Conceptual Informativeness of Professional Terminology

The article analyzes the problem of the relationship between commonly used words, concepts and terms. Current views on the term as a unit of the lexical level that integrates special knowledge are highlighted. The considered theories actualize the structures of professional knowledge behind linguistic units in the definition of a term and aim to expand the boundaries of the study of terms: from a term as a linguistic unit to a term as a cognitive unit that represents certain conceptual information determined by professional activity and professional communication. The conceptual informativeness of terms differs from the informativeness of commonly used words and concepts, which is confirmed by the comparative analysis of the word water presented in explanatory dictionaries and professional terms with the key component water. The conducted research indicates the need to update explanatory dictionaries and develop and apply new models of representation of professional terms in professional dictionaries. A new model of a dictionary article in professional dictionaries is proposed for discussion.