Problems of spelling prefixes and suffixes in the “Ukrainian orthography” of 2019

Abstract

The article analyzes some rules for writing prefixes and suffixes, presented in the new edition of “Ukrainian Orthography” in 2019, which appear to be debatable. In particu­lar, comments and suggestions concern spelling innovations that distinguish this edition from the previous ones: variant writing of allomorph prefixes apxi– / архи-; elimination of agentive suffixes –чик (-щик); spelling of derivatives with the suffix –ив-(-о); recom­mendations on the use of suffixes to create feminine counterparts to male names; ten­dencies to eliminate foreign language components in adjectival suffixes –ичи-(-ий), –ічн-(-ий) [(-їчн-(-ий)], etc. It is proposed to expand the list of prefixes, the transmis­sion of which will be regulated by spelling, and with respect to individual formants it is expressed a caveat to refrain from codification measures until their full usualization. In particular, it was noted that the prefix архи-, borrowed into the Ukrainian lan­guage long ago from Greek through Church Slavonic as part of the Christian religious vocabulary, has a long tradition of pronunciation with [и], and therefore the fixation of the variant архі– in the spelling, which appeared in newly formed derivatives and in an­cient words under the influence of the Russian pronunciation of Church Slavonic texts is impractical. The suffixes –чик (-щик), removed from the spelling, obviously in the agentive sense, although the rule regulates the writing in them and, it is advisable to return them to the spelling, because the suffix –чик is a productive diminutive suffix, and in the agentive sense it helps to avoid homonymy (підрядчик — підрядник) and functions in words that are not used with another suffix (bratchyk, nebizhchyk). In the rule governing the use of the suffix –ив-(-о) –yv-(-o) it is necessary to return the lexeme мариво (previously — with the allomorph –ев-(-о) марево) removed from it as one that demonstrates a tendency to unification with the formations of the corre­sponding word-formation model. Recommendations on the elimination of foreign language components in adjectival suffixes, –ичи-(-ий), –ічи-(-ий) [(-їчи-(-ий)] as an example of renormalization and the rule on suffixes for creating feminine correlates to male names as such, that potentially codifies this latest derivational process itself, we consider premature in view of the in­completeness of the usualization of the corresponding linguistic phenomena. It is also proposed to expand the list of prefixes whose transmission will be regu­lated by spelling (in particular, foreign language де-, дез-, дис-, ди– (ді-), as well as parts of foreign words that are not prefixes: їре-, їри, їрі-, etc.). Keywords: Ukrainian orthography, spelling of prefixes and suffixes, feminine forms, adjecti­val suffixes.