“Literatura mirovoj revoljucii”, 3, 1932 - [S013]

In the Russian language, there is a specific linguistic marker of simulation and substitution, indicating a discrepancy between a thing’s name and its real nature. In combination with nouns (e.g., lzhenauka [pseudoscience], lzhegadalka [fake guess], lzhepravednik [fake right]), the prefixoid Izhe- casts doubt on the very essence of a phenomenon or concept (in a sense, it unmasks the meaning of the name). It is very productive and can be combined with different parts of speech (lzhesvidetel’stvovat’ [bearing false witness], lzhemudrstvovat’ [feigning wisdom], lzhetolkovat’ [interpreting in a distorted way]). In this example, joined to the adjective ‘proletarskij‘ [proletarian], it adds the meaning of a total inadequacy of the concept of ‘proletarian’ in relation to the accepted norm in certain circles. Furthermore, lzhe- is employed to express the author’s own conviction about the adjective’s semantic discrepancy with respect to its ideologically correct interpretation and, even more interestingly, conveys a certain satisfaction on the part of the author in unmasking that discrepancy. From a semantic point of view, the Russian prefixoid lzhe- is akin to pseudo- and quasi-, but in the Russian linguistic system it possesses a more transparent internal form, a feature that is particularly effective in contexts geared towards an immediate and direct impact on the reader.