On the issue of semantic adaptation of borrowed vocabulary in modern Russian language (on the example of the word “brutal”)

In modern Russian society since the end of the 20th century, there has been an increase in English-language borrowing, which may be related to linguistic and extralinguistic processes. On the one hand, borrowed English words have lexical equivalents in Russian, but stylistically different from them. On the other hand, Anglicisms gain a new or additional meaning in the host language, therefore, understanding their meaning can cause difficulties for both native speakers and foreign students. In connection with the intensive replenishment of the vocabulary of the Russian language there is a problem of registration and explanation of new words arises, which leads to the need to describe the foreign language vocabulary in lexicographic sources.

The process of adaptation of a foreign word is systemic. Adapting in the system of receiving language, in our case - Russian, the new word starts to interact with other language units and is included in one or more thematic groups, within which the new word combines with words with similar meanings, complementing the synonymous series. The lexical meaning of the new borrowed word is formed, refined as the word is incorporated into paradigmatic, syntagmatic and derivative relationships with the words of the receiving language. E. Marinova distinguishes 4 types of transformation of lexical value:

• 1)    narrowing the meaning of the word-ethimon;

• 2)    Extending the meaning of the word-etimon;

• 3)    improving the meaning of the ethimon word, i.e. the «promotion in rank»;

• 4)    Degradation of the ethimon word - the borrowing word starts to denote the object that causes negative attitudes among speakers [1, p. 43-45].

In this article we will focus more on the study of the borrowed word «brutal», which is quite common at the present stage of development of the Russian language, and, in our view, can be considered as more than a new word, but also as a fashionable word, which is an attribute of «modernity», which gives confidence in the need to use these loans in the modern speech.

«The fashion word», according to the doctor of philological sciences, prose and critic Vladimir Novikov, – is a new philological term, behind which is not a dry abstraction, a linguistic and life reality <…> is a word with claims, it’s often spoken, flashes in the press. Every now and then comes from a radio or TV. It’s there all the time. It’s out in the open, pushing away its quieter brethren <…> it reflects the colorful features of our life, important shifts in public consciousness <…> This is an ambitious word that should be italicized in the text, which reflects the dynamics of time in which some requests, some forecasts are made» [2, p. 3-4]. Thus, by «fashion word» means not a single word, which is in fashion among certain groups of people, but a social phenomenon, recorded in the English word "buzzword".

The latest fashionable English-language borrowing, in our view, can be divided into 3 groups:

• I.    «Anglicisms», came into the Russian language to name a new reality, a new object.

• 1.    Economic sphere: offshore, roaming, dumping, outsourcing and others.

• 2.    Informatics (computer equipment) and Internet: upgrade, posting, blog, blogger etc.

• 3.    Sport: base jumping, windsurfing, fitness etc.

• 4.    Professions: Merchandiser, Supervisor, Freelancer, Coach etc.

• 5.    Household items: shaker, roster and others.

• 6.    New appliances: gadget, smartphone, iPhone etc.

It should be noted that tokens included in this group are necessary, because the Russian language has no corresponding new realities, new concepts, that have appeared in public life. However, the foreign words being considered are many native speakers. Russian language is used in their speech to look smarter in the eyes of others and not think about the meaning of what is said.

• II.    «Anglicisms» having synonyms in Russian.

The appearance of the fashionable borrowings in this group creates lexical redundancy and can interfere with the understanding of meaning. Thus, synonyms existing in Russian may be replaced by Anglicisms related to the following areas:

• 1.    Cosmetology: lifting (подтяжка), peeling (чистка лица), scrub (отшелушивающий крем) etc.

• 2.    The computer and the Internet: click (нажимать на кнопку «мыши», user (пользователь), online (в сети), offline (не в сети), login (имя пользователя в сети) and others.

• 3.    Sport: overtime (дополнительное время), halfback (полузащитник), forward (нападающий), goalkeeper (вратарь).

• 4.    Media: show-room (выставочный зал), prime-time (лучшее время), mass media (средства массовой информации) etc.

Lexical doublets, in our opinion, are used by people in everyday life as a tribute to fashion, to add a touch of novelty, modernity and incomprehensibility. Using anglicism, people want to look prestigious, fashionable, from the very first words to win the respect of the interlocutor, emphasize the excellent knowledge of English. Many people consider foreign vocabulary more «scholar», «beauti-ful sounding» and do not think about the advisability of using any «fashionable words». Thus, the examples given in groups I and II suggest that we should not chase language fashion <…> such words are worth knowing, but to use which in your own speech should with good care [2, p. 3-4].

In the process of borrowing often occur or change in semantics of words, or borrowed word gets additional value in Russian language, needed to distinguish the meaningfully close, but still different concepts. The new borrowed words, which have entered the Russian language and received additional meaning, were highlighted by us in the III group.

• III.    «Anglicisms», gained an additional value in the Russian language.

This group includes fashionable words borrowed in recent years, such as: glamour, glamorous, fusion, brutal, creativity, creation, creative, creator, to create.

Note that each of the above tokens received an additional value in Russian other than the original, and actively used in the language along with the values recorded in bilingual dictionaries.

In this article we will discuss in more detail the consideration of the word «brutal» in the modern Russian.

Let’s turn to presentation of the word “brutal” in lexicographic sources.

In the English language the word “brutal” is used by the following tokens: brutal , bru-talist . In the English-language dictionary the lexical units in question have the following meaning:

• 1.    Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English by A.S. Hornby

• 2.    MACMILLAN English Dictionary BRUTAL – adj cruel; savage [4]

BRUTAL – adj savage; cruel [3]

Thus, having studied the interpretation of these words in English-language explanatory dictionaries, we can note that in both dictionaries the token “brutal” is used in the meaning “cruel, ruthless, inhuman, repugnant, barbaric, man of bad manners”.

Next, consider the interpretation of the word «brutal» in the Russian dictionaries.

• 1.    Dictionary of Russian language by A.P. Yevgenyeva [5]

• 2.    Big Explanatory Dictionary of Russian Language under Ed. A.S. Kuznetsova [6].

The borrowed word “brutal” in the Modern Dictionary of Russian Language is interpreted as being rough, violent and sharply negative. In this sense, the adjective «brutal» is preserved in the phrase “brutal behavior”, which means violent behavior directed against others, and implies the control of others and the oppression of others, and the “brutal act” as a “brazenly-cruel act”.

In this dictionary the adjective “brutal” is described as rough, harsh; cruel, brutish, brutal.

Next, we turned to the illustrative material posted on the website of the National Russian Language Corps (NKRY) [7] to consider the functioning of the unit under study in different contexts. According to the National Corps of Russian, the word «brutal» has been functioning since 1966 in the sense of «rough, grotesque».

In the 1990s, in spoken language the term «brutal» has been widely used in a completely different interpretation, has lost its original negative meaning. Currently in the word “brutal” there is no such “rough, cruel”. Thus, the expression «brutal man» characterizes. manly, strong, strong man, with a special male charm that has a strong character. Such a person is characterized by determination, determination, resilience, reliability. It is not necessary for him to be violent and aggressive towards others.

In our opinion, the transformation of the concept could have been due to the cinema, in which the protagonist has the characteristic appearance of a brutal man: sporty, has stubble, scars, looks a little different. In this case, the person is very attractive, and behind the coarseness lies nobility, deep decency, honesty, and delicate nature.

The change in the semantics of the word «brutal», which now has a positive value, is reflected in the use of the analyzed lexical unit with the following nouns: brutal macho, brutal beauty, brutal holiday, brutal site, brutal upgrade, brutal brute, brutal leader, brutal bracelet, brutal smartphone etc.

In conclusion, note that semantic adaptation of the word “brutal” shows that in the process of borrowing the meaning of the word “brutal” has been gradually transformed in the modern Russian language and has been fixed with positive semantics.