Morphology of evaluation: the peculiarities of modeling evaluative meanings through morphological means in the Ukrainian language

This study examines the morphological means used to express evaluation in Ukrainian, drawing on a corpus of spoken language, literary texts, dictionaries, and internet resources. The analysis focuses on how evaluation is encoded in the morphology of nouns, pronouns, numerals, and adjectives, with particular attention to the use of augmentatives, diminutives, gender, and degrees of comparison. The findings reveal a rich and varied system for expressing subjective evaluation, including the frequent use of diminutive forms to soften negativity and the creative use of comparative and elative forms to express a high degree of intensity. The study also highlights the role of gender in shaping evaluative meanings and the tendency to use occasional and non-normative forms to achieve specific pragmatic effects. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship between language, culture, and evaluation, and provides insights into the unique ways in which Ukrainian speakers express their attitudes and emotions through morphological choices.