The use of neofeminitives in scientific and business Ukrainian language

Abstract

Pacheva Valentyna, Pachev Serhii. The use of neofeminitives in scientific and business Ukrainian language. The article is devoted to the problems of functioning of linguistic innovations that arose after the introduction of the new version of the Ukrainian spelling (2019). These innovations relate to the creation and use of feminine nouns to denote the names of female persons in accordance with those professions, positions, occupations, etc. that in the Ukrainian language were previously traditionally denoted exclusively by masculine nouns (masculinatives). The authors investigate the problem of the peculiarities of the functioning of the above-mentioned linguistic innovations in the scientific and formal business styles in connection with the defining features of these styles. The relevance of the study is determined, firstly, by the lack of clear grammatical norms in Ukrainian linguistics regarding the formation of the corresponding feminine nouns in general and their use in certain styles in particular, and, secondly, by the significant public outcry that has arisen in connection with this situation The authors analyze the scientific debate that has been going on since the introduction of the new version of the Ukrainian spelling around the issue of feminitives. They consider it expedient to distinguish terminologically between traditional feminitives, which have long been used in the Ukrainian language, and linguistic innovations, to which the term neofeminitives is used in the article. The authors draw attention to the fact that the use of neofeminitives in scientific and formal business styles is more problematic than in some other styles, including colloquial, literary and artistic, and journalistic. The problems of using neofeminitives in scientific and formal business styles are related to the specific features of these styles, which require unambiguous use of words, stable terminological phrases, use of words only in their direct meaning, and adherence to the culture of business communication. The authors provide additional arguments in favor of the fact that scientific and formal business styles remain more conservative in terms of the use of neofeminitives. Based on the analysis of feminitive dictionaries, regulatory documents, and other sources, it is recommended to refrain from using neofeminitives terms until they are clearly stated in legal documents. This problem in the Ukrainian language still requires close attention and coordinated work of scholars in various fields.

Key words: feminitives; neofeminitives; scientific language; business language.