ABBREVIATION: HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF A UNIVERSAL LINGUISTIC PHENOMENON

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the historical path of the emergence, formation and development of the phenomenon of abbreviation – the process of formation of abbreviated linguistic units – in the systems of world languages. The study covers a significant chronological period – from the oldest written evidence (Sumerian cuneiform, IV millennium BC) to modern trends in the context of globalization and digitalization. Based on the comparative historical method, the key stages of the evolution of abbreviations in various linguistic traditions are identified, the dominant types of abbreviations (graphic, suspensions, contractures, initial, syllabic) and the factors of their activation (the desire for economy, the needs of administration and science, socio-political transformations, technological progress) are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the specifics of the “abbreviation boom” in the Russian language of the 20th century, associated with revolutionary transformations, and the formation of national abbreviation systems in the Turkic languages in the context of graphic reforms and socio-political changes.