Occasionalisms as a Linguistic Means of “Stagnation Era” Characterization in the Novel “Say Cheese” (“Skazhi Izyum”) by Vasily Aksyonov

Abstract

The article analyzes individual author’s neologisms from the novel “Say Cheese” (“Skazhi Izyum”) by Vasily Aksyonov, written in the early 1980s. Occasionalisms are studied as a linguistic means of characterizing of “Stagnation Era” by defi ning their functional and structural-semantic features. Specifi cation of neolexemes’ functions proves their division into two groups in accordance with the character of their modus or dictum. The fi rst group includes words that perform emotionally expressive and playing functions, or the so-called “communicative devices”. The second group consists of words with referential correlation, which can perform ideological, interlinguistic and nominative functions. It is noted that the language game is predominant in both groups. From the point of view of structure, one can distinguish new words created according to usual (prefi xal, suffi xal, additional, abbreviational) and non-usual (contamination and epenthesis) patterns of word-building; their close connection with the language game is also indicated. In general, the study states that the occasionalisms encountered in the text of the novel are vivid means of expression that can accurately characterize the signs of the times described. Typical utterances of the era are embedded in the “image” of the life in 1970s and 1980s on the eve of major political events.

Keywords:

occasional word formation, functions, semantics, typology, Vasily Aksyonov