Metaphorical term formation in technical discourse (based on Russian, Bashkir, and English)

Abstract

The aim of the research is to identify the nominative and structural characteristics of metaphorical terms in technical discourse using the material of Russian, Bashkir, and English. The paper clarifies the notions “metaphor” and “metaphorical models” in a comparative aspect. In scientific language, metaphorization is the process of selecting terms based on similarities between different objects in terms of their features, functions, or characteristics. The main conceptual fields in the formation of metaphorical terms are represented by the metaphorical models “Human” and “Nature”. The study is novel in that it is the first to analyze metaphorical term formation in the Russian, Bashkir, and English languages, introducing into scientific use new factual data on technical terminology in a comparative aspect. It was found that in the analyzed languages, there is a high percentage of metaphors within the “Human” and “Nature” models. The research revealed that the process of metaphorization in technical terminology is more extensive in Russian and English compared to the Bashkir language. Metaphor proves to be an effective means of forming technical terms in the languages under consideration.