Changes in the Russian Terminology of Economic Law since Perestroika

This thesis investigates semantic changes in vocabulary and changes in speakers' attitudes or societal values. It will focus on economic terminology as used in legal texts, in particular laws. The study will also investigate whether the meanings of pre-Revolutionary terms that have been revived since perestroika differ from their original senses.

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The present thesis deliberately restricts its area of research in various ways. First, it will only investigate changes in vocabulary that represent semantic change or that can be related to changes in the speakers' attitudes or societal values; any other change (related to stress, orthography, etc.) will not be considered. Second, and more importantly, it will focus on a group of words that is closely defined in two ways - (i) thematically, in that these words must form part of economic terminology, and (ii) in relation to the type of text in which these words are used, namely legal texts, in particular laws. The study will also investigate whether the meanings of pre-Revolutionary terms that have been revived since perestroika differ from their original senses.