Changing stylistic register of lexemes in speech as a problem of stylistic standardization

Abstract

The article examines the problem of the influence of digitalization on standard language usage, leading to changes in literary norms, including stylistic ones. Based on existing research, the author analyzes the reasons for the destabilization of the norm, namely, a break in the traditions of the culture of speech, the coexistence of normative standards and substandards, greater publicity of speech with a simultaneous weakening of the requirements for its quality. A study conducted on the basis of the Russian National Corpus, a search in the Yandex system and author’s own observations of the speech of contemporaries made it possible, using the example of the distribution of linguistic markers of relativity kasayemo, kasatel'no and chto kasayetsya X, to confirm the hypothesis about the existence of two differently directed trends in changes in the stylistic register of lexemes — lowering high and raising substandard vocabulary. Using synchronous-diachronic, distributive-statistic and corpus methods, the author proves that the beginning of digitalization was the starting point for such changes, the breakdown of the norm occurred in 2000–2023. Due to their predominant use in the mass media and social networks, the linguistic units discussed in the article show a tendency towards stylistic neutralization. The author concludes that they have formed new, contextually determined stylistic connotations and a certain kind of polysemy, which indicates the need to revise existing normative stylistic marks.