Geography of register words in the Dictionary of Ukrainian Eastern steppe dialects

This article substantiates the necessity of compiling a Dictionary of Ukrainian Eastern Steppe Dialects as a crucial stage in documenting and scientifically analysing the lexical richness of newly formed Ukrainian dialects. It emphasises the importance of lexicographical research on the eastern steppe dialects, which play a key role in preserving the linguistic identity of the Donetsk region and the national character of the dialects under study – particularly in the context of military, informational, and linguistic aggression. The article outlines the main principles guiding the compilation of the dictionary, with particular attention to the methodology of building the lexical register and representing the geographic characteristics of register words. A key methodological principle in this lexicographic effort is the areal certification of register units – that is, indicating their association with specific micro-areas of the eastern steppe dialects (central or Mariinka–Volnovakha, northern, northwestern, western, southern, eastern) or noting their general usage across all the dialects studied. The widespread presence of certain register words across all eastern steppe dialects can be attributed not only to the lexical proximity of the Donetsk dialects to the literary language, but also to minimal variation among these dialects, typically due to the consistent use of a single dialectal term (usually an innovative one). This approach facilitates the development of a linguo-geographical model of the dictionary, incorporating both unique dialectal units – reflecting the traditional cultural features of the Donetsk region – and contrastive variants. These variants are characterized by different dialectal features, including lexical, semantic, word-formation, phonetic, accentual, and grammatical distinctions.