Nanny Language: A Representative Of The Semantics Of Diminutiveness In Dagestan Languages

Abstract

The paper formulates the general provisions resulting from the analysis of the “nanny language” as a means of representing the category of diminutiveness in Dagestan languages. The comparative analysis of the actual material of the Avar, Karatin, Rutul languages of the Nakh-Dagestan family and the Mukhrek dialect of the Rutul language revealed lexical units within the means of implementing the semantics of diminutiveness, with the help of which adults communicate with children. The diversity and richness of lexico-semantic means of the diminutiveness semantics in Dagestan languages are caused by the need to fill the shortage of morphological diminutive formations. The “nanny language” constitutes an autonomous subsystem with specific phonetic, grammatical and semantic traits allowing it to be considered among the representative of the diminutiveness category. This language subsystem includes a relatively limited number of lexical units refined by previous generations of speech groups, which were historically established in a given areal unit in the sphere of communication with small children. The choice of unequal forms of language existence (literary language – newly written language – unwritten language – dialect) was dictated by the research task: to trace the frequency of the “nanny language” words in linguistic units with different levels of functioning. A comparative study of language material made it possible to conclude that in dialect and unwritten language, which vocabulary is less filled with innovations, the vocabulary of the “nanny language” is much richer than in standard literary and written languages