Cross-language code convertion: functionally semantic and stylistic aspects

The article is devoted to the problem of cross-language interaction in mass media; in particular, the author chooses lexical items that have been linguistically converted from Russian into French forms as a specific object of research. In the focus of attention is the process of foreign word penetration into another language and stating peculiarities in the usage of code converted Russian words in modern French press. The cross-language code converted word items are grouped in accordance with a semantic criterion that is based on V.S. Vinogradov’s classification, their contextual environment analysis points to specificity of their functions in media texts. The semantic classification of the cross-language code converted lexical items is viewed as correlating with the variety of semantic functions, including nominative, informative, terminological as well as the functions of text exotization or national culture specification. The author concludes that social and political items are majoring and perform the widest range of the functions, the least numerous is a groups of items that nominate natural world phenomena. It is stated that cross-language item code conversion serves for presenting substantive or specifically cultural content of the message, it is used as an expressive language means with a shade of stylistic potential, which is supported with a set of examples and their stylistic interpretations.