The adjectives "rare" and "non-typical/outstanding" in Russian linguistic consciousness: a linguo-cognitive aspect

The article explores the peculiarities of the semantics, collocation, functioning, and evaluation of the adjectives "редкий" (rare) and "редкостный" (non-typical/outstanding) concerning humans in contemporary Russian language. The hypothesis is proposed that "редкостный" (non-tyical/ outstanding) differs in a more intense manifestation of the attribute and may also have a negative connotation, which is not noted in lexicographic sources. The analysis of the adjectives is based on the material from explanatory dictionaries of the Russian language, contexts from the "National Corpus of the Russian Language," internet sources, and the results of surveys of Russian language speakers. As a result of the analysis, the proposed hypothesis has found its confirmation, and differential features of the adjectives are formulated. The obtained data can be utilized in lexicography, including in the practice of compiling dictionaries of synonyms of the Russian language.