SOCIOCOGNITIVE MECHANISMS OF SPECIALIZED TERMINOLOGY FUNCTIONING IN LITERARY DISCOURSE: A CASE STUDY OF JEFFREY ARCHER’S NOVEL “COMETH THE HOUR”

Abstract

This article investigates the socio-cognitive mechanisms underlying specialised terminology in literary discourse, drawing on Jeffrey Archer’s novel “Cometh the Hour”. The relevance of the research is determined by the growing interest in modern linguistics in interdisciplinary studies that combine terminology studies and literary criticism. The integration of terminology into fiction not only enriches the semantic structure of works but also creates new semantic dimensions, contributes to the formation of vivid images, and enhances the critical analysis of social phenomena. Jeffrey Archer, known for his deep understanding of the legal and political spheres, uses specialised vocabulary as a key tool for plot development, character motivation, and the creation of a realistic atmosphere. The primary objective is to explore how terms from legal, financial, publishing, and political domains transcend their purely informative role to acquire aesthetic, narrative, character-building, and stylistic functions within literary texts. The research methodology is grounded in socio-terminological theory combined with elements of the classical terminology studies from the Vienna School. The study employs quantitative, frequency, and structural-semantic analysis of the terminological corpus, alongside functional analysis within the literary narrative context. The research material comprised the complete novel text, totalling 432 pages, from which over 329 terminological units from three main spheres were extracted and analysed. The results demonstrate that specialised terminology in Archer’s work functions as a multifaceted literary device: it serves an informative function by creating realistic professional environments, a character-building role by delineating protagonists’ motivations and internal conflicts, and a significant stylistic function by acquiring figurative, particularly metaphorical meanings. The study establishes the phenomenon of terminological transfer, in which terms from one domain acquire new connotations in another domain, creating additional semantic layers. The mechanism of metaphorical use of terms has been revealed. The investigation confirms the effectiveness of the socio-cognitive approach for analysing terminology in literary texts, as it accounts for the contextual dependency and the dynamic nature of terminological meanings. The practical significance lies in developing an analytical methodology for examining wave-like terminological density as a rhythmic device for building tension in literary works of the legal and financial thriller genre.