Lexical and semantic analysis of the musical instruments’ names in the Russian language

The vocabulary of the Russian language, characterized by its richness in cultural meanings and a ramified system of categories, exhibits original features in the sphere of terminology, lexical composition and semantic structures. This study analyzes the names of musical instruments from the standpoint of the lexical-semantic approach. Within its framework, we use the methods of structural analysis, categorical comprehension, etymological study and the theory of semantic transformations, which allows for a comprehensive examination of the mechanisms of this lexical subsystem formation and the identification of its semantic patterns.

For the first time, we have carried out a systematic description of the historical background and models of the formation of words, denoting musical instruments in the Russian language. We have established that their development was shaped under the influence of both internal cultural tradition and external borrowings from other languages. A typology has been developed based on semantic features, allowing us to track the formation of generalized meanings and conceptual structures, reflecting the characteristic sound features, vocal functions and performance specifics of the instruments.

Special attention is paid to the study of metaphorical mechanisms underlying the names of instruments, as well as the diversity of their semantics in the context of interdisciplinary interaction. These features not only illustrate the figurative and symbolic potential of the Russian language, but also demonstrate the significant influence of cultural factors on the development of terminological vocabulary.

The main objective of this study is to establish the internal principles of specialized vocabulary functions in the Russian language through the analysis of its semantic organization, cognitive foundations and cultural aspects. The results obtained can be used both in theoretical research and in practical areas – such as standardization of terms, teaching Russian, translation activities and comparative linguistic study of musical terminology. 

1. Dal, V. I. (2001). Tolkovyi slovar' zhivogo velikorusskogo yazyka: v 4 t. [Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language: In 4 Volumes]. 2880 p. Moscow, Russkii yazyk. (In Russian)

2. Slovar' russkikh narodnykh govorov: v 50 t. (1965) [Dictionary of Russian Folk Dialects in 50 Volumes]. RAN, In-t rus. yaz. im. V. V. Vinogradova. Moscow, Nauka. (In Russian)

3. Sreznevsky, I. I. (1893–1903). Materialy dlya slovarya drevnerusskogo yazyka po pis'mennym pamyatnikam: v 3 t. [Materials for a Dictionary of the Old Russian Language Based on Written Monuments: In 3 Volumes]. Tom 1. 1104 p.; t. 2. 1152 p.; t. 3. 1120 p. St. Petersburg, Tip. Imp. Akademii nauk. (In Russian)

4. Vasmer, M. (1964–1973). Etimologicheskii slovar' russkogo yazyka: v 4 t. [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language: In 4 Volumes]. Per. s nem. O. N. Trubacheva. T. 1 – 633 p.; t. 2 – 685 p.; t. 3 – 715 p.; t. 4 – 647 p. Moscow, Progress. (In Russian)

5. Shansky, N. M. (1963). Etimologicheskii slovar' russkogo yazyka [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language]. 512 p. Moscow, Prosveshchenie. (In Russian)

6. Kudrin, I. V. (2018). Sistemnye otnosheniya v leksiko-semanticheskoi gruppe “Muzykal'nye instrumenty” (na materiale sovremennogo russkogo yazyka) [Systemic Relations in the Lexical Semantic Group “Musical Instruments” (based on the modern Russian language)]. Izvestiya Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. No. 3 (126), pp. 72–76. (In Russian)

7. Vinogradov, V. V. (1977). Osnovnye tipy leksicheskkih znachenii slova. [The Main Types of Lexical Meanings of a Word. Selected Works]. Leksikologiya i leksikografiya. Pp. 162–189. Moscow, Nauka. (In Russian)

8. Lingvisticheskii entsiklopedicheskii slovar' (1990) [Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary]. Gl. red. V. N. Yartseva. 685 p. Moscow, Sovetskaya ehntsiklopediya. (In Russian)

9. Akabirova, G. S. (2023). Naimenovanie muzykal'nykh instrumentov v russkom i uzbekskom yazykah [The Names of Musical Instruments in the Russian and Uzbek Languages]. Ekonomika i sotsium. No. 5 (108), pp. 549–552. (In Russian)

10. Petrov, A. B. (2019). Gusli – russkii narodnyi instrument: istoriko-etnograficheskoe issledovanie [Gusli – Russian Folk Instrument: Historical and Ethnographic Study]. 112 p. Izhevsk, Izhevskoe knizhnoe izd. (In Russian)

11. Keshpiv, E. A., Berdikulov, L. I. (2021). Narodnye muzykal'nye instrumenty v russkoi lingvokul'ture: opisanie i proishozhdenie [Folk Musical Instruments in Russian Linguoculture: Description and Origin]. Ekonomika i sotsium. No. 5 (84), pp. 977–981. (In Russian)

12. Fasmer, M. (1964). Svirel' [Svirel]. Ehtimologicheskii slovar' russkogo yazyka: v 4 t. Per. s nem. i dop. O. N. Trubacheva. T. 4, pp. 293. Moscow, Progress. (In Russian)

13. Muzykal'naya terminologiya: leksiko-semanticheskii analiz (2023) [Musical Terminology: A Lexical Semantic Analysis]. Sbornik nauchnykh trudov BSRTUES. No. 2, pp. 20–30. (In Russian)

14. Shaimukhametova, L. N. (1999). Semanticheskii analiz muzykal'noi temy: uchebnoe posobie [Semantic Analysis of a Musical Theme: A Tutorial]. 184 p. Moscow, RAM im. Gnesinykh. (In Russian)

15. Kozinets, S. B. (2009). Slovoobrazovatel'naya metafora v russkom yazyke: monografiya [Wordformation Metaphor in the Russian Language: A Monograph]. 242 p. Moscow, Saratov, Nauchnaya kniga. (In Russian)

16. Hornbostel, K., Sachs, E. (1980). Klassifikatsiya muzykal'nykh instrumentov: popytka universal'noi tipologii [Classification of Musical Instruments: An Attempt at a Universal Typology]. (Per. s nem. A. N. Rabinovicha). Problemy muzykal'nogo instrumentariya. Pp. 103–122. Moscow, Muzyka. (In Russian)

17. Yakovets, T. Ya., Sozonova E. A. (2021). Etimologicheskii analiz muzykal'nykh terminov [Etymological Analysis of Musical Terms]. Issledovaniya v sotsial'no-gumanitarnoi sfere v Rossii i za rubezhom, pp. 112–118. (In Russian)

18. Nazarova, Zh. (2018). Leksikologiya muzykal'nogo ispolnitel'stva: teoreticheskie osnovaniya i sistemnyi analiz [Lexicology of Musical Performance: Theoretical Foundations and Systems Analysis]. 250 p. Moscow, izd. Moskovskogo un-ta. (In Russian)