Nosological Terms: Formation Mechanisms and Semantic Features

The article analyzes structural and semantic features of nosological terms in English and Russian. The models for constructing terminological units are characterized and the types of pathological conditions in humans for which nosological terms are used are identified. The study revealed similarities and patterns in the construction of nosological terms in English and Russian: a predominance of phrase terms and of two-component phrase terms. The structural difference between nosological terms in English and Russian is that English terms typically combine two nouns, while Russian terms combine an adjective and a noun, which is related to the grammatical norms of the languages. The analysis of the semantics of nosological terms in English and Russian revealed similarities in the patterns of meaning they express: disease and syndrome nominations play a key role non-metaphorical terms versus metaphorical ones.

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