THE ESSENCE OF THE «LANGUAGE ECONOMY» PHENOMENON AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN THE SPANISH LANGUAGE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the place and role of linguistic economy in the development of the Spanish language. The theoretical aspects of this phenomenon are considered, the scientific works of well-known linguists who studied the implementation of economy as a linguistic phenomenon at linguistic levels are analyzed. Both traditional interpretations of the essence of linguistic economy (the law of least effort) and modern ones (the principle of retroactive automatism) are considered. In the article, linguistic economy is interpreted as a quantitative category, which is implemented through the minimization of segmental means while preserving the informativeness of the message. The implementation of linguistic economy at the phonetic, morpho-syntactic and word-forming levels is analyzed. In phonetics, it is expressed, first of all, in a limited number of phonemes capable of building an unlimited number of significant elements; in the simplification of the phonetic shell of the word, which is stimulated by the frequency of its use and is realized through assimilation, elision, reduction of syllables and weakening of the phonation of sounds. At the morpho-syntactic level, ellipsis, which is interpreted as a structural-semantic phenomenon, is an effective means of optimizing the expression, so its analysis includes two fundamental approaches: structural division and semantic filling. Considering these factors, two types of ellipsis were investigated: grammatical (syntactic) and semantic (contextual). Word creation processes are a manifestation of economy at the word-forming level − effective ways of transforming quantitative characteristics into qualitative ones, means of nominating extralinguistic realities by concentrating a comprehensive concept within one sign. The most optimal manifestation of economy in word formation − abbreviation − reflects the natural desire of communicators for rationality and efficiency. As a result of the abbreviation, a contraction is formed, which is a derivative, linearly shorter than the original base, but which preserves its functional and semantic features. From the review of the formal correlation «creative base / derived form», two main types of lexical abbreviations that are actively functioning in the modern Spanish language are highlighted: truncations and abbreviations.