THE QUESTION OF ETYMOLOGY OF LEXICAL UNIT “PARALYMPICS” IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2017-5-174-177
The article analyses etymology of the lexical unit “Paralympics” in the English language over a period of 1950–2017 years. The analyzed lexical unit initially meant sports competitions for athletes affected by paralysis but since 1950-s its meaning has undergone substantial changes due to the extended program of the Paralympic Games. Currently “Paralympics” does not only mean an athletic event for sportspeople with various disabilities, this lexical item is also used to designate the movement uniting able-bodied and disabled athletes, politicians, journalists, etc. It is directed at creating comfortable and friendly environment for people with impairments, helping them realize their potential, involving them in various not necessarily sports activities. The authors have identified new potential for using the productive prefix para- , which was originally a Greek preposition, to designate Paralympic events and disabled athletes, redefined the meaning of the prefix throughout the evolution of the designator (from the idea of an impairment to revealing impressive abilities of para-athletes sometimes exceeding those of able-bodied sportspeople), provided the data on distribution regulations of using the prefix in modern English language and forecast probable expansion of its intensional meaning conformable to expanding content level of the lexical unit “Paralympics” designator.
Keywords: lexical unit «Paralympics» in the English language, etymology, de-etymologisation, blending, prefixation, renaming, expansion of intensional meaning
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Issue: 5, 2017
Series of issue: Issue 5
Rubric: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Pages: 174 — 177
Downloads: 971