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Abdusaidova G.B. english teacher Department of Foreign Languages Tashkent State University of Economics
LINGUISTIC ASPECTS AND FEATURES OF TERMS FOCUSED ON
ECONOMICS AND FINANCE
Annotation. The specialized language of economics and finance is characterized by its unique terminology, which serves specific communicative functions within these fields. This article examines the linguistic aspects and features of economic andfinancial terms, focusing on their formation, semantics, pragmatics, and syntactic structures. By analyzing these features, the study aims to provide insights into how economic and financial language facilitates precise and effective communication among professionals and contributes to the broader understanding of these disciplines.
Key words: terminology, compounding, affixation, borrowing, denotative meaning, connotative meaning, polysemy, jargon.
The formation of terms in economics and finance often involves processes such as compounding, affixation, and borrowing from other languages.
1. Compounding: Many economic and financial terms are compounds, combining two or more words to form a single term with a specific meaning. Examples include "stock market," "credit risk," and "interest rate" (Algeo, 1991).
2. Affixation: Affixes, both prefixes, and suffixes, are frequently used to create new terms. Prefixes such as "macro-" and "micro-" distinguish between large-scale and small-scale phenomena (e.g., "macroeconomics" vs. "microeconomics"). Suffixes like "-nomics" and "-logy" denote fields of study (e.g., "economics," "finance").
3. Borrowing: Economic and financial vocabulary often includes terms borrowed from other languages, reflecting the global nature of these fields. Terms such as "inflation," "deflation," and "bonds" have origins in Latin and French (Durkin, 2014).
Semantics
The semantics of economic and financial terms are characterized by specificity and context-dependence.
1. Denotative Meaning: Terms in economics and finance typically have precise denotative meanings that are agreed upon by professionals in the field. For instance, "inflation" specifically refers to the general increase in prices and fall in the purchasing value of money (Mankiw, 2019).
2. Connotative Meaning: Some terms carry connotative meanings that reflect broader economic or social contexts. For example, "bull market" and "bear
market" not only describe market conditions but also evoke imagery of aggressiveness and caution, respectively (Shiller, 2000).
3. Polysemy: Many economic and financial terms are polysemous, meaning they have multiple related meanings. The term "capital" can refer to financial assets, physical assets, or human capital, depending on the context (Becker, 1964). Pragmatics
Pragmatic aspects of economic and financial language involve the use of terms in context to achieve specific communicative purposes.
1. Speech Acts: Economic and financial terms are often used in performative speech acts, where stating a term can enact a certain action. For instance, declaring bankruptcy or issuing a bond involves specific terminological usage that triggers legal and financial processes (Searle, 1969).
2. Contextual Usage: The meaning and impact of economic and financial terms can vary significantly depending on the context. For example, "liquidity" in the context of a firm's assets differs from its use in discussing market conditions (Keynes, 1936).
3. Professional Jargon: The use of jargon is prevalent in economics and finance, serving to both include and exclude. It facilitates precise communication among experts but can also create barriers for laypeople (Crystal, 2003).
Syntactic Structures
The syntactic structures of economic and financial terms often reflect their function and complexity.
1. Nominalization: Nominalization, or the use of nouns derived from verbs or adjectives, is common in economic and financial language. Terms like "investment" (from "invest") and "regulation" (from "regulate") are examples (Halliday & Martin, 1993).
2. Complex Noun Phrases: Economic and financial discourse frequently employs complex noun phrases to convey detailed information succinctly. Examples include "interest rate swap" and "collateralized debt obligation" (CDO) (Quirk et al., 1985).
3. Passive Constructions: Passive voice is often used to emphasize actions or results rather than the agents performing them. For instance, "The policy was implemented to stabilize the market" shifts focus from the policymakers to the policy itself (Biber et al., 1999).
References:
1. Algeo, J. (1991). Fifty years among the new words: A dictionary of neologisms 1941-1991. Cambridge University Press.
2. Becker, G. S. (1964). Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education. University of Chicago Press.
3. Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., & Finegan, E. (1999). Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. Longman.
4. Crystal, D. (2003). English as a Global Language (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
5. Durkin, P. (2014). Borrowed Words: A History of Loanwords in English. Oxford University Press.
6. Halliday, M. A. K., & Martin, J. R. (1993). Writing Science: Literacy and Discursive Power. Falmer Press.
7. Keynes, J. M. (1936). The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money. Palgrave Macmillan.
8. Mankiw, N. G. (2019). Principles of Economics (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
9. Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., & Svartvik, J. (1985). A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. Longman.
10. Searle, J. R. (1969). Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge University Press.
11. Shiller, R. J. (2000). Irrational Exuberance. Princeton University Press.
