“THE DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE COMPONENTS OF MEANING IN ENGLISH SPORTS TERMINOLOGY”
Keywords:
sports terminology; semantic structure; denotative meaning; connotative meaning; sports discourse; metaphorical transfer; pragmatics; English language; lexical semantics; communicative function.Abstract
This article examines the semantic structure of English sports terminology through the interaction between denotative and connotative components of meaning. Drawing on examples from football, tennis, golf, and cricket, the study demonstrates that sports terms are not limited to referential precision but also carry emotional, evaluative, metaphorical, and cultural meanings. The article argues that in official sports discourse terms function as stable and normative units, whereas in media discourse, live commentary, and fan communication they acquire expressive and pragmatic layers. Particular attention is given to polysemy, semantic narrowing, metaphorical transfer, and discourse-based semantic adaptation as key mechanisms shaping English sports terminology. The findings indicate that English sports terminology should be regarded not merely as a technical nomenclature but as a complex, multi-layered lexical-semantic system whose meaning is activated and enriched within specific communicative contexts.
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