ADJECTIVES DENOTING THE NOTION OF EGOISM IN MODERN ENGLISH

Abstract

The article deals with the analysis of adjectives denoting the notion of egoism in Modern English. We treat egoism as a negative moral quality. Lexical units with the meaning of egoism form a lexico-semantic field consisting of four microfields (adjectival, nounal, adverbial and verbal). The main microfield of the given lexico-semantic field is an adjectival one, since adjectives are the main means of the expression of the investigated meaning due to their abstract essence.
The componential analysis made it possible to define the nucleus of the analysed field, its central, medial and peripheral zones. The nucleus of the lexico-semantic field comprises the following semes: “being centered in or preoccupied with oneself”, “confident of one’s own strength or powers”, “having an excessively favourable opinion of oneself”, “indifferent to the well-being of others”, “showing or expressing contempt or disdain”, “excessively proud of or concerned about one’s own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.”, “characterized by boasting”, “characterized by boldness, impertinence, or effrontery”, “inclined to rule arbitrarily or despotically”, and “showy without taste”. The constituents of the lexico-semantic field possess the above mentioned semes. In the semantic structure of the analysed lexemes the most frequently used semes are the following: “excessively proud of or concerned about one’s own appearance, qualities, achievements, etc.” (23, 8%), “characterized by boldness, impertinence, or effrontery” (15, 5%), and “showy without taste” (13,1%).