Yurii Kovbasko
This article examines the lexical adaptation and naturalisation of Portuguese loanwords in the culinary lexicon of Ukrainian immigrants in Brazil during the 20th century. The study aims to determine how borrowings functioned within immigrant language practices and to assess their distribution according to the dichotomy of necessary versus luxury loanwords. The theoretical framework draws on contact linguistics and sociolinguistics, particularly approaches to lexical borrowing, adaptation, and the social meaning of loanword usage. The working hypothesis assumes that immigrants employed necessary loanwords to fill lexical gaps and luxury loanwords to signal social integration and cultural alignment. The empirical material consists of 1,883 recipes published between 1936 and 1993 in the Ukrainian-language newspaper Pracia in Brazil. Portuguese loanwords were identified, verified through lexicographical sources and corpora, and classified according to their semantic function and degree of necessity. The results demonstrate a well-defined distribution: 57% of the borrowings are classified as necessary loanwords (encompassing both absolute and relative gaps), while 43% constitute luxury loanwords. Necessary loans predominantly denote previously unfamiliar objects, including Brazilian flora, fauna, and culinary practices, while luxury loans duplicate existing Ukrainian terms and reflect sociocultural motivations such as prestige, acculturation, and communicative alignment with the host society. The findings confirm that lexical borrowing in immigrant contexts is not solely driven by communicative need but also by identity negotiation and cultural adaptation. The culinary lexicon emerges as a particularly productive domain for observing these processes due to its high communicative frequency and strong cultural embeddedness. The study concludes that the Ukrainian diaspora in Brazil developed a hybrid lexical system shaped by both functional necessity and symbolic affiliation, demonstrating the dual nature of contact-induced lexical change.