LEXICAL UNITS WITH DIFFUSE SEMANTICS IN POLITICAL TEXTS OF GERMAN MEDIA

Abstract

The article deals with words with diffuse semantics frequently used in political texts in the German mass media of 2019-2020. It presents an overview of approaches of Russian and foreign linguists to the phenomenon of semantic diffusion. Difference between broad semantics and diffusion is shown on the basis of a descriptive contextual semantic analysis in comparison with earlier texts and lexicographic sources, including the National Corpus of the German language (DWDS). Semantic diffusion is interpreted as ability to demonstrate universal dynamic variability of lexical meaning in a context while preserving the nominative semantics. The aim of the article is to reveal certain characteristic features of linguistic units with diffuse semantics. The study contains primary conclusions about the origin, dynamic nature, reflection of value-based benchmarks of a linguistic community, universal character of meaning and usage, and lacunarity of word definition and translation. Universality of meaning and frequent usage in media texts allow distinguishing a special group of universal political metaphors with diffuse semantics. The article touches upon the problem of communicative purposes of application of units with diffuse semantics. Their usage makes it possible to avoid direct nomination of the referent and hence lexical units with diffuse semantics can be referred to the group of universal political metaphors with the dominant function of euphemization and argumentation. Universal euphemisms with diffuse semantics are characterized by the following: universal usage; origin from the sphere of ethics, economy and management; fuzzy semantics; recognizability, absence of heuristic metaphorization; international use across languages, formal translatability and difficulty of precise translation. The findings of the study can be used to develop automated lexicography and natural language processing.