ETYMOLOGY AND SEMANTICS OF NAMES OF CHINESE STRINGED AND PLUCKED INSTRUMENTS

Abstract

The article reviews the history of names of traditional Chinese musical instruments, particularly plucked and stringed instruments, and analyzes the structure of these terms. The objective of the study is a comprehensive etymological and structural analysis of the nomenclature of traditional Chinese plucked and stringed instruments. The research material, selected using a continuous sampling method from classical treatises and authoritative lexicographic sources, includes two dozen key terms. The methodology combines historical, etymological, and semantic analysis, allowing to identify the basic principles of nomination in their relationship to the sociocultural context. It has been established that the formation of instrument names is based on a number of cognitive and motivational models: references to the material of manufacture, design features, sound production method, as well as toponymic and ethnocultural markers. The identified principles of nomination confirm that the linguistic designation of an instrument is an integral part of its cultural existence, opening up new prospects for interdisciplinary research in the field of linguacultural studies and historical musicology.