Types of formal variants of words in the lexical system of Don patois of the Volgograd region

Don patois – with all the originality of linguistic features - are an organic part of the Russian dialect space. The studied patois are socially isolated, which determines such an inherent linguocultural phenomenon as prestige, therefore the Don patois retains the most important features of the traditional system. Studying the problem of variability allows us to trace the formation of the linguocultural space that forms the vocabulary of the Don patois, and to assess the current state of the lexical system of the studied dialects. Based on the material of Don Cossack patois, the question of the functioning of formal variants of a word in the dialect lexical system is considered. The formal intra-system dialect variation, covering variants of the word-formation level, has been analyzed. A brief overview of currently available points of view regarding the understanding of variability in the domestic linguistic tradition is presented. Criteria have been identified for distinguishing synonyms and variants in the lexical system of the Don patois. The collected material made it possible to trace the peculiarity of the dialect lexical system, which consists in the development of a large number of word variants. The study showed that word variants in Don patois are an integral part of the dialect lexical system, contributing to its preservation. The study of formal variability allows us to show the state of the lexical system of Russian patois at the present stage.