LEXICO-GRAMMATICAL ADAPTATION OF ENGLISH LOANWORDS OF FASHION IN MODERN RUSSIAN (AS ILLUSTRATED BY THE LOANPHRASE MUST HAVE)


2019. № 2 (20), 67-76

F. M. Dostoevsky Omsk State University 

Abstract:

The article deals with the lexical-grammatical adaptation of the phrase "must have", borrowed from English and included into Russian discourse of fashion at the early XX- Ist century. The active use of linguistic units that implement a regulatory and permissive strategy is a characteristic feature of the discourse of fashion. In modern Russian, this strategy is manifested on the lexical level, and one of the examples of it is the loan expression "must have ". The adaptation of the expression in the Russian language is manifested in various ways including the variation of the linguistic code (Latin or Cyrillic),orthographic and morphological form, lexical and syntactic compatibility.

The author demonstrates that the phrase 'must have' has significantly expanded the scope of its functioning, going beyond the discourse of fashion, where it was initially used. Based on the analysis of corpus data and discursive practices of new media, it is established that the semantic expansion of the phrase resulted mainly from its use in the sphere of consumption of any kind of goods and services. The analysis of the contexts where the phrase is used showed that it currently refers to very different objects: clothes, cosmetics, computer programs, films, music and even politicians. The compatibility of the phrase must-have makes it possible to specify abstract ideas that are associated with the concept.

In the Russian-speaking discourse practices, the use of must have has becomes the sign of following a trend, of adherence to socially approved patterns of consumer behavior, as well as a signal of imposed stereotypes, attitudes, and values.