The Problem of Semantic Derivation of the Word «Естественно» (‘Naturally’)

The article is devoted to the semantic derivation of the word “естественно” (‘naturally’), which in Russian can perform the functions of an introductory word, an adverb, a predicative and a particle. The aim of the work is to analyze the semantic and functional changes in the semantic derivation of the word “естественно” (‘naturally’). The material for the study was the data of the National Corpus of the Russian Language, as well as the information from Russian language dictionaries. The hypothesis of the study is that the semantic derivation of the word “естественно” (‘naturally’) is associated with the strengthening of the modus content of the unit and the ability to dialogize.

The work describes the semantic and syntactic characteristics of the word utilize as different parts of speech. Based on the results of the study, it is concluded that in modern speech the word naturally is mostly used as an introductory word. The semantic derivation occurs due to the reduction of the propositional group into an introductory construction. This transformation is motivated by the strengthening of the subjective principle in speech and the expansion of functions in discourse. The use of the word “естественно” (‘naturally’) expresses the speaker's confidence, based on the knowledge of typical behavior in this situation, which the listener also has. This word is a means of conducting an indirect dialogue with the listener.

The semantic derivation of this word is a consequence of the change in the non-canonical (narrative) communicative situation, which acquires dialogic features. An indicator of semantic derivation is the sharp increase in the frequency of word “естественно” (‘naturally’) in the second half of the 20th century, the period of development of mass media, the development of interactive communication, etc.