Cognitive frame modeling of the term system “Medical virology” in the Russian medical terminology

The study of different sublanguages terminosystems acquires special relevance in the context of cognitive research, in which it becomes possible to trace the specificity of comprehension of certain spheres of human life through the analysis of nomination methods, systematization and frame organization of the terminological units’ bulk. The aim of this study is to build a cognitive-frame model of the sphere “Medical Virology” in the modern Russian language. Materials and methods. The material of the study comprises the terms selected by the method of continuous sampling from educational and scientific medical literature on microbiology and virology. The main methods of the study include the descriptive method with its techniques like observation, analysis, synthesis, the method of quantitative counting, as well as linguistic methods proper, such as the method of definitional analysis, language modeling, frame analysis, comparative method, systemic-structural method of the description of language units. Results. The study determines the theoretical basis of cognitive-frame modeling, provides definitions of the main terms. The study also presents the cognitive-frame model of the subject area “Medical Virology”, which includes 6 main subframes characterized by different quantitative composition of terminological units: subframe “Nature of viruses”, subframe “Types of viruses”, subframe “Diagnosis of viruses”, subframe “Therapy of viruses”, subframe “Prevention of viruses. The hierarchical nature of this model, which involves dividing subframes into slots and, in some cases, microslots, was established. Quantitative calculations of the representation of terms in each subframe, slot and microslot are made, and examples of terms representing each subframe are given. The general analysis of the nature of relations between terms within the terminosystem “Medical Virology” is provided and hyper-hyponymic, synonymic, antonymic relations between terms are determined. The specificity of individual terminological nominations has been established. In particular, examples of metaphorical nomination are considered, a high percentage of borrowed names is found. Conclusion. The presented cognitive-frame model of the sphere “Medical Virology” is a hierarchically organized system, in which each subsequent level implements the semantics of the previous level, and allows to systematize the knowledge contained in this subject area, as well as to trace the specificity of relations between the elements of the system and the peculiarities of terminological nomination. The results of the study can be used in the practice of teaching various disciplines to medical students, as well as in lexicographic practice when compiling dictionaries of the relevant subject area.

cognitive approach, cognitive-frame model, frame, subframe, slot, medical terminology, medical virology