Friend, Teacher, Genre researcher (Review of the book: Prirashcheniye smysla: sbornik nauchnykh statey k yubileyu Tatiany Viktorovny Shmelyovoy [Speranskaya A. N., ed. Increment of Meaning: A collection of research articles for the anniversary of Tatiana V. Shmelyova]. Moscow, RU-SCIENCE, 2021. 320 p.)

Abstract

This review was written in response to the publication of a collection of research articles dedicated to Tatiana V. Shmelyova’s anniversary. Therefore, all articles included in the collection “Increment of Meaning” are related to one of the leading Russian studies researchers of our time, her scientific interests and studies, among which are syntax, philology, speech genres, onomastics, media linguistics, history of science, and key words of the present moment. This review describes and analyses the research articles and reports included in the collection, describes the structure and contents of the publication, identifies the most distinct tendencies in the study of language. Some of the Tatiana V. Shmelyova’s original texts are mentioned as a favourable feature of the collection – the keynote speech at the VI International Russian Language Researchers Congress which opens the collection “Increment of Meaning”, as well as an interview with Tatiana V. Shmelyova which shows her personality as a Scientist, Teacher and Person. The unique thematic and compositional structure of the collection is especially noteworthy–the fact that along with Tatiana V. Shmelyova’s original texts there are also articles written by her colleagues, students and friends gives it a dialogic quality rarely seen in research papers, creates an impression of an unhurried conversation full of discussions about science and, at the same time, full of memories of days/months/years spent together that have inspired each of the participants of the “dialogue” to actively pursue their research and creative work. This dialogic quality is found in the form of other people’s numerous opinions and impressions of Tatiana V. Shmelyova and their experience of working with her which are present in almost every article in the collection (this review contains their quotations) as well as in a more concentrated form in the final section “Materials and Accounts”. The collection “Increment of Meaning” is not only an important research resource for specialists in the Russian language and modern linguistics, but also an invaluable source of information about Tatiana V. Shmelyova as a Person.