Variation and dynamics of lexical norms in the regional usus of the 18th century Russian language
The article is devoted to the problem of the formation of a unified norm of the business language in the 18th century, associated with the variation in it of Slavisms and elements of the business (Prikazny) tradition of 17th c. The lexicalized phonetic variants and absolute synonyms, whose functioning in the regional usage of the business language reflects the intensity of the normalization process, are considered. We study Slavisms as typical means of clerical language, which took part in the production of legitimate language and were subjected to regular changes in terms of expression and content. The analyzed material of 18th century Transbaikalian business writing shows most convincingly the role of varying the book-Slavic means in the process of business language normalization as a tool of struggle for symbolic power.