Synonyms in the Church Slavonic text (based on the manuscripts of the Stishnoy Prologue of the 15th – 17th centuries)

The article discusses the findings of a study on synonyms in the Old Russian readings of the Stishnoy Prologue, revealed during its linguistic and textual analysis. The study is based on manuscripts of various editions containing hagiographies of Russian saints, such as Boris and Gleb, Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, and Leontius of Rostov. While the phenomenon of synonymy is well-researched in modern Russian, its historical aspects remain less explored. Diachronic studies of various written monuments typically identify synonyms and describe their meanings; however, regarding the language of Old and Medieval Rus’- a role we argue was fulfilled by Church Slavonic - scholars lack a consensus on the nature of synonymous relations as a universal linguistic phenomenon. Our analysis indicates that synonymous substitutions occur across almost all parts of speech, including function words. Through a comprehensive analysis of lexical variations, which we interpret as synonyms, we compared the meanings of interchangeable lexemes, analyzed their contextual usage, identified stylistic features, and determined the reasons for their substitution and the types of semantic relations between them. The emergence of root synonyms in repeated texts is primarily associated with conscious editing. Scribes sought to convey meaning more accurately and to enhance the emotionality and expressiveness of the context. The presence of synonyms in Church Slavonic during the 15th-17th centuries demonstrates the language's significant capacity for expressing the same content in varied ways. This attests to the lexical richness of medieval Church Slavonic and reflects the process of forming synonymous relations within its framework - a process that continued to evolve in the Russian literary language.

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