THE FUNCTIONING OF YIDDISH BORROWINGS IN AMERICAN ENGLISH
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2021-1-50-56
Introduction. Borrowings from Yiddish language in the American English are considered. This layer of borrowings is of special interest in the English language as the question of systematization of borrowed words from Yiddish and their complex description has not been solved yet. The aim is to describe the structural and functional features of borrowings from the Yiddish language in the American English. Material and methods. The research material is borrowed verbs from the Yiddish language, which belong to the colloquial vocabulary (to kibitz and to schmooze). The research methods are lexicographical and contextual analysis, as well as descriptive and comparative methods. Results and discussion. The borrowed lexemes schmooze and kibitz which are elements of the lexico-semantic field «Verbal communication» have negative connotation in modern English. The analysis of vocabulary definitions and etymology has shown that the meaning of borrowed verbs in English does not coincide with the meaning of the verbs in Yiddish, as in the process of borrowing there was a gradual change in the semantics of borrowed words. The initial meaning of the verbs in Yiddish is connected with information (communication of information). The meanings of the borrowed verbs are based on the common seme «verbal influence» (hidden or obvious). The verb to schmooze has several different meanings: to talk, to manipulate, to influence, to network. The meaning of the verb to kibitz has been divided into several categories: to make ironic comments, to comment, to give intrusive and unrequested advice while watching a game, performance. The shift in the meaning of the verb to schmooze is based on the phonosemantic effect, which is produced by the sound combination schm-. The change in the meaning of the verb to kibitz can be explained by high frequency of use when it appeared in American English. Taking into account the information from academic and slang dictionaries, the exact time of appearance of the lexeme schmooze (1897) and the approximate time for the lexeme kibitz (1910-1927) has been established. Non-conformity with norms of the Yiddish language when the Yiddish borrowings are used by non-Jewish English speakers is the reason of multiple variants of spelling of borrowed words in the English language. Conclusion. The research has focused on the peculiarities of lexicography of borrowed words in academic and slang dictionaries. The results prove that it is necessary to develop an integrated approach to the description of borrowings from the Yiddish language and their description in various dictionaries.
Keywords: borrowings, colloquial vocabulary, Yiddish, the American English, negative connotation, the change of meaning
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Issue: 1, 2021
Series of issue: Issue 1
Rubric: GERMANIC LANGUAGES
Pages: 50 — 56
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