Lexeme vaccine – word of 2021: semantic, word-forming, syntagmatic analysis

Abstract

The article focuses on the systemic lexical-semantic, word-building, syntagmatic, cognitive and functional analysis of the lexeme вакцина, which is the word of the year in our country and in other countries all over the world. It singles out the criteria (popularity and importance) and the algorithm of how the word of the year is chosen, which means automatic selection and professionals’ coordinated work. The study helps identify the place of the American company Merriam-Webster in this process as well as home (the online dictionary of modern Ukrainian neologisms and slang «Мислово») and foreign (British dictionaries – Collins and Oxford Language, etc.) lexicographic resources. The influence of the extra-lingual reasons is characterized (mainly, the Coronavirus pandemic). The article presents a description of the etymology of the analysed substantive and its meaning structure considering the invariant semantics and the newest specifications of its semes, the appearance of which is explained by the Coronavirus disease COVID-19, its prevention and mass vaccination around the world. It has been proved that the noun вакцина is lexico-semantically related to other words (імунізація, імунітет, локдаун, бустерна доза, чіпування, штам «Дельта», «Омікрон», etc.) that are frequently used. Particular attention is paid to the interpretation of 1) nouns, adjectives, verbs (participles) derived from the lexeme вакцина (вакцинувати, вакцинація, ревакцинація, вакцинатори, вакцинаторство, вакцинований) where deep semasiological analysis serves the basis and means of identification of hypo-hyperonymic markers of their spotting, 2) compound words with the component вакцина- that belong to different word classes and are iso-functional to noun-adjective constructions with the component вакцинний. The selected material allowed showing the syntagmatic resource of the substantive lexeme вакцина projected to the syntactic level, in particular, to such nominative units as syntactically free, half-free and compound phrases and appositive constructions. In these constructions, the studied noun functions as the determined and determining member, often with iso-functional abilities. It has been proved that under the influence of extra-lingual factors the lexeme вакцина spread beyond the medical sphere and rooted in publicist-political discourse where it performs important text creating functions.