Futurognostics of zoonyms as heads of zero word families

Archive of Scientific Articles

ISSUE:

Philology. Theory & Practice. 2026. Volume 19. Issue 10

COLLECTION:

Russian Language

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Abstract. The aim of this study is to determine the prospects for zoonyms (in the broad sense of the term) in the formation of new word families. The paper identifies the reasons for the absence of, and the conditions for the emergence of, new word families with zoonym heads (realonyms and necrozoonyms); forecasts further transformations of these word families; determines the features of their structure and composition; and examines the possibilities of creating word families using proper names from lexical units not included in A. N. Tikhonov’s “Word-Formation Dictionary of the Russian Language” (CAPYBARA), as well as single (zero) word families found in that lexicographic source (DINOSAUR). The scientific novelty of the study lies in determining the prospects for the formation of the structure and composition of the above-mentioned types of word families with realonym heads (CAPYBARA) and necrozoonym heads (DINOSAUR) across several discourses (scientific, media, and gaming). An analysis of the prospects for futurognostics of word families with zoonym heads has shown that the extra- and intralinguistic reasons for the absence of certain realonym zoonyms and necrozoonyms in scientific usage are related to the diversity and limited accessibility of fauna; the classification of the heads as terminology; the interpretation of word families as a linguistic phenomenon that avoids speech formations, occasionalisms, and proper names. The predominant use of fan-type word families suggests the forecast of their further dominance in the formation of word families with zoonym heads of the specified types, as a means of recording new information about a zoonym. Word families derived from necrozoonyms and realonym exotics follow structuring patterns based on the universal logic of perceiving the life of the animal world, as evidenced by the current models that we have extrapolated to other zoological objects. Proper names and diminutives formed from the generic or specific word at the head of a word family serve as a universal tool for transforming zero word families into fully developed word families and expanding their volume, especially in gaming discourse and children’s speech (fictional names). The shortened form of derivational bases promotes the derivational activity of a zoonym and the transition of derivatives from scientific to gaming and media discourse. The growth of word families’ volume accelerates in contemporary media discourse with its advertising orientation (see the CAPYBARA word family).