Semantic transformations of economic terminology in the context of globalization

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive study of the semantic transformations of economic terminology under the conditions of globalization, digitalization, and the dominance of English as the leading means of international professional communication. The paper identifies changes in the meanings, structure, and functioning of economic terms under the influence of interlingual interaction, technological innovations, and transnational economic processes. The methodological framework combines terminological, semantic, and discourse analysis, which makes it possible to reveal the dynamics of the formation of the modern economic terminological system. It is shown that economic terminology functions as a historically codified yet open lexicosemantic complex in which the processes of semantic expansion, narrowing, metaphorization, and interdisciplinary diffusion are intensified. In particular, it is demonstrated how such units as “market”, “leverage”, “sustainability”, “financial bubble”, and “tipping point” move beyond their original meanings in globalized English discourse and form new cognitive models for interpreting economic reality. It is proven that the internationalization of vocabulary and the active borrowing from English are accompanied by complex semantic adaptation within national terminological systems. On the basis of contemporary English media publications, it is shown that macroeconomic indicators (“GDP”, “inflation”, “turnover”, “interest rates”) in the global information space acquire socially, politically, and cognitively marked meanings, turning into instruments for interpreting risks, expectations, and strategic decisions.