Metonymy as a linguistic representation of the industry knowledge concepts (on the example of English oil and gas term systems)

Industry terminology, which is actively replenished with lexical units as a result of oil and gas industry development, is considered in the article from the position of linguistic and cognitive activity, which proves the subordination of the term system to the universal laws of philosophy, psychology, and linguistics. The focus of attention is on highly specialized lexical units from the industry periodical dated 2019–2020, most of which have not yet been recorded in lexicographic sources, which confirms the study relevance. The phenomenon of metonymy is considered, in addition to the traditional approach, from the position of an idealized cognitive model (ICM). The expediency of combining linguistic and cognitive approaches to the study of metonymic transfer, semantic method of term formation is shown. Metonymy is defined as a cognitive phenomenon underlying everyday human thinking, as well as an important mechanism for conceptual system structuring. The purpose of this research is to study metonymic transfer, a semantic way of term formation that appeals to abstract thinking, as a linguistic means of organizing, processing and transmitting information, serving to cognize reality and represent the growing complexity of technical knowledge. Methodological tools for the study of metonymy are both general scientific and linguistic methods, as well as data from related sciences. In the course of the analysis within the structure of ICM «Refining» the prevailing technical knowledge concepts as well as basic models of metonymic transfer are defined as this knowledge area reflection by linguistic tools. Motivational signs of term formation by means of metonymic transfer are revealed. The results obtained are of interest in the perspective of further research of special vocabulary actual units in order to streamline the industry term system and harmonize the language for special purposes. It is concluded that the traditional and cognitive perspectives of the study of metonymy do not contradict, but complement each other for understanding metonymy as a way of knowing the surrounding reality and organizing knowledge about the world, as well as a means of verbalization of industrial technical knowledge.