Lexico-Semantic Features of French-Originated Helvetisms in Swiss Standard German

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in Swiss Standard German, being a unique variety of the German language. However, multitudinous aspects of this field of study have been surprisingly neglected, which heightens the need for more research, including the present one. This paper has been designed to explore the consequences of the German-French language contact in Switzerland that are lexically expressed in Swiss Standard German. Moreover, this paper seeks to underline a relatively self-sufficient language system of Swiss Standard German as a variety of High German from the pluricentric perspective. In order to conduct this ongoing research, a combination of qualitative methods has been employed. Additionally, a holistic approach has been utilised, integrating linguistic, historical and cultural analysis to establish a most comprehensive picture. This study makes use of multiple sources, such as academic articles, textbooks, reputable lexicographic sources, as well as contemporary Swiss newspapers and magazines. Findings of this research should prove to be particularly valuable for further investigation of Swiss Standard German. Key words: Swiss Standard German, Helvetisms, French borrowings, language contact.