Stability parameter as the aspect of studying the evolution of lexical synonymy in the language of the Middle High German epic (on the example of denominations of weapon)

Фомичева А.А.

doi:10.25136/2409-8698.2022.2.37466

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Reference:

Fomicheva A.A. Stability parameter as the aspect of studying the evolution of lexical synonymy in the language of the Middle High German epic (on the example of denominations of weapon) // Litera. 2022. № 2. P. 1-15. DOI: 10.25136/2409-8698.2022.2.37466 URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=37466

Stability parameter as the aspect of studying the evolution of lexical synonymy in the language of the Middle High German epic (on the example of denominations of weapon)

Fomicheva Aleksandra Andreevna

Postgraduate student, the department of Germanic and Celtic Philology, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

119991, Russia, g. Moscow, ul. Leninskie Gory, 1, str. 51

fomi4eva.sasha@gmail.com

Other publications by this author

DOI:

10.25136/2409-8698.2022.2.37466

Received:

28-01-2022

Published:

04-02-2022

Abstract: Based on the example of synonymic chains as part of the lexical-thematic group of denominations of weapon in the Middle High German epic, this article demonstrates the use of the stability parameter of lexical synonyms for studying the evolutionary processes in language lexicon. Correlation between the stability parameter and the sphere of historical lexicology is drawn based on the concepts of lexical, nominative and semantic stability of the word offer by I. A. Ershova. The concept of word stability implies the presence of at least two chronological periods for comparison, which includes the stability parameter into the paradigm of methods for studying the evolution of language lexicon. This research highlights two stages in the history of German literature of the High Middle Ages: pre-courtly epic and courtly romance. Examination of the stability of lexical synonyms in the language of the Middle High German epic reveals the functionality and restrictions of this method of studying the evolution of lexicon. Reduction of the absolute values of stability parameter of the separate elements of synonymic chain to the parameter of relative stability of the entire row provides a systemic description of the evolution of lexical synonymy in the Middle High German language. Comparison of the three types of stability for different synonymic chains with transformations within their structure alongside the synonyms leads to the conclusion on the role of stability parameter in studying the evolutionary processes in lexicon as a manifestation of their presence or absence, as well as a means for determining the development vector of language vocabulary. The restrictions of this method are associated with the need to prove or expand the data on evolution of lexicon using cultural-historical and stylistic analysis.

Keywords:

stability of lexica, lexical synonymy, development of lexica, the Middle High German epic, pre-courtly epic, courtly novel, lexical stability, nominative stability, semantic stability, synonymical group
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2. The study of the stability of lexical synonyms in the Middle High German epic gave us the opportunity to obtain, firstly, evidence of the evolution of synonymy, expressed both in quantitative and qualitative data, and secondly, confirmation of the differences between the two compared periods in the history of German literature of the High Middle Ages, the pre-courtly epic and the courtly novel. In addition, the traceable trends of stability of different types in certain synonymic series of weapon designations served for us as a marker of the vector of development of lexical synonyms, indicating the primacy of courtly culture.

At the same time, there is no doubt that it is necessary to reinforce the representativeness of data on the stability of synonymous means by cultural-historical and stylistic analysis of vocabulary. The study of the connection of linguistic realities with the cultural background of non-linguistic reality, as well as the functioning of synonyms in a certain genre-stylistic paradigm should complement the study of the evolution of the vocabulary of the language in terms of its stability. For the language of the Middle High German epic in this vein, it is important to compare the development of synonymic series with the characteristic features of literary monuments – means of expression and poetic techniques in them – to clarify the differences in the stylistic variation of synonyms in the pre-courtly epic and the chivalric novel. In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact of the formation and existence of courtly culture peculiar to the era of the High Middle Ages, which could not but leave a trace in the works of literature of this period. These aspects are directly related to the stability of lexical synonyms in the Middle High German epic, being factors of the evolution of the vocabulary of the language, and should complement the analysis of the development of synonymy in terms of the stability parameter, which can be demonstrated in relevant studies.

References

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The article presented for consideration "The stability parameter as an aspect of studying the evolution of lexical synonymy in the language of the Middle High German epic (using the example of LTG designations of weapons)", proposed for publication in the journal "Litera", is undoubtedly relevant. This work is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of the evolution of the lexical system of Germanic languages, namely German, which, traditionally, is one of the most common foreign languages to study in the Russian Federation. In this paper, the author makes an attempt to analyze the lexical stability of synonymous means of the language of the Middle High German epic within the framework of one period in the history of the German language, however, taking into account the periodization of secular literature in Germany of the High Middle Ages and the presence of a well-known difference in the language of pre-courtly epics and the epic tradition of chivalric literature. The article contains the methodological basis of the research and practical developments, as well as a brief genre and stylistic description of the texts that served as the material for this work. When reading the text, we note that this work was done professionally, in compliance with the basic canons of scientific research. The article structurally consists of an introduction, in which the author identifies the goals and objectives of the study, the main part, divided into semantic sub-paragraphs, as well as conclusions. However, it is not clear whether this work is innovative in the presented direction, since no historical information about the study of this area is presented by the highly respected author. Structurally: The place of the stability parameter in the field of historical lexicology research and its connection with the processes of development of the lexical system of the language is intended to clarify the first section of this article. The second section contains the methodological basis of the research and practical developments, as well as a brief genre and stylistic description of the texts that served as the material for this work. The third section presents the results of the study and their interpretation, and in Conclusion, the conclusions drawn from the results of the work are presented. It should be noted that the postulated by the author is illustrated by the practical material of the German language. Such works using various methodologies are relevant and, taking into account the actual material, allow us to replicate the principle of research proposed by the author on other linguistic material. The conclusions of the article are logical and justified. The article outlines the further perspective of the study. The bibliography of the article contains 18 sources, which include mainly foreign works. Some of the sources date back to 1940, 1956, and 1983, which is surprising due to the easy accessibility of more relevant modern research in citation databases on the Internet. There are no fundamental works among the sources, such as monographs and dissertations, which seems to us insufficient to solve such a large-scale task set by the author. The article will undoubtedly be useful to a wide range of people, German philologists, undergraduates and graduate students of specialized universities. In general, it should be noted that the article is written in simple, understandable language for the reader, well structured, typos, spelling and syntactic errors, inaccuracies were not found. The overall impression after reading the reviewed article is positive, the work can be recommended for publication in a scientific journal from the list of the Higher Attestation Commission

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Stability parameter as the aspect of studying the evolution of lexical synonymy in the language of the Middle High German epic (on the example of denominations of weapon)