Anglo-semantism Коллаборация as a conflictogenic element in modern Russian

Abstract

The paper analyzes the process of semantic change of the noun «коллаборация» in the Russian language under the influence of semantic transformations that occurred in the word “collaboration” in English. The basis of the appearance of a new lexico-semantic variant in the donor language is the change of the actors of interaction from the “enemy” to the “business partner”, which caused the amelioration of the meaning of the word. English-speaking Internet users pay attention to the innovative use of the word and seek to find out the difference between the meanings of the words “collaboration” and “cooperation”. The general result of the discussions is the conclusion that the noun “cooperation” is used in relation to any kind of interaction, while the new meaning of the word “collaboration” contains an indication of pragmatic goals in interactive processes. The commercialization of the sense contained in the word “collaboration” entails morphological changes, consisting in the appearance of the plural form as a result of the transition of an abstract noun into the category of concrete ones. The introduction of Anglo-semantism «коллаборация» into the Russian language occurs mainly in commercial and interdisciplinary scientific discourse. The analysis of articles headings containing the term «коллаборация» shows its high frequency and the status of a fashionable term. At the same time, the innovative use of the word is faced with an ambiguous reaction of native speakers of modern Russian. The analysis of the data obtained as a result of the survey revealed evident discrepancies in the interpretation of the semantics and evaluative connotation of the words «коллаборация» and «коллаборационизм» among representatives of different age groups. The use of the word «коллаборация» in its Americanized meaning causes cultural shock among many representatives of older age groups. Most representatives of younger age groups do not feel cognitive dissonance due to their ignorance of the meaning of the word «коллаборационизм». The different level of acceptance of the words transmitted from the Anglo-American language picture of the world together with insufficient knowledge of history by the younger generation becomes a reason of explicit or hidden conflict situations in the communication process.