BATYUSHKI! THE EXPERIENCE OF THE LINGUO-PRAGMATIC DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERJACTION OF FRIGHT

Abstract

Purpose. The paper examines the verbal means of the expression of fright, namely, we discuss the usage of the secondary interjection Batyushki!, which etymologically originates from the vocative batyushka (lit. daddy). Methodology and Approach. In the article, we discuss the history of the interjection Batyushki! and analyse modern contexts of its usage, which helps us to propose the integrated description of this lexical unit. The research methodology was based on contextual analysis. We analysed texts extracted from the National Corpus of the Russian Language (more than 100 examples). The semantic description of the interjection was based on the materials of general explanatory and specialized dictionaries of the Russian language. Results. As a result of the study, the process of the formation of interjection Batyushki! from the etymologically originated vocative batyushka was illustrated. The paper proposes a classification of the contextual usage of the interjection Batyushki! It also describes the verbal and non-verbal characteristics of a person's emotional behaviour in the state of fright. Theoretical and Practical implications. The proposed analysis can help to create a model for the description of different types of interjection expressions. It also helps to describe the means, by which the emotional state of a speaker is expressed in the Russian language. The results of our analyses can be useful in the practice of teaching Russian to Russians, Russian to foreigners, and in the theory and practice of translation.