NOUN STRESS IN UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE: DIACHRONY OF CODIFICATION (BASED ON "THE FIRST READER FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS" BY A. KRUSHELNYTSKYI, O. POPOVYCH, B. LEPKYI (1918))

Abstract

The article traces the peculiarities of noun stress in "The First Reader for Public Schools" (1918) by A. Krushelnytskyi, O. Popovych, and B. Lepkyi, which has not been the subject of linguistic research. This publication introduces the textbook by the mentioned authors into the academic discourse. The mentioned textbook was used in practice in primary and secondary Ukrainian-language education in western Ukraine during the time of Austria-Hungary. The norm for all levels of language at that time was the "Malorusko-German Dictionary" by E. Zhelekhivskyi and S. Nedielskyi (1886). Based on this lexicographical work, a phonetic orthography, known as "zhelekhivka," was formed, which the Ministry of Education recognized as official for Ukrainian education. The process of standardizing literary stress in the Ukrainian language is still ongoing today. Therefore, analyzing stresses in a school textbook published over a hundred years ago can help shed light on certain accentuation patterns that have evolved over time. Furthermore, the collected empirical material will enable researchers to substantiate the choice of one or another normative stress pattern. During the research process, it was discovered that the primary stress patterns in "The First Reader" align with contemporary normative stress patterns found in various paper and electronic dictionaries. The article also analyzed non-standard stress patterns in current usage. In the stress patterns of first-declension nouns, the authors of "The First Reader" systematically employ dactylic stress, which is a characteristic feature of the Ukrainian language. However, within the framework of the current accentuation norms, this dactylic stress is often considered incorrect in many cases. Some first-declension nouns exhibit stress patterns influenced by dialectal environments and the influence of the Polish and German languages. This is especially relevant when it comes to the stress patterns of borrowed words. In "The First Reader," one can also observe the form-distinguishing and content-distinguishing functions of stress, which differ from contemporary accentuation models. Among the second-declension nouns, stress patterns with an emphasized prefix were identified, which could partially enrich the normative basis of contemporary literary language. Additionally, a group of diminutive nouns with consistently stressed final syllables was identified. "The First Reader" does not feature deviant stress patterns among third and fourth declension nouns. The findings can be used in further scientific research, lexicographic practice, or in the educational process.