COGNITIVE-SYNERGETIC MODEL OF CONCEPT ANALYSIS IN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MEDIA DISCOURSE: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

The article analyzes neologisms in English-language media discourse that express the concept of “subathon.” Within the methodological framework of this study, a neologism is defined as a lexical innovation purposefully created to name new objects, phenomena, or concepts. This category also includes loanwords and any other lexical units perceived by the linguistic community as new. Discourse plays a crucial role in the research as well. Discourse is a fundamental interdisciplinary concept established in the humanities, thanks in part to the work of Teun van Dijk. In the paper, it is interpreted pragmatically as language in action, whose structure and content are determined by the parameters of a specific communicative situation: the identity of the participants, the social context, and the communication goals. Language is a complex self-organizing and self-regulating system whose evolution lies in its adaptation to a changing environment. This adaptation is achieved not only through the expansion of its lexicon but also through a profound transformation of its internal structure. The development of language and consciousness is in a dialectical relationship with the evolution of society and the historical experience of its speakers. The methodology of the scientific work is based on cognitive-synergetic modeling, specified through models of self-organization and the life cycle of a concept. To address specific tasks, a set of supporting methods is employed: interpretive, discourse, and contextual analysis, as well as the method of dictionary definition analysis. The formation of a new conceptual structure in the study is presented as a process of its self-organization. As a result of the research, the dynamic trajectory of the concept “subathon” in English-language media discourse is identified.