Semantic and functional parametrisation of the idio-xenonymic set “казак – Cossack” (based on the material of British and Russian lexicographic sources and mass-media discourse)

Abstract

The study is aimed at specifying the interrelations within idio-xenonymic sets (using the semantic and functional modelling of the idio-xenonymic set “казак – Cossack” as an example). The dictionary meanings of the culturonyms “казак” and “Cossack” and the functional peculiarities of the idionym “казак” and the xenonym “Cossack” in Russian and British mass-media discourse have been compared. The scientific novelty of the study lies in providing a comprehensive description of the denotative and connotative semantics of the culturonyms “казак” and “Cossack”, as well as in identifying the inner relations within idio-xenonymic sets as representing emotive and evaluative enantiosemy, ideological profuseness and the stereotypisation of the xenonymic semantics. As a result, the seme taxonomy of the units “казак” and “Cossack” has been defined. The enantiosemy of the idio-xenonymic set “казак – Cossack” has been revealed, it demonstrates positive evaluation of the idionym within the source linguistic culture and negative evaluation of the xenonym within the receptor linguistic culture. The character of the emotive and evaluative enantiosemy of idio-xenonymic sets resulting from the “us vs. them” opposition has been discovered.