Trade and Economic Vocabulary in the Ukrainian Language of the 14th – 18th Centuries.

Abstract

The thesis is devoted to the analysis of Ukrainian trade and economic vocabulary of the 14th – 18th centuries. Scholarly works by native and foreign linguists served as a theoretical basis for the analysis of semantic, genetic, and wordbuilding features of the lexico-thematic group under discussion.

The trade and economic vocabulary in the Ukrainian language has not yet been the subject of a separate study, although it constitutes a significant part of the language vocabulary.

The present study is carried out within the research working plan of the Ukrainian Philology Department of Khmelnitsky National University and is performed within the framework of the topical research “Issues of Philology: History and Modernity”.

The object of the study is the Ukrainian trade and economic vocabulary, registered in the Ukrainian written documents of the 14th – 18th centuries.

The subject of the research is semantic, structural, grammatical, and wordbuilding peculiarities of the Ukrainian trade and economic vocabulary of the 14th – 18th centuries.

So as to perform a comprehensive study of the trade and economic vocabulary of the 14th – 18th centuries, various methods are applied, i.e. compiling the empiric database of the linguistic units under analysis is carried out with the help of the continuous sampling method; if necessary, the origin of non-motivated lexemes (those units whose origin remains unclear from the point of view of the modern Ukrainian language) is traced back to their ancient forms and can involve other Slavic and non-Slavic languages; the method of quantitative calculations is used for tracking the productivity of the semantic groups, derivational patterns, etc.; common and distinctive features are revealed by means of comparison; the method of linguistic description makes it possible to classify and interpret linguistic phenomena in question diachronically.

The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the fact that trade and economic vocabulary become the object of a comprehensive linguistic analysis for the first time in Ukrainian linguistics when the sources of its formation are defined, the peculiarities of lexico-semantic processes, structural, and grammatical characteristics are outlined, means and patterns of word formation are highlighted focusing on the units’ structural types. It must be pointed out that the present paper represents the first comprehensive systematic diachronic research of the nomination system in the sphere of economy and trade, which is carried out on the basis of empiric material selected from in written documents, lexicographic sources, and specialised scientific studies. This approach makes it possible to compile the empiric corpus of the units in question, create trade and economic lexemes systematic database, to outline formation and development of trade and economic vocabulary in the Ukrainian language, to carry out systematic description of the units from the viewpoint of their lexical semantics, structural, word-building, and quantitative features.

The theoretical significance of the paper is predetermined by the fact that the results obtained deepen the knowledge about the patterns of special vocabulary evolvement in the Ukrainian language and the importance of extralinguistic and intralingual factors in its development. The analysis of the research empiric material expands the understanding of the Ukrainian trade and economic vocabulary formation and functioning, clarifies approaches to lexico-semantic and word-building classification of lexemes in the sphere of economy and trade, allows to trace the within systematic correlation peculiarities within the empiric database, opens prospects for trade and economic units further codification.

The practical significance is defined by the possibility to use observations and conclusions obtained for further standardisation and regulation of the trade and economic vocabulary in the Ukrainian language. The results obtained can be used when compiling dictionaries of Ukrainian scientific terminology, creating educational courses such as “Historical Grammar of the Ukrainian Language”, “History of the Ukrainian Literary Language”, “Modern Ukrainian Language. Lexicology”, “Business Ukrainian Language”, special courses in historical and linguistic disciplines.