LINGUISTIC COMMENTARY AS A TEXT-FORMING ELEMENT AND AN OBJECT OF LITERARY EDITING

The article examines commentary in the aspect of intertextuality – as an element of an entire book and an internal structural component of the text, defining its auxiliary and accompanying role in the creation of metatext. The essence of commentary is revealed as a written remark associated with the interpretation or explanation of a word or phrase, additional information, a note, or a statement regarding a specific part of the text. The main function of commentary is to decode the meaning of the text, expand its boundaries, and deepen the reader’s perception. The study identifies the key features of commentary, including its connection to the text, fragmentary nature, relevance, reference function, and graphical separation from the main text. The structural and semantic organization of authorial, translational, and editorial commentary is analyzed, with an emphasis on their specific functions: to clarify “obscure” parts of the text and provide implicit layers of information; to adapt a foreign cultural text for a Ukrainian reader; to conduct a prognostic analysis of the text and, in accordance with the author’s intent or the work’s concept, identify and address textual gaps, evaluate the appropriateness of existing commentary, and select the most suitable commentary format (single-word explanation, descriptive phrase, or extended construction). A classification of commentaries is presented based on different criteria, reflecting text characteristics (style, genre, subject matter, authenticity, temporal distance), as well as the method and form of information presentation and commentary localization. Linguistic commentaries (footnotes) as a distinct philological genre are analyzed in texts of various styles: scientific, journalistic, and literary. Based on the analysis of these commentaries, the study generalizes what they semantically clarify or explain: facts (dates, events, situations), words (terms, proper or common names, phraseologisms), stylistic functions (wordplay, allusions), grammatical forms (gender, number), etc. It is noted that in many contemporary texts, especially literary or popular-scientific ones, commentary not only serves as an addition to the text but also functions as a full-fledged meaningful element with significant semantic and emotional intensity. The article outlines prospects for further research, which include a more detailed analysis of commentaries in texts of specific styles, the study of commentary objects, the evaluation of the justification for their inclusion, and their role in perceiving the work as a metatext. Key words: intertextuality, text, commentary, footnote, editing, authorial/translator’s/editorial commentary, linguistic commentary, style.