LEXICOSEMANTIC TRANSFER MECHANISMS IN THE COVID-ASSOCIATED UKRAINIAN TARGET TEXT

Abstract

The submitted study deals with the description of lexicosemantic transfer mechanisms in the COVID-associated Ukrainian target text. The topicality is attributed to the universal (pananthropological) nature and immediate causation of the COVID-associated lexis, at present accounting for a lion’s share of medical information subject to the interlingual and intercultural rendering. The novelty is determined by the exploration of functioning lexicosemantic transfer sub-models in the COVID-associated Ukrainian target text, their distribution and productivity extent. The key aim of our study is to single out and describe the universal and culture-specific lexicosemantic transfer mechanisms in the COVID-associated Ukrainian target text. The study was performed on a complete sample, using the descriptive and contrastive methods, comparative translation analysis, and contextual analysis. The results we have obtained testify to the COVID-associated lexis being a culture-specific construct, reflecting national specifics of the healthcare system management, prophylactic, treatment and vaccination methods prevalent in certain countries. Our sample demonstrates the preponderance of adaptive strategies of the COVID-associated lexis processing, among them the lexicosemantic transfer being the most productive. Furthermore, the lexicosemantic transfer involves four functional sub-models of unequal distribution in the sample. The most productive instruments of lexicosemantic transfer are affixation (sub-models 1, 2), abbreviation and contamination (hybridization) realized according to the sub-model 1. Among the specific descriptors of the sample, there is a close association with a country (region) of provenance, with a source initially registering (creating) the lexical units; and a restricted number of direct borrowings functioning in the Ukrainian language as terms or brand names.