The article clears up the lexical and semantic analysis of medical terms which are significant and organic components of Roman Ivanychuk’s idiostyle. It is found out how to implement these lexical units in their usual function of concepts nomination, as well as in stylistically-expressive meaning as a part of similes and metaphors. Peculiarities of using these means in various communicative situations are presented.
The analysis of historical prose of the writer shows that the language of his works is characterized both by an original theme and inimitable author’s style of presentation, which is to use not only traditional tropes and figures, without which, as one knows, it’s hard to imagine belles-lettres style, but “non-figurative language elements” – the terms, which are realized in the proper scientific style. If in the scientific style, terms are usually stylistically neutral – moreover, this neutrality is one of the main indicators of scientific style – in the style of belles-lettres, they lose their specific signs and neutrality, becoming stylistically coloured, expanding their semantic structure, being loaded with new meanings, and complicated with certain associations, they form the artistic images, adding intellectual stream into the language of works of art.
It was found out that the language of Roman Ivanychuk’s works of art is characterized with successful use of medical terms that are quite widely used in the historical genre of the writer and can be observed in various communicative situations. The presence of medical terms is predetermined by the subjects of the works, the author's desire to reproduce realistically social events of a particular epoch, his creative manner, personal worldview and understanding of the world as well as peculiarities of word usage. These language units enrich the language with new means of expression, show the peculiarities of the writer’s idiostyle. The novelist uses them for linguistic characterization of the characters and for description of the negative phenomena in society.
It is noted that medical terms in historical novels of the prose writer have their own techniques of use. Some of the words are introduced in the text in a direct meaning that is their usual function of concepts nomination; they are heard in characters’ voices. All the others are functioning as means of stylistic expression, and are characterized by unusual use through the appropriate semantic transformations.
Medical terms as a pictorial tool are used in similes, where they undergo certain semantic shifts and get stylistically coloured. Insertion such terms into the similes is caused first of all by the author’s attempts to evoke new associations, analogies, to create interesting and unique images.
Medical terms are often a means to create individual author's metaphors among which nouns are represented the most widely: absoliutnyi bil, metastazy kontstaboriv, natsionalna nevrasteniia, otruina rymska sukrovytsia, paralich bezvolnosti, politychna anesteziia, rakdush, chuzhoridna pukhlyna yanychariv. Adjective metaphors are presented in the works of art of the writer more narrowly: anemichni urbanistychni smaky, atrofovana silska dusha, bazarnyi znervovanyi harmyder, hniini furunkuly mista, khvore tilo izrailskoi zemli. And the verbal metaphors are used very seldom: mozolyt dumkoiu mozok. Given examples suggest that the word-terms, as a part of metaphors, form the basis of a new, contextual meaning through which they acquire negative colour. Transformation of such medical terms asarteriia, krovoobih, pulsuvaty, likuvaty, paralizuvaty, bolity is significant. In the context these words lose their nominative meaning getting figurative one.
It is proved that medical terms are good and organic components of Roman Ivanychuk’s idiostyle. Here they perform an important nominative and style making functions: they are both a means of concepts nomination, and lexical units of historical works of art language stylization. So, on the one hand, they contain the necessary scientific information, and on the other hand – function as the means of expression. When creating original similes, his own metaphors, the writer awakens new associations, forms unique and interesting images. Using medical terms in historical genre, the writer expands the realm of their use, their functional capabilities, helping to create expressive content, provides the text with stylistic colouring, reveals the specifics of creative idiolect, – and all this shows high skill of Roman Ivanychuk.