Linguistic features of semantic tracing (using the example of the Yakut geortonym Saŋa d’yl)

Abstract

   The relevance of research  into the little-studied mechanism of calque translation is determined by its close connection to such a fundamental problem as the forms and methods of assimilating foreign language elements by the host language system.    This article examines the period of the 1930s–1940s, a time of lexical and semantic adaptation of the Yakut language to the new concepts and realities of Soviet life.    The subject of study  is the complex relationship between the semantic calque “Saŋa d'yl” and the prototype “Новый год” (New Year).    Calque translations are traditionally described as words or expressions formed mechanically, through literal translation, following the example of expressions translated from a foreign language.    The aim of this work  is to reveal the linguistic features of the mechanism of semantic calque translation as a complex lingua-creative process capable of closely intertwining with other linguistic phenomena, the interaction with which resulted in the formation of the analyzed calque.    The georthem “Saŋa d'yl” (New Year) is examined from a historical and chronological perspective, employing a descriptive method and structural-semantic analysis. While noting the sociolinguistic factors of calques and their connection to psycholinguistic phenomena, the author emphasizes the intralinguistic features of the calque mechanism itself.    The scientific novelty of this work  stems from the fact that the author reveals the connection between semantic calques and the process of dearchaization of lexical units.    It has been established that the process of calques of the Russian georthem “Новый год” (New Year) was accompanied by the transition of the Yakut archaism “Saŋa d'yl” (New Year) from passive to active vocabulary, as well as a modification of its meaning to fill a gap in the semantic map of the language. Borrowing often serves as a catalyst, forcing native speakers to find equivalents in their own historical collection in order to fill a gap in the semantic map of the language. This allows the language to remain modern without completely replacing its original vocabulary, incorporating new concepts into old lexical structures. This demonstrates the flexibility and dynamism of language as a self-regulating system that, while exerting some resistance to external influences, is capable of modifying them in accordance with its own structure and functions.