Linguist criticized the show The Bachelor: the title contains a Russianism

Linguist Olga Vasilyeva pointed out a mistake in the title of the popular show 'The Bachelor', noting that this word is a Russianism and does not comply with the norms of the Ukrainian language. The article from the 'Language Issue' section of Glavkom examines this situation.

Olga Vasilyeva explained: 'Yes, this is a Russianism. This word is absent in old dictionaries, while it exists in the Soviet explanatory dictionary. Old dictionaries contain the related words 'bachelor' (empty) and 'to castrate' (to castrate). Indeed, one can form 'bachelor', but it is a pejorative term that means 'empty', 'infertile' person. Instead, the Ukrainian language uses the words 'bachelor' and 'bachelorette' to denote a young man and a young woman. More neutral options are 'singleton' and 'single'. '

The philologist added that when using old dictionaries, such as the SUL-11, it is important to carefully check words for the presence of Russianisms and to utilize more contemporary sources, like the SUL-20: 'I remind you that the SUL-11 contains Russianisms. It is necessary to be able to use this dictionary (recognizing and checking suspicious elements). It is worth relying on the more modern - SUL-20, however, it was released under the letter P. Whether it will contain 'bachelor', we will see. Perhaps, it will be marked as 'colloquial'.

In times when the Ukrainian language fights for its purity and correctness, it is important to pay attention to even such details as the title of a television show. The statements of language experts, like Olga Vasilyeva, help to support and promote the Ukrainian language in the media space.