Ambisemy of Linguistic Term (by Example of Russian Linguistic Terminology of 18th - early 20th Сenturies)

Abstract

The problem of ambisemy in the field of Russian linguistic terminology of 18th - early 20th centuries is considered. It is noted that currently there are many works devoted to research in the field of terminology semantics, where such phenomena as synonymy, antonymy, homonymy, polysemy in terminology are in the focus of researchers’ attention. The relevance of this study stems from the fact that the problem of ambisemy of terms, in particular linguistic, is insufficiently studied. The author argues that this is a very typical phenomenon of terminology that is not only at an early stage of its existence, but in the later stages. It is shown that as long as the varying part of the semantics of the term is not be formed as a categorical value, the term can function with different content volume. The author argues that ambisemy is an essential, natural characteristic of linguistic terminology under its formation. The conclusion is made about the causes of ambisemy: the influence of other linguistic traditions, in particular Greek-Latin and Western European; researchers belonging to different schools, trends and traditions; insufficient knowledge of certain linguistic phenomena; complexity of the facts and phenomena of language, requiring a multilateral and multidimensional study.