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and Management Studies
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TYPE
Original Research
PAGE NO.
58-61
DOI
OPEN ACCESS
SUBMITED
20 February 2025
ACCEPTED
19 March 2025
PUBLISHED
21 April 2025
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue04 2025
COPYRIGHT
© 2025 Original content from this work may be used under the terms
of the creative commons attributes 4.0 License.
Univerbats In
Lexicographic Practice
Rakhmanova Mavlyuda Gulyamzhanovna
Tashkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizami, Tashkent,
Uzbekistan
Abstract:
Univerbats are an important component of
the language system, reflecting the trends of its
development
and
adaptation
to
changing
communicative conditions. Russian linguists such as
N.M. Shansky, E.A. Zemskaya, T.V. Grinev, V.V. Lopatin
emphasize that univerbats perform various functions,
contributing not only to the economy of linguistic
means, but also to the expressiveness, convenience and
accuracy of communication.
Keywords:
Univerbats,
linguistics,
vocabulary,
universality, economy, dynamism.
Introduction:
Univerbats are one of the most dynamic
and expressive forms of linguistic economy, actively
used in modern Russian speech. This term denotes the
process of forming a new lexical unit by reducing a
multi-component name to one word, which preserves
the main semantic features of the original expression.
The term "univerbat" first appeared in Russian
linguistics in the 1970s and has since become an
important object of study for many Russian scientists,
such as N.M. Shansky, T.V. Grinev, E.A. Zemskaya and
others.
According to N.M. Shansky, univerbats are single-word
lexical units that are formed from multi-component
word combinations or phrases, usually by reducing the
form of expression. An example is the word "university"
(from "higher educational institution"), "hostel" (from
"student hostel") or "president" (from "head of state").
E.A. Zemskaya emphasizes that univerbats, despite
their compactness, have a high semantic capacity and
retain the ability to express the same concepts as the
original phrase. She also notes that univerbats most
often arise as a result of the communicative need to
speed up and simplify speech.
The main characteristics of univerbats:
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and Management Studies
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European International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Management Studies
1. Semantic coherence - the univerbat retains the main
semantic elements of the original expression.
2. Economy - the abbreviated form requires fewer
resources for its use in speech.
3. Universality - univerbats are found in various styles
of speech, but are especially popular in colloquial and
professional communication.
T.V. Grinev identifies the following main ways of
forming univerbats:
1. Substantivization - turning a phrase into one word,
for example: "hostel" (from "student hostel").
2. Truncation
—
abbreviation of the original phrase, for
example: "dean's office" (from "dean's office").
3. Tracing
—
borrowing models of formation of
univerbats from other languages, for example, "dealer"
(from the English dealer).
E.A. Zemskaya notes that an important condition for
the successful functioning of a univerbat is its
comprehensibility for native speakers. Therefore,
univerbats are most often formed in those areas where
multi-component expressions are used frequently and
become inconvenient for constant use (for example, in
professional, student or everyday speech).
Modern speech, characterized by the desire to save
linguistic means and high speed of communication,
provides favorable conditions for the active use of
univerbats. These lexical units are becoming an integral
part of both colloquial and professional speech, also
spreading in Internet communication and mass culture.
Univerbats perform functional stylistic tasks in modern
speech, facilitating communication and giving it a more
dynamic character.
Colloquial speech is the main space for the functioning
of univerbats, since brevity and convenience are
especially important in it. Examples from modern
language:
• "univer" (university):
"After classes at the university, we went to a cafe."
• "telik" (TV):
"Let's watch football on TV."
• "komp" (computer):
"My computer is broken, I need to take it in for repairs."
These examples demonstrate how univerbats reduce
the time it takes to pronounce words, making speech
casual and convenient. They are often accompanied by
emotional coloring, which enhances the expressiveness
of the statement.
In a professional environment, univerbats perform a
terminological function, shortening long expressions
and facilitating communication between specialists.
Examples:
• "dean's office" (dean's office):
"Documents can be taken to the dean's office until
Friday."
• "state duma" (stat
e duma):
"The state duma reviewed the tax bill."
• "vaccine" (vaccine against the virus):
"The vaccine is already available in clinics."
In professional speech, univerbats help standardize
terminology
and
improve
the
efficiency
of
communication, especially in official business and
scientific styles.
The digitalization of speech and the development of
Internet communication have given impetus to the
active use of univerbats, often borrowed from the
English language. Examples:
• "ak" (account):
"My ak was hacked, I'll have to change the password."
• "vidos" (video clip):
"I just posted a new video on the channel."
• "smart" (smartphone):
"I bought myself a new smart, works great."
On the Internet, univerbats are used to convey
information more quickly and compactly, especially in
chats, social networks and forums. They often have a
pronounced youth or slang character.
The mass media actively use univerbats, as they make
the text more accessible and attractive to a wide
audience. Examples:
• "plastic" (plastic card):
"Pay for your purchase using plastic."
• "auto" (car):
"New car at a reduced price."
• "cinema" (cinema or cinema):
"Be sure to go to the cinema on the weekend."
The use of univerbats in the mass media creates the
effect of simplicity and accessibility, attracting the
attention of readers or viewers. Examples from a
modern context:
• From youth slang:
"I was glued to videos all evening yesterday."
• From professional speech:
"I'll pick up the documents from the dean's office
tomorrow." • From online communication:
"My account has over a thousand subscribers."
Univerbats occupy an important place in modern
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European International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Management Studies
speech due to their convenient form, ability to adapt to
different styles and areas of communication. Their use
is especially active in colloquial, professional and online
communication. Univerbats help to save speech means
and simplify communication, but require a careful
approach to their use in order to avoid stylistic and
semantic problems. The dynamic aspect of univerbats
in the Russian language is manifested in their ability to
change, adapt and develop in response to
communicative, cultural and technological changes.
This process includes both the emergence of new
univerbats and changes in their meanings or frequency
of use. The influence of digitalization, globalization and
social changes is especially noticeable in the growth of
the number of univerbats and the expansion of their
areas of application.
Modern life, especially related to digital technologies
and Internet communication, actively contributes to
the formation of new univerbats. Examples:
• "vidos" (video clip):
"An interesting video was posted on YouTube
yesterday."
• "ak" (account):
"My ak was blocked, I can't restore it."
• "smart" (smartphone):
"I updated the firmware on my smartphone."
These univerbats reflect the current realities of the
digital world, demonstrating how language reacts to
technological changes. They are becoming common in
Internet communication and everyday life, especially
among young people.
Some univerbats expand or change their meaning over
time. Examples:
• "kino":
Initially used as an abbreviation for "cinema", then
came to mean "film" or "cinema".
"Let's go to the movies tonight."
• "plastic":
Originally a material, now a bank card.
"I've run out of plastic."
Such changes demonstrate the semantic flexibility of
univerbats, their ability to reflect the changing context
of use.
Some univerbats, previously used in limited areas,
become part of mass speech. Examples:
• "gosduma" (state duma):
"The state duma approved a new law."
• "dean's office" (dean's office):
"The dean's office will close at five in the evening."
The frequency of these univerbats increases due to
their demand in professional and everyday
communication, as well as due to their simplified form.
Univerbats often acquire emotional coloring and
become a means of stylization in speech. Examples:
• "trenik" (sweatpants):
"I bought myself new sweatpants for jogging."
• "komp" (computer):
"My computer is freezing, I need to clean it." Such
univerbats make speech more relaxed and emotional,
which is important for friendly or informal
communication.
Some univerbats become fixed in the language for a
long time, becoming standard, while others remain
short-term phenomena. Examples:
• Fixed:
"university" (higher education institution),
"He entered a prestigious university."
• Temporary:
"vidos" (video clip),
"This video is no longer relevant."
The longevity of a univerbat depends on the frequency
of its use, functionality and ability to adapt to changing
conditions. Examples of the use of univerbats from
modern speech:
• Youth environment:
"I bought a new smartphone today, now everything
works faster."
• Professional speech:
"The dean's office said that the documents will be
accepted tomorrow."
• Internet communication:
"My account has more than a hundred likes in a day."
The dynamic aspect of univerbats is manifested in their
ability to adapt to new realities, change their meanings
and expand the scope of use. Modern univerbats reflect
current processes in language, such as digitalization,
urbanization and the desire to simplify communication.
Due to their flexibility and versatility, univerbats remain
an important element of modern speech and a subject
of constant linguistic interest.
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