Lexical and semantic features of the words nominated for the German linguistic awards in 2021

A.S. Smirnova

Bashkir State University, Ufa, 450076 Russia

E-mail: ariadna.st.smirnova@mail.ru

Received July 11, 2022

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

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DOI: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.5.120-129

For citation: Smirnova A.S. Lexical and semantic features of the words nominated for the German linguistic awards in 2021. Uchenye Zapiski Kazanskogo Universiteta. Seriya Gumanitarnye Nauki, 2022, vol. 164, no. 5, pp. 120–129. doi: 10.26907/2541-7738.2022.5.120-129. (In Russian)

Abstract

This article considers the main lexical and semantic features of German neologisms that were debated in 2021 as the candidates for “Word of the Year”, “Un-Word of the Year”, and “Youth Word of the Year”. All these votes have been held in Germany since the 1970s, and their results are highly credible and of particular research interest to both German and foreign linguists. The lists of winners often spark intense debates regarding the validity of the choice and the reasons behind it. Of course, this brings together the community of linguists and encourages the exchange of views among them. The results obtained here show that neologisms stand out and are widespread because they reflect the evolving world situation and the attitude of the German public toward it. A generalized description of the lexical units that can potentially explain the large-scale popularity and selective use of neologisms in the German language was carried out. The relationship between language and society, with regard to certain social processes taking place in it, was revealed.

Keywords: German language, lexicology, neologism, loanwords, society, language and society

References

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