Lexical Syncretism in the Lexical-Semantic System of the Serbian Literary Language

Abstract

The article examines the phenomenon of lexical syncretism in the modern Serbian literary language, defined as a situation in which two distinct meanings (A and B) are expressed by a single lexeme (X). The study identifies two distinct types of syncretism in Serbian. The first is “old” (archaic) syncretism, which aligns with the traditional definition; it often originated in the Proto-Slavic period and has persisted in the modern language (for instance, the lexeme koža remains the only way to express both ‘human skin’ and ‘animal hide’). The second type, which constitutes a typological feature of the Serbian lexical-semantic system, is “new” syncretism. This occurs when a specific lexeme Y (e.g., the verb liti, ‘to pour liquids’) coexists with a syncretic lexeme X (e.g., the verb sipati, which means both ‘to pour liquids’ and ‘to pour/strew solids’). In such cases, lexeme X is frequently employed in both senses, often displacing lexeme Y in usage. The endurance of old syncretism and the emergence of new forms in Serbian can be attributed to both a tendency toward preserving archaic structures and a drive for linguistic economy.

Acknowledgements
The work was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project № 22-18-00586 “Mapping of the typology of polysemy via computer-assisted system of the cross-language identification of semantic shifts”.

Received: 15.03.2025.
Revised: 19.01.2026.
Accepted: 17.03.2026.

Citation
Kaprielova V. V. Lexical Syncretism in the Lexical-Semantic System of the Serbian Literary Language // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 260–276 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.12