Филологические науки/

3. Теоретические и методологические проблемы  исследования языка.

Taisyia Zaplitna

Chernivtsi National Yirii Fed’kovych University, Ukraine

Social and Cultural Component in International Lexicon

The study of internationalisms is closely connected with the formation of the common elements from the point of view of connotation and denotation. The internationalization of the word-stock takes place under the circumstances of convergent development which is first of all connected with the process of language contact. In particular, the appearance and development of international vocabulary in a definite language can not come to the result of borrowing words process.

As modern researches certify, that there are two tendencies in the search of these universal features (elements in language): a) through the use of the area method; b) through the synchronic comparison of languages. The second method has the perspectives for the further investigation, especially for modern terminological systems.

As we know, the languages have the following three types of community: universal features of typological isomorphism; compared equivalent elements which interact and make possible the number of possible interrelations between the vocabulary signs and languages which are synchronically contrasted. Some special circumstances should exist so that this vocabulary entered the language. Among the urgent we can emphasize the following:

1) the transfer of meaning of borrowed word with the help of phonetic and graphical means of the language-recipient (e.g. sputnic);

2) correlation of the borrowed word with the grammatical class and grammatical category of the borrowed word (gender preserving);

3) phonetic assimilation of the foreign word;

4) grammatical mastering;

5) the word building potential of the word;

6) semantic assimilation of the foreign word which displays in the appearance of new meanings;

7) active use in speech.

Many researchers consider that to this type belongs the phenomenon of the lexical internationalism. According to the existing opinion, that the international words should not have the features of any nowadays language. We should refer here the words with roman-greek stems.

According to the standards of internationalism the word can be called international only when it’s phonomorphological appearance allows to recognize it in a definite language by analogy with their equivalent in others synchronically compared languages. For the identification the majority of internationalisms the graphic envelope is more important than the similarity in the pronunciation. Apart from the graphical distinction, every language has the peculiarities in orthography, which is influenced by the identification of internationalisms.

When identifying the semantic of international words the only criterion is the common conceptuality (the term suggested by Akulenko) []. It is their ability to be the equivalents of one another while being translated. The majority of meanings of internationalisms are easily understandable for the recipient even without using dictionary, only through the visualization of the connection with the semantic center of the meaning that is common for both languages as well as owing to the universalism of the types of semantic transference based on the context.

Together with meaning and phonomorphological envelope for the majority of words and expressions one more component is important. It is motivation. As a rule, motivation influences the meaning of the sign and is the important indication for the recipient, that helps to recognize the sign and to keep it in memory. This is one of the main factors in the situation of bilinguism and multylinguism.

There exist three types of motivation. Their realization in the socio-cultural aspect can be as follows:

1) direct correlation of the phonation and meaning.(Engl. lot – “a parcel of goods” (for sale by auction), Germ. Los (n), Ukr. лот Russ. лот);

2) synchronic word building structure of compound words and derivatives – morphological motivation. (Lat. agglomero “to accumulate”, Eng. agglomeration, Germ. Agglomeration, Ukr. агломерація, Russ. агломерация);

3) Transfer of meaning – semantic motivation (Eng. broker “a person who bues and sells things, for example shares in business, for other people”, from Fr. brocheor “a person who sells fried meat”; (Lat. broccus “front tooth”), Germ. Broker, Ukr. брокер , Russ. брокер.

The international semantic analogues are possible in all world languages, because the transfer is the language universals.

But the generally accepted sources of internationalisms are Greek and Latin.

English, German, French, Italian also contributed a lot to the fund of internationalisms.

As current etymological sources for the international language of all European civilization Latin and Greek are considered. Latin as the international language not only antiquity but also the Renaissance created the fundament for international funds of European languages. Certainly, the transit of science and education to the national languages demanded the creation of special terminology, which was taken from Latin and had primordially international character.

The Latin influence also caused the proximity of syntactical systems and stylistic means of European languages. We can observe this on numerous examples:

Lat. autoritas “power”, Engl. authority, Germ. Autoritet, Ukr. авторитет, Russ. авторитет;

Lat. contractus “agreement”, Eng. contract, Germ. Kontract, Ukr. контракт, Russ. контракт;

Lat. paritas “equality”, Eng. parity, Germ. Paritet, Ukr. паритет, Russ. паритет;

The significant contribution to the fund of internationalisms, especially to the international vocabulary in euro-american arsenal such languages as English, German, Italian, French have made. They do not only introduce new etymological material but also widely use the greek-latin material. For example:

Eng. financial leasing “the agreement that provides redemption of money that covers full cost of equipment during its validity and expects the profit of leaseholder”; Germ. Finanzleasing, Ukr. лізинг фінансовий, Russ. финансовый лизинг;

Eng. off-shore “characteristic of the bank operations”, Germ. off-shore, It. offshore, Fr. off-shore Ukr. офф-шор , Russ. офф-шор;

Eng. publicity “openness”, Germ. Publizitet, Sp. publicidad, Fr. publicisation, Ukr. пабліситі , Russ. паблисити;

Language interaction is not limited. It can be noticed also analyzing the languages which do not take part in the immediate geographical contact. It should be mentioned that the type of borrowing its volume, intensity, semantic frames are in this case socially and historically specified.

Undoubtedly rapprochement of the different word stocks leads to visible concepts unification. It is more connected with the rapprochement of the terms, which express the special concepts. They are coordinated by the linguists, who want to work out the cognitive terminological universals. For example:

Lat. depression “smothering”, Eng. depression “a period when the economic situation is bad, with little business activity and many people without a job”, Germ. Depression, Sp. depresión económica, It. depressione economica, Tur. depresyon, Fr. depression, Ukr. депресія, Russ. депрессия;

Eng. barter “goods exchange”, Germ. Baratt, It. battere, Ukr. бартер, Russ. бартер.

Some researchers try to define the international lexicon as the special class of borrowings. Sometimes the attempts are made to distinguish the internationalisms and borrowed words and to consider internationalisms to belong to the definite language. Makovsky claims that the difference between the internationalisms and borrowings lies only in the ways of exploration. When we investigate the borrowed words in some definite language (vertical analysis), we have to do with borrowings. If we investigate borrowed elements in different languages and wont to find the common features between them (horizontal analysis) these are so called internationalisms.

Still pressing is the problem touched by Yushmanov, who investigates the problems of terminology and incarnation one language elements into system of other languages. He introduced the term xenolexicon. It means the subsystem in the language-recipient.

It is quite logical to admit the existing of the international lexicon, that is separated on the basic characteristic features. Because interlexisms function and are changed due to the laws of the language they exist in.

So we can say that the internationality of language signs does not exist in separate isolated language. This interlingual synchronic category can be identified only comparing some languages using the geographical area or synchronic-comparative method.

References:

1. Акуленко В. В. Интернациональные элементы в лексике и терминологии. – Харьков, Издательство при Харьковском государственном университете / Издательское объединение «Вища школа». – 1980. – 208 с.

2. Бялик В. Д. Мовна комунікація в процесі глобалізації суспільства // Науковий вісник Чернівецького університету, - Чернівці, 2005. – Вип. 267. – Герм. Філологія. – С. 108-115.

3. Гороженко Г. В. Національні мови та культури в їх специфіці та взаємодії // Мова і культура / Інститут мовознавства ім. О.О. Потебні НАН України, Фонд розвитку культури та мистетства «Парад планет», Філологія, Київ. – 2000. – Вип. 1, Т.3. – С. 102 – 106.

4. Аdams V. An Introduction to Modern English Word-formation. – London: Longman, 1998. – 370 p.