On the issue of paradigmatic interdependence of contact and areal linguistics

The article presents the theoretical foundations of the paradigmatic interdependence of contact and areal linguistics. The experience of scientific understanding of the spatial approach to the study of various aspects of language contact allows us to identify a tendency towards universalization of the conceptual apparatus of contact linguistics, as well as the correlation of the latter with the areal interpretation of the dialect landscape. It is emphasized that in the hierarchy of disciplines involved in the analysis of the processes and results of linguistic interaction, contact linguistics occupies a higher position. In this regard, the feasibility of integrating individual terms of this subject area into the categorical plane of areal linguistics is substantiated: the multifunctionality of the basic unit of contact linguistics – contacteme – makes it possible, firstly, to more objectively and accurately qualify complex areal phenomena (for example, when the stimulus for the emergence of innovation emanating from the source language is not equivalent to the result in the destination language), secondly, do not narrow the problem of language contacts to the issue of borrowings and bilingualism. Special attention is paid to the peculiarities of the terminological system of the described scientific fields. A number of issues are considered regarding the definition of the linguistic essence of the key concepts “contact zone”, “borrowing”, “infiltration”, etc. It is established that the term “contact zone” has conceptual significance not only for arealological studies, in a broader context it is included in the system concepts of contactology.