Abstract

The article considers peculiarities of the vocabulary presentation related to the masculine form in particular based on the three well-known Russian-Ukrainian dictionaries of the beginning of the 20th century. A holistic analysis of different groups of vocabulary in the selected dictionaries can be performed due to digital lexicographic systems created considering paper dictionaries and a noun database with extensive querying capabilities. This study demonstrates the presence of a significant number of units to refer to individuals in translated sources of the early twentieth century. The major part is represented by masculine nouns. The most comprehensive section was the lexical-semantic group for designating individuals determined by occupation, profession, specialization, job title, etc. Even though the group includes nouns of both genders, masculine nouns prevail. Consistently, without feminine counterparts, only professional names, which are borrowed words with the components -log, -graph, -meter, are given in common language dictionaries (both of the previous era and modern ones). Only in the form of the masculine gender, translated lexicographic works also record the names of persons by military positions, ranks, place of service, etc., and the majority of names used to indicate religious and church titles, ranks, etc. A similar situation can be observed when it comes to modern sources analysis. In contrast to lexicographic practice, the modern Ukrainian language (media mainly) shows a significant increase in usage of neo-feminine gendered words, including the ones with previously unpopular affixes. In the perspective, it is planned to cover the vocabulary provided in lexicographical sources of the early twentieth century, which belongs to different lexical and semantic groups and compare it with its modern equivalents.

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