Limbă, Literatură, Folclor

Abstract: This article examines the phenomenon of functional syncretism within the system of parts of speech in the Romanian language, focusing on the mechanisms through which a lexical unit combines features specific to different lexico-grammatical classes. Functional syncretism is defined as a dynamic process by which a linguistic unit simultaneously integrates characteristics of its own category and those of an adjacent class. This process is driven by two factors:the use of a word in a syntactic function that is atypical for its original category, and the evolutionary tendencies of the language, which favour structural flexibility and communicative efficiency. The study proposes a coherent typology of syncretic forms, establishing clear linguistic criteria for their delimitation. At the same time, syncretic elements are analysed in terms of their degree of deviation from the prototypical model of the source class and their convergence towards the target class. In this regard, special attention is given to the role of morphosyntactic and semantic factors in defining the status of these syncretic units.

Keywords: syncretism, part of speech, noun, adjective, verb, adverb, infinitive, participle, supine, gerund.