TERMINOLOGICAL MICROSYSTEM OF THE SEMANTIC SPACE OF SUBSTANDARD LEXICAL UNITS: ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE «STRANGER» IMAGE IN CRIMINAL JARGON

Abstract

The active development of substandard lexicography, which began at the end of the twentieth century, led to an increase in the number of studies aimed at describing and systematizing substandard lexemes, as well as representing images in the substandard linguistic picture of the world in differently structured languages. A significant part of the research has been conducted and is still being conducted on the basis of the Russian language, one of the most ancient, the vernacular vocabulary of which has more than a thousand years of history. Note, however, that the history of the lexicographic presentation of colloquial lexemes is not so long and on Russian-speaking soil has only about three hundred years. It is the reason for the active scientific search of researchers of the Russian vernacular language, especially in terms of the description of vocabulary, representing the figurative component in the Russian substandard linguistic picture of the world. The description of the semantic space of substandard lexical units deserves special attention. The present study describes the terminological microsystem of the semantic space of substandard lexemes, representing the image of "Stranger" in the Russian substandard linguistic picture of the world.

Extended Abstract:

The active development of substandard lexicography, noted at the end of the 20th century, has caused an increase in research aimed at describing and systematizing substandard lexemes, as well as the representation of images in the substandard linguistic picture of the world in differently structured languages. A significant part of this research is conducted on the Russian language, the vernacular lexicon of which has a more than thousand-year history. This study presents a description of the terminological microsystem of the semantic space of substandard lexemes representing the image of the “Alien” (Chuzhoy) in the Russian substandard linguistic picture of the world.

The research adheres to a “narrow” approach, focusing exclusively on linguistic material from dictionaries of Russian substandard vocabulary. The semantic basis of nomination is emphasized as the most objective form of reflecting mental representations. The image of the “Alien” is a central figure in the substandard lexical fund, a role explained historically by the need to make speech incomprehensible to outsiders, thereby performing a conspiratory function.

The semantic space of the “Alien” is defined as a system of meanings formed in the consciousness of the native speaker. This space is formed on the basis of characteristics that evoke exclusively negative emotions, coupling the image of the alien with the perception of danger, in binary opposition to the positive “Us” (Svoy). This complex concept is delineated by three main parameters:

(1) “alien – thinking not like everyone,”

(2) “alien – externally different from everyone, dissimilar,”

(3) “alien – behaving not like everyone.”

These parameters form the corresponding semantic subfields. A sample of 287 substandard lexemes (100%) was assembled from five dictionaries. The distribution across semantic fields is as follows: “behaving not like everyone” is the most relevant field (47%, 135 units), followed by “looking not like everyone” (31%, 89 units), and “thinking not like everyone” (22%, 63 units). Each subfield was further divided into specific subgroups, such as the representation of religious convictions or political views within the “thinking” subfield.

The analysis identified 12 semantic groups. Nouns dominate the sample (70.7%). The largest share of lexemes falls into the “Social status” group (18.1%), while the smallest is in “Social characteristics (nationality, religion)” (2.8%). The structure of the groups is also presented in the form of semantic rows reflecting both synonymous concepts and binary oppositions.

Thus, the semantic space of the “Alien” image is a formed, harmonious microsystem consisting of hierarchically built and interconnected elements. It reflects the perception of the studied image in the Russian-language substandard linguistic picture of the world. The conducted research serves as a base for analyzing the features of the representation of the “Alien” image in differently structured languages.