On The Synonyms and the Grounds for Their Distinction: Любопытный (Curious) and Интересный (Interesting) and the Nature of the Manifestation of Their Assessment

Aim. To identify the features of the lexical meaning of synonymous adjectives любопытный (curious) и интересный (interesting) and their derivatives, to show the specifics of their evaluative meaning manifestation, which explains the differences and peculiarities of use.

Methodology. The research is carried out on the basis of the component analysis designed to identify similarities and differences between the adjectives любопытный (curious) и интересный (interesting). The component analysis is complemented by the syntactic analysis reflecting the peculiarities of the compatibility of units, on the basis of which the pragmatic meanings are revealed – the specifics of the assessment and the nature of its interpretation. The research material is mainly based on the data of the National Corpus of the Russian Language.

Results. The analysis of dictionary interpretations of different meanings of the adjective curious is given. The features of the lexical meaning of the adjective are presented, explained by the nature of evaluative semantics and the scope of its application. In the course of the analysis, two types of interpretation of the assessment are described – dictum and modus, which have a different place in the structure of the meaning of любопытный (curious) и интересный (interesting). The dictum interpretation concerns the use of an adjective referring to the qualities of a person – a curious boy, a curious reader. The modus character of the assessment distinguishes the use of a curious film, fact, etc. and is associated with such properties of the characterized object as essential (significant) or insignificant features.

Research implications. New approaches to the representation of the value of units containing an implicit assessment are presented, significant factors determining the nature of the assessment are identified. In relation to the studied material, the idea of dictum and modus assessment is formulated. Based on the modus assessment focused on the features of the object that the speaker identifies, the differences between the adjectives curious and interesting are presented. The results obtained can be used in the “Lexicology”, “Syntax of the Russian language” disciplines.

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