MILITARY VOCABULARY IN THE COLLECTION OF REPORTAGES AND ESSAYS “BAKHMUT” BY MYROSLAV LAIUK

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of lexico-semantic groups and functional-stylistic features of military vocabulary in the collection of reportage and essays Bakhmut by Myroslav Laiuk, who was directly present in the combat zone during the defense of the city of Bakhmut in winter and March 2023. It has been established that military vocabulary constitutes an important component of the language of literary reportage, reflecting the realities of the contemporary Russian-Ukrainian war, the society’s linguistic response to military actions, and the author’s emotionally evaluative stance. Several main lexico-semantic groups of military vocabulary have been identified and analyzed: names of defenders of Ukraine; military ranks, positions, and professions; military call signs; names of enemies of the Ukrainian people; names of weapons, their components, and ammunition, as well as military transport equipment; names of combat actions, processes, and others. It has been determined that the composition of contemporary military vocabulary is constantly changing and being supplemented with new words, which is related to the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the conduct of intensive combat operations, army reorganization, and modernization of weaponry. Feminine lexical units in M. Laiuk’s literary reportage testify to the growing role of women in the military sphere and their significant contribution to the defense of the country. A distinctive feature of military call signs is their purpose: concealing the person’s real name, preventing the disclosure of personal data, and serving as tools for self-identification and self-positioning. The formation of secondary names for Ukrainian soldiers is based on: external appearance, internal characteristics, and age; occupation, profession, or preferences; family relations; names of famous people, literary or fairy-tale characters, biblical or mythical figures; fauna and flora terms; ethnonyms and toponyms; and names of natural phenomena. It has been shown that the skillful use of military vocabulary contributes to a deeper conveyance of the atmosphere of war, helps form the image of the warrior-defender, and creates a tense and dramatic environment.