Features of English-language argotisms in the speech of modern French youth (on the material of the “Glossary of French Rap Verlan” by V. M. Debov)

Abstract

The aim of the work is to obtain empirical material based on English-language borrowings for further description of the argotic vocabulary of modern French youth. The research has been carried out on the basis of the “Glossary of French Rap Verlan” by V. M. Debov. The author considers the structure of the argotographic publication, which presents dictionary entries provided with a sociolinguistic commentary and numerous examples of verlanized lexemes in a contextual environment, indicating the frequency of their use. Special attention is paid to the characteristics of an algorithm for selecting argotisms formed with the help of verlanization of English-language borrowings. The coding mechanisms of verlan-formation are described. The paper also deals with the assimilating variants of Anglicisms in the French language. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the development of an algorithm for selecting non-conventional lexemes incorporated in the works by rap artists. An analysis of the “Glossary of French Rap Verlan” by V. M. Debov in order to obtain verlanized argotisms based on English-language borrowings has not been previously carried out. The work is the first attempt to classify the convergent models of verlanized Anglicisms recorded in the publication and to describe the dominant semantic field with the examples of its constituent lexemes. As a result, the extracted lexical units are included in a specialized glossary that can serve as the basis for a comprehensive study of English-language borrowings in the speech of modern French youth.