The onomatopoeic complex трень-брень [tren’-bren’] in the lexicon of the Russian dialects

The article discusses the features of the formation and development of dialectal onomatopoeic compounds. The derivational processes specific to the Russian dialects are traced based on the words formed by compounding two assonant onomatopoeic words трень [tren’] and брень [bren’]; the motivational basis for the emergence of new word forms, figurative meanings, metaphors and idioms is revealed. In the dictionaries of the Russian language, the onomatopoeic words трень [tren’] and брень [bren’] are presented only as part of the compound трень-брень [tren’-bren’] (‘designation of the sound of plucked string instruments, as well as playing them’) accompanied by an indication “onomatopoeia” and the “colloquial” label. Examples of the use of this interjection in the nominative, predicative, and adverbial functions are given.
Later, the compounds develop a figurative meaning ‘about smth. Lightweight; about trifles, nonsense’ and a meaning shade ‘about a worthless thing’. Formation of these figurative meanings is facilitated by the hidden semantic components, such as ‘jerky sounds associated with those from the contact of many small insignificant objects’, and connotative semantic components, such as ‘smth. clumsily, poorly performed and therefore poorly perceived’ and ‘disrespectful evaluation’.
Onomatopoeic words and compound interjections in the Russian folk dialects are characterized by a variety of synonymous word forms and derivational variability. In the dialects, the interjection трень-брень [tren’-bren’] is presented in many variants, and one should pay special attention to the strengthening of the semantic component ‘to tinkle, to make sounds with metal objects’. The dialectal homonyms трень-брень [tren’-bren’] have different degrees of abstraction. The first homonym has a specific meaning ‘the sounds produced by a metal scythe blade when mowing’. The second homonym is based on activating the semantic components ‘a lot of separately sounding short sounds’ and ‘disrespectful evaluation’ when forming the meaning ‘a lot of small insignificant objects’. In addition, in the Russian dialects, a meaning ‘a small number of tiny objects’ arises as an antonym to the meaning ‘many small insignificant objects’. The article analyzes word-formation and semantic derivational processes, due to which such dialect words and word combinations have been formed: трень да брень [tren’ da bren’], стрень-брень [stren’-bren’], брень-стрень [bren’-stren’], стрени-брени [stren’i-bren’i], стренть-бренть [strent’-brent’], стрынь-брынь [stryn’-bryn’]. Examples of the formation of stable word combinations and sayings are as follows: чего-л. с трень-брень [chego-libo s tren’-bren’], стре́ньки, да бре́ньки, да две гри́венки [stren'ki, da bren'ki, da dve grivenki], стрень-брень на лычках [stren'-bren' na lychkakh], тре́нди-бре́нди и навре́нди [trendi-brendi i navrendi].
The author establishes the task of searching for word-formation and semantic invariants in lexicological studies as well as defining the productive and non-productive models on the basis of the common and the occasional dialectal word forms. The derivational model: onomatopoeic word → verb → interjection → compound → idiom based on a compound interjection or a stable word combination. The semantic model: invariant onomatopoeic meanings → designation of the sound of a string musical instrument or ringing from the contact of metal objects (bells, coins, etc.) → designation of rare abrupt sounds → figurative meaning, evaluatively characterizing a negligible amount of something. The author comes to the conclusion that other dialect compounds and stable word combinations are formed according to similar word-formation and semantic models, which often do not have exact interpretations: и́нцы-бры́нцы [intsy-bryntsy], при́нджи-бры́нджи [prindzhi-bryndzhi], тинь тили ли [tin' tili li].