DIMINUTIVE AND SEMANTICS OF NOUNS: LEXIS OF TIME

Abstract

The article raises the question of the dependence of the meaning of diminutive forms on the semantics of the noun. The analysis is carried out on the example of nouns with the meaning of time (temporal vocabulary). The material of the National Corpus of the Russian language reveals the general and specific features of such diminutives. From the general features, the neutralization of the dimension of the diminutive and its re-evaluation as an appraisal are noted. As unique feature the authors identify the importance of the minimum time interval, and show the compatibility of such diminutives with particles and modern forms of the verb. In addition, noted is the propensity of temporal diminutives to make a request, creating the effect of meiosis. Particularly emphasized is the ability of such forms to act as an indicator of an unexpected and important reme (for a minute) and independent replicas that express a request to wait or attract attention.