Representation of the Quantitative Aspect of Abstract Objects in the German Engineering Discourse (in the Compound Nouns)

Abstract

The article describes the linguistic means of expressing the quantitative side of abstract objects in the German engineering discourse. Using the semantic-cognitive analysis the work explores the cognitive, nominative and communicative potential of complex nouns, which reflect the integrated knowledge of the abstract object of the engineering field and the way of comprehending its quantitative characteristics. The cognitive potential of such constructions lies in the possibility of segmenting reality and in the realization of syntheses of an abstract object and its attribute. The study showed the widespread use of the words with parametric sense: capacity / volume, the large number, degree; their use as a part of compound nouns indicates the person's awareness of abstracts as the essence that can be measured. The nominative value is characterized by the productivity of the described word-building model. The communicative significance consists in the possibility of operating with such noun constructions in real communication and in their specification through other verbal refinements.