Morphological analysis of pejoratives in “A Small Ukrainian Novel” by Andriy Lyubka

Abstract

The article provides a detailed morphological analysis of pejorative vocabulary used in the novel MUR (“A Small Ukrainian Novel”) by contemporary Ukrainian writer Andriy Lyubka. Pejoratives, as emotionally charged linguistic units, play an important role in creating a sarcastic, ironic, or negatively toned text. The study examines their function in artistic discourse, which helps to underscore the specificity of the characters, their emotional states, and the sociocultural context. The analysis covers 340 lexical units, of which 303 are classified as pejoratives and 37 as invectives. Pejoratives are divided into five main morphological categories: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and participles.

The largest portion consists of nouns and verbs, which are used to characterize characters and describe actions. For instance, nouns “fifa”, “hutsul”, and “khakhal” (e.g., фіфа, гуцулик, хахаль) emphasize the social or gender affiliation of the characters, while verbs like “nalysiatysia” (to get drunk), “vydudlyty” (to drink up), and “potykatysia” (to poke around) (e.g., нализатися, видудлити, потикатися) create the dynamics of comedic or ironic situations. It is also noted that the novel’s text contains a number of noun phrases that denote characters or serve to describe and characterize people, characters, and situations. The verbs and verbal phrases of the pejorative lexicon denote processes of consumption, speech, spatial movement, thought, and the emotional state of a person, as well as the negatively evaluative connotation of certain actions – particularly those of an intimate nature and related to human physiology. In terms of frequency, the most common are the verbs and verbal phrases indicating processes of consumption, speech, and spatial movement; a total of 113 such verbs and verbal phrases have been analysed. Adjectives, adverbs, and participles in the novel characterize individuals through the prism of animal traits, physical appearance, and derogatory evaluative norms of behaviour.

The study emphasizes the importance of context in determining the function of pejoratives in the text. A contextual approach allows for accounting the interdependence between linguistic units and their emotional connotations. The use of pejorative and invective lexicon adds expression, realism, and a satirical nuance to the text. Special attention is paid to classification by morphological features, thereby broadening the understanding of the functionality of pejoratives in literature.

The relevance of this study is underscored by the growing interest in emotionally charged lexicon and its role in literary discourse. The practical value of the work lies in the potential application of its findings in linguistic and literary research, as well as in language instruction.