on several factors (e.g. age, prior knowledge, cultural influences, concentration skills), which determine the outcome collectively; but a high degree of empathy, abstraction and insightfulness is always required from the person giving the title. The author carried out a questionnaire survey, in which answers were given by second, fifth and eighth grade pupils. Children were expected to give titles to, among others, a realistic and a cubist painting. Titles suggested are examined in the present paper from semantic and formal points of view, exploring habitual practices of giving titles by children of this age-group. The topic deserves further research.