Semantic adaptation as a stage of lexical assimilation

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Semantic adaptation as a stage of lexical assimilation

Piskunov O.V.

PhD in Philological Sciences, Associate Professor,

Roman V.V.

Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic and Slavonic Linguistics SHEI “Donbas State Pedagogical University”

The paper presents the research on the problem of stages and degrees of adaptation of lexical borrowings in Linguistics in the end of the 20th - the beginning of the 21st c. from the point of linguistic historiography. The objectives of the article are to determine the differential features of the degrees of semantic adaptation of lexical borrowings at various stages and levels of the language system while penetrating borrowed words into the language-recipient and study the degrees of the lexical assimilation process of borrowed words in the interpretation of the linguists at the end of the 19th - the beginning of the 21st cc. The stages of adaptation of foreign words have been defined to be as formal and semantic assimilation. The conducted research shows that formal adaptation is characterized by assimilation of borrowed lexical units into phonetic, graphic and morphological levels of the language- recipient. The results obtained illustrate that formal criteria are considered to be the adaptation of lexical borrowings to the lexical system of the recipient language with the maximum convergence of their graphic, phonetic and grammatical characteristics. According to the results of the research, semantic adaptation can be a formation of an independent lexical meaning of a foreign word in a new linguistic environment and formation of definite connections with other words within the thematic group in the language-recipient. The prospects of the given research consist in further combining the best scientific achievements of the past with the development of new approaches to the investigated problem and involving Indo-European languages in particular studying the causes and ways of adaptation of lexical borrowings in the language-recipient.

Keywords: linguistic historical aspect, adaptation process, adaptation stages and rates, lexical borrowing, language-recipient.

Піскунов О.В.

кандидат філологічних наук,

доцент кафедри германської та слов'янської філології

Слов'янськ, Україна

Роман В.В.

кандидат філологічних наук

доцент кафедри германської та слов'янської філології

У статті представлено дослідження питання етапів та ступенів адаптації лексичних запозичень в лінгвістичній науці кінця ХХ ст. - початку ХХІ ст. у контексті лінгвоісторіографії. Завданнями студій вбачаємо у визначенні диференційних ознак ступенів адаптації лексичних запозичень на різних етапах та рівнях мовної системи входження запозичень до мови-реципієнта в інтерпретації мовознавців кінця ХХ ст. - початку ХХІ ст. та дослідженні ступенів процесу адаптації запозичених слів в інтерпретації вчених ХХ ст. - початку ХХІ ст. Визначено етапи адаптації іншомовних слів: формальну й семантичну адаптацію. Проведене дослідження демонструє, що формальна адаптація характеризується асиміляцією іншомовних слів на фонетичному, графічному й морфологічному рівнях. Отримані результати показують, що формальними критеріями вважаються - пристосування лексичних запозичень до лексичної системи мови- реципієнта з максимальним зближенням їхніх графічних, фонетичних та граматичних характеристик. Згідно з результатами дослідження, підсумком семантичної адаптації є формування самостійного лексичного значення іншомовного слова в новому лінгвістичному оточенні й встановлення певних відносин з іншими словами мови-реципієнта усередині тематичної групи. Перспективним до вирішення в подальших наукових розвідках вважаємо принцип поєднання найкращих наукових досягнень минулого з розвитком новітніх підходів стосовно досліджуваної проблеми та в широкому залученні до аналізу матеріалу індоєвропейських мов, зокрема дослідженні причин адаптації лексичних запозичень у мові-реципієнті.

Ключові слова: лінгвоісторіографічний аспект, процес адаптації, етапи та ступені адаптації, лексичне запозичення, мова-реципієнт.

Defining the problem and argumentation of the topicality of the consideration

The problem of adaptation of lexical borrowed words and the ways of their adaptation in the language-recipient appears in the second half of the 19^th century. The research of borrowed words was comprehensively advanced to a new level of etymology and general theoretical grounds of adaptation taking into consideration general principles in Linguistics of the period mentioned above. In the second half of the 20^th century, the range of research problems became extended relating to the process of borrowing words which resulted in the reinterpretation put on traditional understanding of the essence of borrowing as a process. A great number of stages of adaptation in the lexical composition of the language-recipient has been identified and systematized.

Analysis of recent research and publications. The main achievements in the investigated field belong to such scientists as T. Savory, L. Krysin, Yu. Zhluktenko, L. Kysliuk, H. Serheeva O. Styshov, L. Arkhypenko, and others [9; 6; 4; 5; 7; 8; 1]. Therefore some contradictions are still present in the classification and features of the distinction concerning adaptation signs of borrowed words among linguists, who divide them into fundamental and optional (although all criteria of adaptation can be considered essential), there is a necessity to determine the stages of adaptation of borrowed words in the theory of studying lexical borrowings. The aim of the paper is to outline the main features of stages at adaptation levels of borrowed words in the light of linguistic historiographic direction in present-day Linguistics.

One can state the lack of linguistic historiographic research on the problem of adaptation of lexical borrowings in the language-recipient carried out on the basis of a systematic investigation taking into account the grounds of specific material.

The outline of the main research material

adaptation lexical borrowing linguistics

The stages defined in the works of scholars reflect the hierarchy in succession of the adaptation process of borrowed words based on main indicators at each stage. However, we can observe the lack of differentiation and specification of features at various language levels. Having analyzed the scientific works and the characteristics of the stages of adaptation of lexical borrowings, we come to conclusion that semantic adaptation as a matter of fact is considered to be the only and necessary criterion to assign a foreign word the status of a borrowed element, since it is unavoidable the fulfillment of the first two criteria, otherwise the word cannot be considered borrowed. Taking into account all the peculiarities we can point out two stages: formal and semantic adaptation.

Semantic adaptation can be the following stage for a foreign word to be assimilated. Thus, the order followed in considering the adaptation stages - phonetic, graphic, morphological and only then - semantic assimilation fundamentally reflects the sequence of passing the given stages done by a foreign word. To understand and then convey what a foreign word means (that is to use it in a definite context), one should at least pronounce or write it using one of its grammatical forms. Semantic adaptation of a foreign word is initiated at the stage of non-assimilated foreign incorporations characterized by a zero degree adaptation [2, с. 53].

Semantic adaptation is defined as the introduction of a foreign word into lexico-semantic system of the language-recipient which determines the stage of its entry into syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations with native elements of the language-recipient (native or previously borrowed), valence development, connection in various processes (broadening and specification of meaning and so on), change of stylistic characteristics. The result of such process is considered to be a formation of an independent lexical meaning of a foreign word in a new linguistic environment and the establishment of definite relationships with other words of the language-recipient within the thematic group.

It should be added that essential characteristics comprise semantic adaptation of lexical borrowings, introduction in different chains of correlations, attributions of foreign words to synonymic rows of words with similar meaning and their differentiation - stylistic or semantic with other lexical elements of a definite chain taking a certain place in new semantic changes caused by the entry of new words. Three main types of semantic development of borrowed words have been identified such as zero stage supposing when borrowed words retain the value of etymon without changes, partial phase denotes narrowing the number of semes in borrowed words compared to its etymon, broadening the quantity of semes as well as combinations of these changes), free stage represents extreme extension of the meaning of borrowed words to the level when the semantic connection with the original borrowed meaning is lost [3, с. 5-6].

A foreign word passing semantic assimilation turns out to be an element of the procedures as the neologism itself formed on the basis of elements already existing in the language. The only difference lies in the fact that a foreign word is influenced not by one as in the case of the neologism itself but quite two different language systems - the source language and the language-recipient; the semantic development of a foreign word is influenced by two systems. This double effect is retained throughout the existence of the word in a new language environment as long as the living contacts of these languages are preserved. The essence of this development is altered at different stages of adaptation owing to the strengthening of the influence of one or another language system.

The influence of the language-recipient to a great extent is primarily revealed in efforts to find an analogue among the number of native words or previously borrowed words which follow its using in the course of the entire stage of semantic adaptation. All subsequent changes happening to a borrowed word are not actually considered to be the process of adaptation but a reflection of its further semantic (syntactic, stylistic, etc.) functioning in the system of the language-recipient. Most words are penetrated into a new language being already a `borrowing proper'. Accordingly, the semantic changes proceeding to a foreign word from the moment of its fixation in the dictionary contain not only the processes related to the period of adaptation but also characterize the further development of the meaning in a borrowed word on the basis of the language-recipient.

Conclusions and directions for further research in this area

Thus, the adaptation step allows to differentiate actually borrowing from foreign inclusions and barbarisms at the level of formal assimilation, as well as identifying indicators of semantic development, differentiate the stages of semantic adaptation of foreign words and further semantic development of foreign lexical borrowings in the system of the language- recipient. The adaptation of borrowed words can be perceived as a complex linguistic process, which due to its multidimensional integrated nature is studied by scholars from different points. The investigated period (the end of the 20^th - the beginning of the 21^st cc.) characterized by a comprehensive analysis of lexical borrowings subsequently both formal and functional aspects can be considered as different phases of a single assimilation process. The above mentioned period is marked by the formation and improvement of principles of adaptation foreign words and development of a specific mechanism for determining the stages and degrees of assimilation of lexical borrowings in the language-recipient.

The prospects for study consist in further combining the scientific achievements of the past with the developments of new approaches to studying the problem of adaptation of lexical borrowings in the language-recipient and extensive involvement of the material of Indo- European languages to be promising for further scientific research.

Література

1. Архипенко Л. М. Іншомовні лексичні запозичення в українській мові: етапи і ступені адаптації (на матеріалі англіцизмів у пресі кінця XX - початку XXI ст.) : дис. ... канд. філол. наук : 10.02.01 / Харків. нац. ун-т ім. В. Н. Каразіна. Харків, 2005. 230 с.

2. Беляева С. А. Английские слова в русском языке XVI-XX вв. Владивосток: Изд-во ДВГУ, 1984. 108 с.

3. Битківська Я. В. Тенденції засвоєння та розвиток семантики англізмів у сучасній українській мові : автореф. дис. ... канд. філол. наук : 10.02.01 / Прикарпатський нац. ун-т ім. Василя Стефаника. Івано-Франківськ, 2008. 19 с.

4. Жлуктенко Ю. А. Лингвистические аспекты двуязычия. Київ: Вища школа, 1974. 176 с.

5. Кислюк Л. П. Словотвірний потенціал запозичень у сучасній українській літературній мові (на матеріалі англійських та німецьких запозичень) : дис. ... канд. філол. наук : 10.02.15 / Інст. укр. мови НАН України. Київ, 2000. 238 с.

6. Крысин Л. П. Иноязычные слова в современном русском языке: монография / АН СССР, Ин-т русского языка. Москва: Наука, 1968. 208 с.

7. Сергєєва Г. А. Англомовні запозичення в українській правничій термінології : автореф. дис. ... канд. філол. наук : 10.02.01 / Харків. нац. ун-т ім. В. Н. Каразіна. Харків, 2002. 16 с.

8. Стишов О. А. Українська лексика кінця ХХ століття (на матеріалі мови засобів масової інформації): монографія. Київ: Центр КНЛУ, 2003. 388 с.

9. Savory T. H. The Language of Science. Its Growth, Character and Usage. London: Townbridge Printers, LTD, 1953. 184 p.

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