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Comprehensive analysis of affixal and prefixal derivatives of English and Russian terminology of international humanitarian law

https://doi.org/10.18384/2949-5075-2024-5-38-47

Abstract

Aim. The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of affixal and prefixal derivatives of terms in international humanitarian law in English and Russian languages, including not only core terms of international humanitarian law but also general terms, commonly used words in the national language, and function words.

Methodology. The research we conducted employed a multifaceted methodology to analyze affixal and prefixal derivatives in the terminology of international humanitarian law, in both English and Russian languages. Synchronous analysis method systematically organizes the vocabulary and establishes systemic relationships. Comparative-contrastive analysis method reveals the specifics of multilingual terms and forms the basis of language for special purposes in the field of international humanitarian law. Cognitive[1]conceptual analysis method determines and justifies the features of cognitive professional activity. The study also includes a comparative approach, which analyzes concepts of international humanitarian law in English and Russian based on the translation of legal documents. The goal is to establish the degree of equivalence and discrepancies in the definitive features of concepts in this legal field.

Results. The analysis of the terminology in this legal sphere showed that several derivatives can be formed from the same root morpheme, collectively referred to in linguistics as a derivational nest. This is understood as a "complex unit of the derivational system, representing an ordered set of all derivatives with the same root, linked by relationships of immediate or mediated derivativeness to one non-derived (basic) word, which is called the apex of this nest". The analysis revealed that terms derived from the same base, thanks to suffixes determining meaning, can denote processes, results of processes, and agents: peacemaking – peacemakers, diplomacy – diplomat, and so forth. The study of Russian prefixal derivatives allowed us to identify a multitude of terms with antonymous prefixes in their morphemic structure, which can be expressed by the following prefixes: anti-; de-; dis-; un-. According to the research findings, most affixal terms in international humanitarian law involve both prefixes and suffixes. Suffixes, essentially, represent a common means of terminological formation, which, in turn, reflects the complexity of terminology.

Research implications. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that our analysis of affixal and prefixal derivatives of English and Russian terms in international humanitarian law opens up prospects for further development of terminological studies, language theory for specific purposes, lexicography, terminography, theory of intercultural communication, and translation theory. The research materials can be applied in compiling terminological dictionaries and in work on the systematization, unification, and standardization of terms in international humanitarian law. The collected material and the results of the comparative study can also be used in university courses in linguistics, history of linguistics and history of the English language, general and specific lexicology, terminology, theory of translation in the legal field.

About the Authors

A. G. Davtyan
TheRussian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
Russian Federation

Anahit G. Davtyan  – Cand. Sci. (Philology), Assoc. Prof., Department of Political and Legal Disciplines and Social Communications

prospekt Vernadskogo 82 build. 1, Moscow 119571



N. Yu. Ilyina
KutafinMoscow State Law University
Russian Federation

Nadezhda Yu. Ilyina – Cand. Sci. (Philology), Assoc. Prof., Department Head, Department of the English Language

ulitsa Sadovaya-Kudrinskaya 9 build. 2, Moscow 125993



N. E. Chernyavskaya
MIREA – Russian Technological University
Russian Federation

Natalya E. Chernyavskaya  – Senior Lecturer, Department of Foreign Languages

prospekt Vernadskogo 78, Moscow 119454



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ISSN 2949-5059 (Print)
ISSN 2949-5075 (Online)