On demarcation and differentiation of terms "semantic derivation" and "semantic word formation" in diachrony

The research of semantics of the Old Russian language implies studying two parts of semantics:lexical and grammatical semantics; historical semantics is an integral part in whole, which allows supplementingthe linguistic picture of the world. Detection of semantic links of words in language andtexts presents some difficulty. This is due to the pendency of the correlation problem between termspolysemy and homonymy in science. Language material analysis shows that it is probably not theopposition of terminology, which names the same phenomena, but names and definitions of differentlanguage phenomena. The phenomena did not receive any proper substantiation and differentiation inlinguistics, as the fact was not taken into account that the sign, not the word, is polysemantic. For moreprecise understanding of polysemy and homonymy phenomena in the history of the language it is necessaryto differentiate conceptions of semantic derivation and semantic word formation. Semanticderivation and semantic word formation are closely connected phenomena, which reflect differentfunctions in the formation of the semantic system. Semantic derivation characterizes lexical semanticprocesses in the language and semantic word formation is typical of grammatical semantic processes.Semantic derivation is the quantitative factor of semantic changes, for emergent new connotations ofwords increase its semantic scope. First of all, it is phenomenon of speech, but not the language, because actualisation of various connotations of words depends on the context, in which the unit of languageis used. Thus, text is important in functioning of semantically filled elements (syncretes). Textdescribes the meaning of the word. Semantic word formation is a phenomenon and a result of a qualitativestep the new unit of language coining, with its own meaning, which fixes in the language. In thiscase the context does not define actualisation of one or another connotation of the language unit. Itdefines the choice of one or another word from a number of units similar in meaning or form. Semanticderivation process results in forming semantic syncretes, which are polysemantic units. Actualisationof their connotations does not directly depend on the context. Then trends of semantic derivation resultin coining of first metonymical and then metaphorical semantic derivatives. The latter are units thatactualise their connotations in the context immediately, i.e. units with contextual meaning. In the conclusion,as a result of semantic word formation, new units with unique meaning appear and later becameunits of language, because their meaning is not connected with actualisation one or another context.Now, it is not the context that determines the actual meaning of the word, but the meaning of theunit of language that determines its choice from a number of other units of language for using it in text.Formation of semantic derivatives is connected with different ways of the Slavs' thinking and mentalityexpression. One should differentiate between metonymical derivation with similar processes andmetaphorical derivation in this linguistic phenomenon.

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