Belarusian Smolensk Region

Nouns Denoting Female Persons in Bryansk Dialects from a Word Formation Aspect

• admin • 9 min read • Актуаліі

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Bryansk State University

named after Academician I.G. Petrovsky

Anthropocentrism in modern linguistics expands the scope of scientific study of language from various positions. In folk speech, the laboratory of natural language processes, phenomena of anthropocentric nature are actively and diversely represented. Therefore, the names of people in this speech reflect living processes in terms of folk nomination, stylistics, word formation, etc.

Anthropological linguistics is based on the postulate that at the center of human worldview, and therefore at the center of the lexical system of language, stands a person. It is not by chance that Yu.N. Karaulov sees the main task of anthropocentric linguistics in identifying how a person and an ethnic group appear in a linguistic unit, which reflects living processes of folk nomination, word formation, stylistics, etc., in linguistic constructions, in the very structure of the language created and used by them [Karaulov Yu.N., 1995, p. 64].

Dialectal language, as a collection of dialectal systems, has its own specifics in structure, functioning, and development features. The uniqueness of the dialectal system, contrasted with the literary language as one of the forms of existence of the national language, manifests itself at different levels, in particular, in word formation processes.

A.S. Herd rightly believes that the specificity of dialectal word formation at the level of individual dialects lies not in the presence of any exotic models, suffixes, or prefixes compared to the literary language or other dialects, but, firstly, in the combination of suffixes with bases that do not combine in the literary language or in other dialects. Secondly, this specificity is expressed in the relative freedom of forming individual, often unstable temporary formations under the influence of the absence of strict norms, the nature of colloquial speech, etc. [Herd A.S., 1975, p. 47].

The material for our research was lexicographic sources dedicated to Bryansk dialects: “Dictionary of Folk Dialects of Western Bryansk” by P.A. Rastorguev (1973); “Dictionary of Bryansk Dialects,” created by scientists from LGPU (vols. 1-5, 1976-1988); “Bryansk Regional Dictionary,” compiled by a team of scientists from BGU (2007).

The subject of the study is the suffixal method of word formation of feminine nouns that make up the thematic group “names of persons” in Bryansk dialects. Our card index contains 56 such names. Various methods of word formation of nouns with the indicated semantics are noted in Bryansk dialects; however, the most frequent method of forming names of people is suffixal.

A characteristic feature of the word formation of nouns denoting female persons is, both in the literary language and in local dialects, the secondary, derived nature of the created words, which are usually formed from male persons.

Names of female persons are formed from nouns denoting male persons from non-derived bases using the suffix -k. In Bryansk dialects, the lexeme богатыìрка meaning “strong healthy woman” [SBG, I, p. 63] is formed from the masculine noun богатырь – an Old Russian borrowing from the Turkic language from the original богатуръ. It historically arose under the influence of the adjective rich and words with the suffix -ырь [KESH, p. 50].

Бахурка in Bryansk dialects means “mistress.” Усё паддавау сваей бахурке [SR, p. 50]. The word is formed from the lexeme бахур, which means “lover.” Не мне кажы, кажы свайму бахуру [SR, p. 50]. M. Fasmer notes that the word бахур is borrowed from ancient Hebrew bâchűr, Hebrew-German Bacher – “young man, teacher” [Fasmer, I, p. 137]. The lexeme развоìдка meaning “divorced woman” is formed from the base of the noun развод. На разводке жаниуся ён [SR, p. 225].

All the examined nouns are formed by the morphological suffixal method according to the productive word formation model: “noun base + suffix -k- [RG, I, p. 142]: богатырь + -k- → богатырка; бахур + -k- → бахурка; развод + -k- → разводка. The combinability of this suffix is practically not limited either structurally or semantically. This formant is one of the most active suffixes. Nouns with the meaning of femininity with the formant -k are a productive group. This type, according to RG – 80, is highly productive both in the sphere of official nominations and in colloquial speech [RG, I, p. 201].

In Bryansk dialects, according to our observations, there are widespread feminine lexemes with the suffix -иц. Nouns with the formant -иц(а) in the literary language are motivated by masculine nouns – both non-motivated (мастерица, царица, пророчица) and with suffixal morphemes (любимица, упрямица, страдалица) [RG, I, p. 201]. The following lexemes are recorded in the dictionaries of Bryansk dialects: девица (from the base of the noun дева); досужица (from the base of the noun досуг), молодица (from the base of the adjective молодой), мазница (from the base of the verb мазать). These lexemes are formed by the morphological suffixal method using the formant -иц.

Nouns with the suffix -ниц in the literary language are motivated by names of persons with the suffix -тель: свидетельница, слушательница and others. All words of this type have a modification meaning of female persons [RG, I, p. 201]. In Bryansk dialects, the lexeme жительница is known. Баба ета гнязьдельская жытильница [SBG, V, p. 73]. From the perspective of modern Russian, the word жительница is formed using the suffix -ниц from the base of the masculine noun житель [Tikhonov A.N., I, p. 399]. In Bryansk dialects, however, the word жительница is formed from the base of the noun жительник [SBG, V, p. 73].

Most likely, in the local dialects, a process of simplification occurred – such a change in the word formation structure of a word during the historical development of the language, where a derived base, previously divided into morphemes, turns into an indivisible, non-derived one: жительник → жительница. The nominative радельница denotes someone who cares for someone [BOS, p. 293]. Both in the literary language and in Bryansk dialects, this noun is formed from the base of the masculine noun радельник.

In turn, the word радельник is formed from the base of the verb радеть. One can represent the word formation chain as follows: радеть → раде-тель → раде-ль/(ник) → радель-ница [Tikhonov A.N., II, p. 9]. The noun блюдниìца in the vocabulary of Bryansk dialect speakers denotes a lover of good food. Блюдница любит харошъя есть – пить, адна дачка у мамки; блюда лизать только и знаит [SBG, I, p. 61]. The noun блюдниìца is formed by the morphological suffixal method from the base of the noun блюдо: блюдо + -ниц- → блюдница. The lexeme блюдо is borrowed from the Gothic language: biudis – “dish, bowl” is derived from the verb biudan – “to offer” [KESH, p. 50].

In Bryansk dialects, there are relatively numerous nouns with the suffix -ух/а. The lexeme гоготуха (from the base of the verb гоготать) – “laugher.” Да у**ймитя вы етаю гагатуху, што яе так рассмяшыла? Zhuk. [BOS, p. 72]. The word говоруха meaning “woman, lover of talking” in modern Russian literary language is formed from the base of the noun говор [Tikhonov A.N., I, p. 233]. In Bryansk dialects, the word is formed from the masculine noun говорун. Ета гъваруха тибе нъговорит мерку [SBG, IV, 30].

Большуха in Bryansk dialects means the wife of the eldest son (usually the mistress of the house where there is no mother-in-law), as well as the first friend of the bride, the maid of honor. Бальшуха – жына старшаго сына. Pochep. [SBG, I, p. 71]. The lexeme большуха is formed from the base of the adjective большой [Tikhonov A.N., I, p. 110]. Historically, in terms of formation, it represents the comparative degree (-ьш) from the common Slavic adjective боль, болии – “big,” related to the Indo-European balam – “strength, power,” German pal – “strong” [KESH, p. 53].

The word болтуха is formed from the base of the verb болтать. Ну, деук, ты и балтуха! [SBG, I, p. 68]. The verb болтать (to talk) is a native Russian word. It was formed on the basis of the expression болтать языком, which literally meant “to move the tongue” – as a result of ellipsis of the noun and concentration of the general meaning of the phraseological turn on the verb [KESH, p. 52].

In A.N. Tikhonov’s “Word Formation Dictionary of the Russian Language,” the lexeme брехуха is absent. Only the words брехать, брехун, брехунья are recorded [Tikhonov A.N., I, p. 120]. It can be assumed that this noun is formed from the verbal common Slavic base брехать. Historically, the verb originated from the base *breks – (ks > х) through the suffix -ati. The base *breks is a suffixal derivative from the sound imitation bre [KESH, p. 57].

This group of formations in Bryansk dialects includes the following nouns: веселуха (from the base of the adjective веселый), девуха (from the base of the noun девка), лопотуха (from the base of the verb лопотать), сеструха (from the base of the noun сестра) and others. It should be noted that in modern Russian, the type of nouns with the formant -ух is unproductive [RG, I, p. 203]. However, in dialects, as we observe, the opposite situation exists.

Thus, we have examined the most active ways of forming feminine nouns with the suffixes -k, -иц, -ниц, -ух. Most names of female persons in Bryansk dialects are characterized by a negative connotation (разводка, бахурка, говоруха, брехуха, девуха, etc.), quantitatively prevailing over names with a positive connotation (богатырка, большуха, радельница, etc.).

LITERATURE:

  1. Bryansk Regional Dictionary / Ed. N.I. Kurganskaya. – Bryansk, 2007. (BOS).

  2. Herd A.S. From the Word Formation of Bryansk Dialects (nouns with suffixes with the determinative –g- // Bryansk Dialects: Collection of Articles. – L., 1975. – pp. 47-55.

  3. Karaulov Yu.N. So what is a “linguistic personality?” // Ethnic and Linguistic Self-Consciousness. – M., 1995.

  4. Ozhegov S.I., Shvedova N.Yu. Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language. – M., 2001. (SOSH).

  5. Rastorguev P.A. Dictionary of Folk Dialects of Western Bryansk: Materials for the History of the Vocabulary of Dialects. – Minsk, 1973. (SR).

  6. Russian Grammar: In 2 Volumes. – M., 1980. (RG).

  7. Dictionary of Bryansk Dialects / Compilers: T.G. Arkadyeva, T.A. Babeshkina, A.S. Herd, et al. – Vols. 1-5 – L., 1976 – 1988. (SBG).

  8. Tikhonov A.N. Word Formation Dictionary of the Russian Language: In 2 Volumes. – M., 1985.

  9. Fasmer M. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. – M.: Progress, 1964–1973. – Vol. 1-4.

  10. Shansky N.M., Ivanov V.V., Shanskaya T.V. Brief Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. M., 1971. – 527 p. (KESH).