Dobrovolskaja O.J.
CELTIC BORROWINGS AS A LEXICAL DATABASE OF THE MIDDLE ENGLISH OCCUPATIONAL TERMS ^{[№ 6 ' 2016]}
The article is devoted to the study of etymology of the Middle English language. The focus of the study lays on the lexical-thematic classification, functional differentiation, variability, chronological stratification of Celtic lexical borrowings in the Middle English language, in particular lexical-thematic group of occupational terms. Based on the analysis of dictionary definitions of occupational terms both common nouns and proper names are distributed in thematic groups and sub-groups with representation of their lexical-semantic and phonographic variation in chronological order. The actual material is distributed on a functional basis too, highlighting separately the three sub-groups: the names with established usage, the names with the unsettled usage, the names with the limited usage. The total number of occupational terms loan-blends formed from assimilated Celtic lexical borrowings using English derivational suffixes, is 6 (1 % of the total number of 755 Middle English occupational terms-loan-blends); the names of craftsmen is the most represented subgroup. The data obtained serve as a confirmation of the scarcity of Celtic lexical borrowings, especially in the lexical-thematic group of Middle English occupational terms.