The role of the prefixoid polu- in lexical gradation (Based on the lexicon treated in volume 22 of the SASA dictionary)

In the recently published Volume 22 of the SASA Dictionary, as many as 76 pages are devoted to lexemes containing the formative ????-, numbering more than 1,100 entries. Although the dictionary provides an extensive treatment of the meanings of this prefixoid, according to I. Klajn, the formative ????- generally has two meanings: a primary one, half (of something), and a secondary one, partial, incomplete, insufficient, unfinished. The secondary meaning refers to an incomplete degree of the quality expressed by the motivating word. When it denotes an incomplete manifestation of a property, the component ????- may introduce a pejorative meaning into the derivative (e.g., ????????????????? ?semi-intellectual?), but it can also serve as a formative means for expressing fine nuances of lexical gradation (e.g., ??? ? ??????? ? ?????????? ? ?????? ?lie ? half-lie ? half-truth ? truth?). This paper analyzes the ability of the prefixoid ????- to denote the degree of a property, particularly in cases where it marks non-lexicalized intermediate values between two antonyms. When a prefix such as ???- (?without?) or ??- (?un-, non-?) is added to the motivating word to produce a lexeme expressing the absolute absence of the property denoted by the base, the occurrence of ????-combined with such lexemes (e.g., ?????????????, ?semi-absurd?, ??????????????? ?semi-independence?) is unexpected yet semantically significant. The study demonstrates that the role of the prefixoid ????- lies in the gradation of possession or absence of a quality, or in emphasizing incompleteness. The emphasis on incompleteness is particularly evident when ????- is added to a lexeme already containing a prefix indicating partiality (e.g., ?????????????? ?to half-close?) or to a diminutive, whose suffix already suggests a weaker degree of the expressed feature (e.g., ??????????? ?semi-whitish?). The described lexemes with ????- attest to the exceptional potential of this formative element in expressing and levelling degrees of incompleteness of a property.