Structural Schemes Of English Chess Terminology

Abstract

The article is devoted to the construction of a structural scheme of chess game terms in the English language and is aimed at identifying existing and productive ways and models of their formation. As you know, terminological modeling allows you to predict the development of terminological systems as a whole. The authors define a chess term as a word or phrase of the chess language, created and used to unambiguously express a concept, as well as to designate objects or phenomena related to the chess game; its main feature is a strict correlation with a certain chess concept, action or phenomenon. The article notes that the term system of the chess game is characterized by dynamism and therefore requires a deep linguistic analysis in various aspects, including structural ones. Thus, the main content of the study is the analysis of the formation of chess terms by the number of their components. The authors come to the conclusion that in English, in addition to one-word units, chess terminology has terminological phrases of varying degrees of complexity and connectedness. On the basis of the structural analysis, it has been established that, according to structural models, chess terminological units are divided into one-component, multicomponent, terminological phrases and phrasal combinations, where multicomponent units constitute a quantitative advantage.

Keywords: Chess terms, structural model, structural types of chess terms, word-formation model

Introduction

Chess as a highly intellectual sports game has not lost its relevance for many centuries and even millennia. Nevertheless, the interest in it only increases every year. If we consider the chess game from a linguistic point of view, then the terminological aspect attracts the special attention of scientists, including the system-structural, lexical-semantic, logical-conceptual and other methods of analysis.

In research on terminology, we find different definitions of the term, and all are characterized by one thing – the connection with the concept. Akhmanova (1966) calls the term "a word or phrase of a special language created (accepted, borrowed, etc.) for the exact expression of special concepts and the designation of special objects" (p. 472). Accordingly, a chess term is a word or phrase of the chess language that is created and used to unambiguously express concepts, as well as to designate objects or phenomena related to the game of chess.

Definition of Basic Concepts

The terminological combination "chess game" is understood as the process of a logical intellectual board game of two opponents with special pieces on a square board. By all accounts, the game of chess has elements of art, science, and sport.

To single out structural properties of chess terms, it is necessary to conduct a structural analysis (Lantyukhova et al., 2013, pp. 42-45), which is based on a system analysis that allows the researcher to logically understand the system or its subsystem in action. In this case, there is a structural subsystem of the above-mentioned terms, identifying individual elements from the terms and their word-forming models.

Scheming or modeling of a terminological system is considered as its formation by considering its structure-components of terminological units and word-formation models (Povetkina, 2012, pp. 132-136).

The formation of terms, like the formation of words, is a process of secondary nomination, which is expressed in units derived in meaning or morphological composition. The terminological nomination is the result of reflecting the practical and professional experience of people in their minds; in other words, it is the process of turning the facts of non-linguistic reality into linguistic meanings (Alimuradov & Gorbunova, 2014; Karpukhina, 2009; Zhuravleva, 1998).

Novelty of Research

The novelty of the research consists in the construction of a structural scheme of chess terms in the English language.

An important factor in the study of the structural aspect of the terminology of the chess game is that chess, like football, hockey, rugby, tennis, cricket, etc., refers to sports games. In other words, the terms that we are researching are not limited exclusively to the chess field (chessplayer champion, chess code, over-the-board chess, bughouse, etc.), but apply to all sports and sports games (out-match, aborted match, impressive victory, increase the lead, in-form player, etc.)

Theoretical and Practical Significance

The theoretical significance of the work is to describe, expand and supplement the available information about the structure of chess terms and terminological phrases, as well as about the ways of their word formation, which makes a certain contribution to the terminology of the English language. This research is based on the works of [Alimuradov & Gorbunova 2014; Gorbunova 2014; Grinev-Grinevich 2008; Razuvaev 2013], and other terminologists.

The practical significance lies in the systematization and interpretation of terms that function in chess communication, as well as in the construction of a structural typology of chess terminological units as part of a professional dictionary. The results of the research can be used in training courses on terminology, terminography, translation, etc.

Problem Statement

There are the following problems of our research:

  • To consider the features of the structure of the English chess terminology.
  • To represent the structural scheme of chess terminology items.

Research Questions

Research questions consist in:

  • singling out structural specifics of chess terminological units of the English language;
  • classifying the terms of the chess game by the number of components.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the research is to identify the structural features, thereby presenting structural schemes of English chess terminology. To achieve this goal, a number of tasks must be solved.

Research Methods

The research methods are modeling, as well as definitional, structural and contextual analysis.

The theoretical basis of the research contains the works of domestic and foreign linguists in the field of:

  • terminology (structural and semantic characteristics of the terminological units);
  • modeling of the language system and creating a structural scheme of terminology in various fields;
  • chess terminology.

The material of the study was the English terms of the chess game, selected by means of a continuous selection from textual and lexicographic sources.

Structural specifics of chess terminological units of the English language

The terms of the chess game are divided into simple (one-component) and complex (multi-component) units. The significant predominance of complex units over simple units is a distinctive characteristic of the term system under consideration.

The first group of simple one-component terminological units includes non-derived (i.e., root) ones (match, final, check, win, draw, coach, tiger, rank, etc.) and derivatives that are one-word (trapper, tailender, bungler, opposition, diagonally, forcing, exchange, etc.). In other words, simple terminological units include one-component derived terms, which are formed by affixation, more precisely prefixing (misplay, rematch, outpost, exchange, etc. ) and suffixing (blocker, forcing, dragoneer, (color) weakness, winner, drawer, etc.), reinterpretation of general literary words (sacrifice, risk, advantage, opening, fortress, pushover, etc.), as well as borrowing from other terminology areas (matador, trapper, attack, phalanx, etc.).

Complex terminological units are two-and more component terms, the main property of which is the whole form and which are formed by the way of word composition by means of 1) reinterpretations of a complex common word: (windmill, copycatting, time-trouble, half-move, etc.), and with the help of 2) complex words borrowed from other terminological areas: (out-post, counter-punching, counter-attacking, etc.).

In this typology, according to Tkacheva (1987, p. 40), it is also necessary to include initial abbreviations (FIDE ‒ Fédération Internationale des Échecs, CO – Chief Organizer, GP – Grand-Prix, GMA – Grandmasters Association, HGM – Honorary Grandmaster, etc.), short initial abbreviations in the written designation of chess moves (K ‒ king , Q ‒ queen , R ‒ rook , kN ‒ knight, B ‒ bishop , p ‒ pawn).

Complex terminological units also include terminological phrases that include two or more components and are characterized by the property of semantic integrity (chess problem, high-caliber chessplayer, chess aesthetics, minor piece, major piece, chess board, time pressure, bottom players, etc.).

Phrasal combinations are complex units that are characterized by the use of conjunctions or prepositions (Tkacheva, 1986) (rear of a pack, burst of tactics, strategic rules of the game of chess, play at give-away, windmill attack in Torre's style, etc.).

Among the multicomponent terms of the field of chess, there are also mixed terminological units, for example, combinations of abbreviations, or abbreviations and words, as well as acronyms and words: (ICCF grandmaster, member FIDE, under FIDE auspices, FIDE Laws of Chess, FIDE World Chess Champion, GM nemesis, IBCA Olympiads, A00-E99 opening structure, etc.).

The study material also reveals chain formations, for example, in the endgame position of chess, there are several of them (king-and-bishop-plus-knight-versus-king basic mate, king-and-rook-versus-king basic mate, king-and-two bishops-versus-king basic mate, etc.).

Therefore, English chess terms are divided into simple and complex. Simple terminological units include derived and non-derived terms. Complex terminological units are two-and more component terms, including abbreviations, terminological phrase and phrasal combinations that are significantly superior to simple terminological units.

Systematization of the Chess Terms by the Number of Components

The next stage of the structural analysis is to identify the types of chess terms by the number of components in their composition. In the analyzed terminology of chess, in addition to simple, or one-component whole-formed units, there are a large number of complex-component terminological units, namely:

  • two-component (universal player, chess ability, acute tactician, advanced player, uninitiated player, hanging pawns, waiting move, move number, etc.);
  • three-component (very short brevity, queen triangular manoeuvre, multiple tournament winner, occupy first place, British Chess Magazine, incorrectly placed board, official tournament records, etc.);
  • four-component (long retirement from chess, match with fixed openings, nail down first place, sacrifice many moves deep, move of doubtful value, etc.);
  • five-component (International Grandmaster for Chess Compositions, occupy second place for now, bishop, knight, and rook mate, Permanent Commission for Chess Compositions, etc.);
  • six-component (middlegame with bishops of opposite color, transition stage between middlegame and endgame, etc.);
  • seven-component (demote from the playing team’s line up, doomed to failure from the very start, etc.);
  • eight-component (convincing challenge for the title of World Champion);
  • ten-component (rules for Play with Blind Players and Visually Handicapped Players), etc.

Thus, according to the number of components, chess terms include a large percentage of complex units: from two-component to ten-component and the two-component ones are numerous.

Findings

"Chess game" is the process of a board logical intellectual game of two opponents on a square board. Terminological nomination is the process of turning the facts of non-linguistic reality into linguistic meanings. The use of structural analysis allowed us to create a structural scheme of chess terminology, highlighting individual elements from the composition of terms.

Structural Schemes

In multicomponent chess terms of terminological and phrasal combinations of the English language, the system relations and hierarchy between their components are clearly traced, which indicates the transfer of a larger amount of information compared to single-component terminological units. The presence of more complex multicomponent terms in chess terminology is confirmed by numerous examples from two-component to ten-component terminological units.

Structural Schemes of Chess Terminology

The structural schemes of chess terms are divided into single-component and multicomponent, including complex words, as well as terminological phrases and phrasal combinations, with multicomponent terms making up the majority of the available units (Table 1).

Table 1 - Structural Schemes of Chess terms 1
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By means of the syntactic method of term formation, two-, three-, four- and more component models are distinguished.

As we see below there are a large number of complex-component terminological units (table 2).

Table 2 - Structural Schemes of Chess term
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Figure 1: One-component Chess Terms (source: buzzle.com)
One-component Chess Terms (source: buzzle.com)
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The absolute majority of English-language chess terms (figure 1) are formed syntactically

Conclusion

A thorough study of the terminology of certain areas of knowledge, including chess terms, seems significant and important for the development of not only theoretical and practical terminology studies, but also linguistic science in general. As you know, the formation of new terminological units in any area is an active permanent process that requires a qualitative structural analysis.

We see the prospect of this research in a deeper and more comprehensive linguistic analysis of English chess terms, including logical-conceptual, lexical-semantic and some other models of chess terms in English.

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Publication Date

02 December 2021

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118

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Linguistics, cognitive linguistics, education technology, linguistic conceptology, translation

Cite this article as:

Zhuravleva, I., & Vlavatskaya, M. (2021). Structural Schemes Of English Chess Terminology. In O. Kolmakova, O. Boginskaya, & S. Grichin (Eds.), Language and Technology in the Interdisciplinary Paradigm, vol 118. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 70-76). European Publisher. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2021.12.10