Variation of synonyms in biblical texts in M. Luther's translation

The article is devoted to one of the modern branches of linguistics - varialogy. The term ''language variation'' in the article is used in broad sense, implying synonymy of lexical units. The object of the research is biblical texts in M. Luther's translation; the subject is the variable synonyms picked out by the author of the article. The topicality of this research is conditioned by the relevance of the development of varialogy, as well as by convergence of synchronic and diachronic aspects of the language research and due attention to the facts concerning dynamics and transformation of the language. In the article the dynamic approach is realized for the initial text of translation of the New Testament created by Luther in September 1522 is compared with the author's last edition prepared in 1545. According to the classification of synonyms suggested in the Duden dictionary of German synonyms, variable synonyms in the biblical texts in M. Luther's translation are considered as regional, group, subject and historical synonyms. The use of the regional synonyms for Luther is especially topical as the target language of the Bible is based on the language practice of several offices of Germany. For example, in the text of 1522 Luther uses the West German word Pfenning, while in a later edition he changes it for Grosschen, the word typical of the southern part of Germany. Examining group synonyms, the following observation is taken into consideration: oral speech was the tool of the simple people, and written form belonged to the highest strata of the population of Germany. In this regard, lexical units functioning in oral speech, and lexical units most often found in written speech belong to group synonyms. For example, the colloquial expression gab er den geyst auff and the verb verscheiden differ mostly in their stylistic colouring. It is worth considering the words Satan and Teufel as an example of the subject synonymy which implies identical semantic meaning and a different connotation of lexical units, Historical synonyms are words which have similar lexical meaning in different historical epochs, for example, weib and Gemalh. The research states that the borderline between regional, group, subject and historical synonyms in texts of the Bible translation is indistinct. Many of the lexical units are at the same time regional and group, regional and historical, or group and subject. The diachronic analysis makes it possible to draw the following conclusion: Luther's primary purpose was to provide availability of the text of the Bible translation to all layers of the population of Germany, while over time he aspires to enrich the German language by using variable synonyms.

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