Loaned words, getting into the Russian language, eventually lose the features of their other origin and assimilate. But not all of them are digested equally. Foreign vocabulary is classified according to the degree of development and is divided into: undeveloped, partially mastered and fully mastered vocabulary. Exoticisms are undeveloped vocabulary, they are otherwise called words-realities, they clearly stand out from the rest of the words with their non-Russian nature. In the future, we will talk about them, but first let's look at the existing types of foreign words in Russian.
Foreign vocabulary
The borrowed words, as a result of interethnic communications, have enriched and replenished the Russian language well. They are divided into several groups.
Foreign blotches. Tokens that are transmitted in oral speech and in writing by means of the source language. For example, Happy end (English word) - happy ending.
Internationalisms. The words are mostly technical and scientific terms used in many countries. They were formed from Latin and ancient Greek elements. For example, philosophy, republic.
Mastered words. These are lexemes that have completely taken root in the Russian language, for example, jeans,coat. Or more ancient origin, which not everyone knows about borrowing: a school, an icon, a lamp, pearls.
Exoticisms are words inherent in other peoples and states. For example, kunak (Asian word) - guest or amigo (Spanish word) - friend.
The concept of exoticism
Exoticisms (from the Greek Exoukos, which means "foreign") are lexemes denoting social life, life and realities of any country, people or a certain area.
A characteristic feature of exoticisms is that they are practically untranslatable. They have no analogues of Russian synonyms, so they are often resorted to out of necessity. For example, sunnah (an Arabic word) is a Muslim sacred tradition. Realia words also have an unstable external form and low word-formation activity.
In journalism and fiction, words-exoticisms perform a stylistic function. This helps to convey a special local flavor and characterization of the characters. For example, words-exoticisms when describing the life of the peoples of Central Asia: dzhigit, aul, teahouse, ditches, and so on.
Exoticism groups
Every language, no matter how self-sufficient it may be, has a need for borrowed words to somehow denote the realities of another culture.
Reality words are divided into three main groups:
- Geographic realities. Everything related to geography and natural features: prairie, savannah, tornado.
- Ethnographic. They have several subgroups: life, culture and art, labor, measure and money.
- Socio-political realities. They include authorities, administrative-territorial structure, socio-political life, social phenomena.
There are also broad and narrow exoticisms. When words reflect the life or phenomenon of one country or several countries at once. For example, exoticism sheriff (official) is used in England, USA and Ireland. Hopak is a purely Ukrainian dance.
Signs of reality words
Being on the periphery of the vocabulary, exotic words are little known in Russian to most speakers.
Distinguishing features of exoticisms:
- have no translation;
- preservation of national language features;
- fixed belonging to a certain people, country;
- book coloring;
- use in nominative function.
There are signs that are not universally recognized. For example, the metaphorical use of exoticisms (urban jungle, set up a harem, went to nirvana) or the formation of derivatives (aul - aul). Also set expressions (dollar rate).
Transmission methods
Exoticisms come into the language mainly in written form, rarely when there is penetration into oral. Their development primarily occurs at the grammatical and phonetic levels. The main way exoticisms come into the language is transcription - phonemicassimilation. The unit of translation is the phoneme. After transcription, the word begins to acquire grammatical indicators of the language.
Reality words are actually an approximate reproduction of their original from the language they were borrowed from. With phonetic development, a number of changes can occur due to assimilation processes. And there may be a discrepancy with the graphic design. Translators try to reflect the pronunciation or spelling of the borrowed word as accurately as possible. For example, exoticisms from the Kazakh language - Tobyl - Tobol or Shaban - shepherd.
Functions of exotic vocabulary
Vocabulary of foreign origin makes it possible to more reliably convey the phenomena occurring in other cultures. And in its transmission, it performs several functions. In works describing the life and way of life of a people, realia words have a nominative function, naming concepts that have no analogues in the Russian language. The next function of exoticisms is to give national flavor in order to bring the listener or reader as close as possible to the country in question.
Exotic vocabulary can carry an emotional and evaluative function. For example, the word "caste", which came from India, is used as a negative-evaluative metaphor to denote a separate group. Sometimes, to achieve comic effect, they also resort to exoticism. In this regard, Ukrainianisms have shown themselves well, creating a festive atmosphere of joy and fun.
One more function -aesthetic. It helps to create or give the desired image in artistic texts and colloquial speech. Often, exoticisms are used to give the message a special novelty.
Passive use words
Exoticisms (as well as jargon and historicisms) are far from the words that are actively used by all carriers in everyday life. As mentioned earlier, being undeveloped vocabulary, they are far in the passive vocabulary. But this is not the final verdict. Exoticisms may well be mastered, since vocabulary, like a living organism, is constantly in motion and development. And first of all, it is she who reacts to all changes and introductions from the outside: new words appear, some become obsolete, and something completely disappears into the past or, conversely, comes to life.
Restricted vocabulary includes:
- obsolete words (historicisms, archaisms),
- dialecticisms (dialect of the inhabitants of any locality),
- professional vocabulary (specific words of a certain profession),
- jargonisms (words of a separate social group),
- exoticisms (unexplored vocabulary),
- neologisms (new words that have entered the language).
The words of the active vocabulary include words of everyday use without any touch of novelty or obsolescence.
Exoticisms in Russian
There are more than enough examples of exotic vocabulary in Russian. It differs in terms of areause and degree of use. Researchers single out more well-known realia words to most speakers. For example: tornado, sari, geisha, shaman, kimono. But there are also those whose meaning can only be guessed from individual speech fragments. For example, words-exoticisms - a light dressing gown ao-zai or a hat non.
Some Russian classical writers introduced exotic vocabulary in their works. For example, N. V. Gogol in his work often used Ukrainian exoticisms to create a special atmosphere and images of characters: scroll, dumpling, zhupan. Without them, it was impossible to bring the reader closer to the local color.
Exotic vocabulary occupies a significant place in the Russian language and is used, as a rule, by educated and well-read people. Unlike mastered borrowings, resorting to exoticisms will be appropriate only when it comes to non-Russian reality.
