WAYS OF FORMING GERMAN YOUTH SLANGISMS: SYSTEM-QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article analyses the ways of forming German youth slangisms registered in specialized lexicographical sources. The author studies the peculiarities of the processes of word-building, semantic derivation and borrowing from other languages. It has been found out, that young people use slang vocabulary the most actively during a stage of their development known as adolescence. Word-building plays a main role in forming adolescents’ vocabulary. The most productive types of wordbuilding are compounding, affixation and semi-affixation. A large number of slangisms are determinative compounds. We consider the need for identification as the main reason for using specific affixes in enriching youth vocabulary. Lexical units formed by means of suffixation and semi-suffixation express a subjective assessment of subjects of designation. Metaphorization occupies a dominating place in the process of semantic derivation. Metaphor and metonymy show the connection between youth slang and standard German. English language is the main source for borrowing words into adolescents’ vocabulary. As a rule, loanwords are morphologically modified. There is a tendency to making new slangisms by means of compounding German and English stems. The author defines the following key extralingual determinants of nominative processes in slang vocabulary: need for creativity, expressing subjective assessment, identification among other age, social, professional groups.