Author’s name:
Viktoria V. Kaprielova – Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Abstract:
This research is part of a study examining the sources of lexical parallels (words that are genetically related but have diverged in meaning across different languages) in Serbian and Russian. The aim of the study was to determine whether the mechanisms by which borrowings enter Serbian and Russian influence the formation of lexical parallels. These mechanisms were identified by comparing word meanings in the donor languages and the recipient languages (Serbian and Russian); in some cases, the semantic history of the word was also considered.
The study revealed that Serbian and Russian may employ different strategies for acquiring borrowings. Foreign words enter both Serbian and Russian with similar semantic structures. However, while Serbian tends to retain the semantic structure of the etymon, in Russian this structure is subject to reduction. If the meanings of a borrowed word are disparate, in Russian they may be distributed across different lexemes, whereas Serbian does not alter the meaning structure of a foreign word during borrowing. Lexical parallels can arise from new meanings acquired by an already adopted borrowing, either under the influence of English (in which case secondary borrowing occurs) or through independent semantic development within the lexical system of the language. Serbian is more likely to broaden the meaning of borrowings (including cases of syncretism) and to use them in a wider range of contexts.
These features indeed lead to the formation of lexical parallels. The results of this work may be useful in further typological studies of the lexical systems of closely related (particularly Slavic) languages, studies of language contact, research in translation theory, as well as in methodological developments for teaching Russian or Serbian as foreign languages.
| Section | LANGUAGE AND CULTURE |
| DOI: | 10.47388/2072-3490/lunn2026-73-1-75-89 |
| Downloads | 49 |
| Key words | semantic parallels; false friends of the translator; language change; internationalisms; semantics; closely related languages |