| Annotation |
The article presents the results of lexicographical and contextual analysis of the action names: act, action, deed, doing, step, thing, etc. The characteristics that help to distinguish “act” from related phenomena are outlined. From the perspective of the described characteristics, the definition of an act is given supported by the enumeration of its main elements. The research is based on the idea according to which the words under study are semantically indefinite and can be attributed to lexemes which background or defocus some aspects of events or objects. The aim of the research is to show the process of defocusing in terms of the names of acts. The examples from the Russian National corpus are given to illustrate the phenomenon of defocusing in speech. The article also provides information on the ability of the action names with a more general meaning to form word combinations. The conclusion is made that the word deed stands out from the group of the action names with a more general meaning and that the process of defocusing is closely related to the processes of conceptualization and categorization of objects, facts and events. |
| References |
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