Semantic adaptation of borrowings: a case study of Spanish loanwords in the Russian language

The article examines the semantic adaptation of Spanish loanwords in modern Russian. The present subject exhibits unique scholarly merit owing to the previous lack of comprehensive study. A comparative analysis of the semantic systems of the source and recipient languages is undertaken, with a focus on semantic shifts in Spanish borrowings, their causative factors, recurring patterns, as well as the integration into the lexicon of the recipient language. In the course of the research, a comprehensive array of lexicographical resources was utilized, encompassing academic dictionaries of the Russian language, explanatory dictionaries, and a substantial collection of dictionaries of foreign words from various publication years. Additionally, materials from the National Corpus of the Russian Language were employed. The complex dataset allowed the author to illustrate the presence and diachronic semantic assimilation of Spanish loanwords, influenced by multiple factors. The present study draws upon the methodologies of component and contextual analysis. Consequently, the author identifies three tendencies in the semantic development of Spanish borrowings in the process of their functioning in modern Russian. Firstly, words maintain their status of exoticisms, exhibiting no lexical adaptation or expansion of semantics. Secondly, words evolve metaphorical meanings, as evidenced by the lexeme “hurricane” being used to describe a person of explosive character. Thirdly, the meaning broadens beyond its original scope in the source language. For instance, the Spanish term “armada” in modern Russian can denote not only a set of ships but also airplanes, tanks, and even a group of people.

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