INDIGENISMS IN THE MEXICAN SPANISH AS LINGUOCULTURAL MARKERS

Abstract

The article is devoted to linguocultural aspects of the origin, functioning and translation into other cultures of indigenisms in the Mexican variant of Spanish language. Indigenisms are lexical units that have entered Mexican Spanish from ancient indigenous languages – Maya, Nahuatl, Aztec and others. The problem of Indigenisms in the Mexican version of Spanish lies in the field of a broader problem of national identity. They not only testify to the importance of the culture of the indigenous peoples of Mexico in modern realities, but also form its national identity and cultural uniqueness of the country. In a broad sense, Indigenism is a policy direction aimed at preserving the cultural values of the indigenous population, integrating it into modern society and thereby determining nation–building. The material of the study is Mexican indigenisms functioning on country studies websites, in tourist guides, popular science publications. In general, indigenisms are more often characterized by a complex internal structure, as they are derived from word combinations in indigenous languages and they have unusual length and phonetic composition. Such types of indigenisms as toponyms, anthroponyms, animonyms, phytonyms, names of traditional artifacts and rituals are presented. Examples of indigenisms of modern Mexican Spanish in context are given, and their origin, composition, and other features are analyzed. The authors conclude that indigenisms have an extensive sphere of functioning in texts of various genres and types, ensuring the inclusion of the ethnic aspect in the linguistic identity of Mexican society.”