The Word “Rumour” as a Constituent of the Lexical-Semantic Group (Based on Dictionary Definitions)

Abstract

The target of the research is the word rumor, with the primary research question focusing on its relation to a lexical-semantic group. The relevance of addressing this problem is driven by the growing scientific interest in the category of uncertain knowledge, encompassing various products of mass communication, including rumors. This interest arises from the current stage of information society development characterized by an abundance of often unconfirmed information and its rapid dissemination. The multidimensional nature of the phenomenon of rumors attracts the attention of various scholars, particularly linguists. Linguistic aspects of rumors can be examined from different perspectives, including the approach and methodology of lexical semantics across different languages. The paper aims to identify the core elements of the lexical-semantic group to which the word representing the studied concept in the English language belongs, based on dictionary definitions. The research tools employed include a combination of classical methods such as logical-semantic analysis, utilizing the dictionary definition chain method, step-by-step identification method, and partial componential analysis. The research findings demonstrate that the studied lexical-semantic group comprises a minimum set of lexical units, including gossip, hearsay, and rumour. The primary identifier and keyword within the lexical-semantic group under investigation is the word rumour, serving as an integral componentof the lexical meanings of the constituents studied. The obtained results are considered foundational for subsequent semantic differentiation of the identified adjacent elements within the lexical-semantic group