The features of synonymous borrowings in modern Russian

Abstract

This article deals with the consideration of new borrowings from the standpoint of their impact on the synonymy of the Russian language. The research material consists of about 1,200 synonymous series, including at least one loan entered the Russian language over the past 40 years. The analysis of the material revealed such mechanisms of synonymization as joining a rooted unit, combining with parallel borrowing, generating a nominative refl ex and forming a series with spontaneous neologism. Having considered the content of synonymic series, the author discovered structural types of synonymy. They were divided into two major areas of equivalence — formal and semantic. Among the structural types of the formal sphere are: 1) borrowing — a single-root synonym / word-formative variant; 2) abbreviation borrowing — its decoding; 3) borrowing — its truncation / condensation; 4) borrowing — result of the univerbation; 5) analyte-constructio — grammatically formed phrase. Structural types of the semantic sphere include: 1) borrowing — borrowing; 2) borrowing — calque; 3) borrowing — rooted unit; 4) borrowing — autochthonous neologism. The study of semantic oppositions within the framework of synonymic paradigms has shown that in most cases foreign borrowings enter into relations of absolute synonymy. This circumstance generates the phenomenon of lexical redundancy and increased competition in
some parts of the system. With the help of ideographic distribution, there identifi ed the thematic groups with the largest number of synonymous borrowings. These include such sections as “Physical culture and Sports”, “Art, Culture”, “Technology and its functioning”, “IT sphere”, “Internet communication” and “Professions”.

Keywords:

borrowings, synonymy, active processes in the Russian language, mechanism of synonymization, structural type of synonymy, semantic opposition, thematic classifi cation