ACADEMIC EXPLANATORY LEXICOGRAPHYAND ‘VINOKUR’S PRINCIPLE’

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the accordance of the “Vinokur`s principle” (“the meaning of words with a derivative base is always definable by reference to the meaning of the corresponding primary base” [2, p. 421]) to the practice of academic explanatory lexicography. The object of this study is the "The Dictionary of the Russian Language" (MAS-2). The subject of the analysis is 103 adjectives formed with the suffix =ЬЙ/=ЙЬ semantized in the dictionary using the standard formula "Adj. to X". The article identifies 18 cases (17% of 103 cases) of lexicographic discrepancy with the “Vinokur`s principle”. These discrepancies are divided into three types: 1) those associated with the -yata-forming words (e.g., devchachy derived from devchata, not from devochka); 2) those associated with the -itsa-forming words (e.g., belichy derived from belitsa, not from belka); 3) other cases (e.g., govyazhy derived from govyado, not from govyadina). The authors note that such definitions, while truly reflecting the modern word semantics, at the same time obscure their derivational history. The article notes that strict adherence to the "Vinokur`s principle" has never been a mandatory requirement for an explanatory dictionary. However, taking this principle into account in lexicography could improve the consistency and objectivity of dictionary definitions, serving as a link between word formation and lexicology. In the future, it is proposed to create coordinated electronic databases based on academic dictionaries. This would help avoid fragmentation of descriptions, to detect, if not anomalous, then at least suboptimal definitions, and to provide a holistic view of the language system.