PERIPHERAL SYNONYMIC ROWS OF ADJECTIVES OF DIMENSION INCLUDED IN THE MICROFIELD FOR THE DESIGNATION OF SMALL GENERAL SIZE IN ENGLISH

Abstract

The article presents a lexical and semantic analysis of peripheral synonymic rows of English adjectives of dimension that form the microfield denoting small general size. The aim of the study is to compile a corpus of adjectives expressing the meaning of “small size” and to identify their differential features within the lexical-semantic group by means of synonymic and semasiological analysis. The research material is based on data from explanatory, synonymic, etymological, and frequency dictionaries of modern English, including The Oxford English Dictionary, Webster’s Collegiate Thesaurus, Webster’s New Dictionary of Synonyms, and Crabb’s English Synonyms. The study employs a semasiological approach that focuses on the analysis of the semantic structure of adjectives within a lexical-semantic group, taking into account the field organization of meaning. It is established that the microfield of “small size” is characterized by the presence of both central and peripheral synonymic rows, whose formation is determined by various differential features, such as the degree of gradation of the feature, expressiveness, stylistic markedness, and patterns of lexical compatibility. The research demonstrates that adjectives denoting small size exhibit a high degree of expressiveness, which is realized through quantificational components of meaning, metaphorical extension, and word-formation devices. Particular attention is paid to the role of borrowed vocabulary in the formation of peripheral synonymic rows and to the etymological heterogeneity of the analyzed adjectives. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive description of the functional and semantic characteristics of adjectives denoting small size and in determining their place within the system of parametric adjectives in modern English. The practical significance of the research consists in the possibility of applying its results in courses on lexicology, stylistics, and translation studies.