Functioning of Architectural Terms in Fiction (based on the novel <i>The Fountainhead</i> by A. Rand)

Abstract

The article deals with the functioning of architectural terms in non-professional discourse (based on A. Rand's novel 'The Fountainhead'). The topicality of the research is determined by the growing interest in terminology in general and in art terminology in particular. This interest reflects the increased role of science in modern society. The study of the functioning of architectural terms is the least explored field. Special attention is paid by the authors to non-professional discourse within the framework of which architectural terms perform important functions which, however, have not been studied in detail. The functioning of terms in a work of fiction is a complex process which does not only add the professional touch to the plot of the novel, but which also supplements it with different connotations. The methods of the research include the following: contextual analysis of the functions of architectural terms in the novel, terminological selection, componential analysis based on the analysis of definitions. The functioning of terms in the text of a work of art has demonstrated that, on the one hand, terms share certain functions with words of the general language, and on the other, their main role – the nominative function – turns into the function of figurative thinking and figurative expression, which are the integral functions of fiction. The research has shown that architectural terms in 'The Fountainhead' are characterized by the following parameters: the expansion of the initial meaning of the term, inclusion of the author's meanings in the semantics of the term, the creation of the effect of professional presence, the reflection of the inner world of the characters and the creation of their psychological portraits.