Prefix Z-: between phonetics and morphemics

The paper discusses the issue of the status of the formant z-, represented in the vocabulary of the Archangelsk dialects. Mostly these are verbs, less words of other parts of speech. Consideration of its status affects several aspects, such as phonetic position, semantics, correlation with synonymous prefixes, territory of distribution.

The formant z- in Archangelsk dialects is used both before obstruents and sonorants and /v-v'/. In the process of functioning, it goes from phonetics to morphemics, expanding the range of meanings and, as a result, acquiring the possibility of using in accordance with the prefixes vz-, za-, iz-, s-. The correlation between the semantics of z- and vz- is explained by the phonetic simplification [vz] before the next consonant, while z- inherits all the meanings of vz-. In turn, the prefixes vz-, iz-, za-, s- show the commonality of their meanings, and this explains the possibility of formations with the formant z-, synonymous not only with formations with vz-, but also with iz-, za-, s- in the following meanings: 'committing an action, bringing the action to the desired limit, result' - a meaning common with prefixes vz-, iz-, za-, s-; ‘direction of action or upward movement’ - meaning common with prefixes vz-, za-, ‘start of action’ – meaning common with prefixes vz-, za-, ‘performing a single action’ - meaning common with prefix vz-. Thus, the formant z- receives the status of a prefix, synonymous in all meanings with the prefix vz-, as well as prefixes iz-, za-, s- in case of incomplete coincidence of values. The conclusions about the formation of the prefix z-, made on the basis of the analysis of the material of the Archangelsk dialects, are confirmed by the data of dictionaries of other Russian dialects, including those that are not in direct contact with the Belarusian and Ukrainian languages. The latter allows us to make an assumption about the historical commonality of the formation of the phenomenon under consideration, which characterizes the entire eastern Slavia.