Semantic Potential of Interjections in a Literary Text (Based on the Material of Russian, English and Chinese Languages)

Abstract

The semantic distinction of interjections from content words is still the subject of scientific disputes: this class of words has no nominative function, many of them cannot be interpreted outside the context, which makes them speech marks for expressing emotions, feelings, and expression of will. The article focuses on the categorical status and semantic potential of interjections, as well as their use in oral, written speech and in literary texts (on the materials of Ostrovsky's play "The Storm"). The article contains a review of the literature on the status of interjections in Russian philology and the results of studies by foreign linguists substantiating the existence of equivalent interjections in languages with different systems. Contrastive analysis aids in showing cases of convergence/ lack of convergence of formal and semantic signs of interjections in languages with different systems, as a result the semantic potential of interjections of Russian, English and Chinese languages is revealed in the literary text, as well as the conditions for its implementation.