On the pragmatic aspects of the use of relative adjectives (based on newspaper texts)

Abstract

The article is devoted to studying the pragmatics of using relative adjectives in media discourse. Relative adjectives pose a serious problem for Russian lexicography. Their lexical meaning depends on the generating stem of the noun (cf. лесной from лес, кирпичный — from кирпич, пламенный — from пламя), but it does not always coincide. The article examines two questions, illustrated with examples from newspapers and magazines in Russian. The first question is related to the behavior of relative adjectives in the syntactic structure of an utterance. These words are actively involved in various transformations (reorganizations) of the phrase in inner speech. Examples are expressions such as проходной балл (passing score), онегинская строфа (Onegin stanza), чеховское ружье (Chekhov’s gun), вертолетные деньги (helicopter money), etc. The mobility, dynamism of this grammatical class of words represents a significant benefit (bonus) for the journalist. It is shown that the mechanisms of metaphor and metonymy are involved in the processes of syntactic transformation. The second question is the acquisition by relative adjectives of additional pragmatic shades of meaning due to the ideological attitudes (principles) of the speaker. These definitions acquire evaluative (axiological) semantics, which can be used, among other things, for the purpose of manipulating the reader. With the help of these adjectives, a positive or negative image of a concept is formed. Many such expressions originated in the Soviet era (пламенный борец, порочная практика, гнилая буржуазия), but their range continues to expand today (вегетарианский период, санкционные меры, материнский капитал, силовые министерства). The combination of relative adjectives, as well as their pragmatic connotations, require reflection in lexicographical publications.