The Evolution of Key Terms in Russian and German Personality Research Tradition

The evolving field of linguistic personality studies exhibits significant terminological variation, particularly between Russian and German academic discourse. This heterogeneity can impede clear communication, systematic development, and comparative research within the discipline. The article aims to explore the diachronic evolution of key terms in the conceptual framework of linguistic personality studies in these two academic traditions, identify fundamental terms, their variability, and emerging trends. The study determines the proportional distribution of the most frequently used terms, enabling a quantitative characterization of their relevance and demand in the academic community. A qualitative and quantitative content analysis was applied to the theoretical literature. This was followed by a statistical analysis to quantify and visualize results using graphs and diagrams. It is necessary for illustrating the formation, development, and transformation of the terminological corpus of personality-oriented linguistics. The qualitative content analysis identified key terms, while the quantitative approach measured their frequency of use. The analysis was conducted on 4900 academic publications (4505 Russian, 395 German), selected via controlled keyword searches. The significant difference in the number of research papers can be explained by the different proportions of publications in the field of Russian and German linguistic personality studies. The results highlight the heterogeneity of the terminological framework in linguistic personality studies, shaped by a diversity of research approaches, methodological paradigms, and researchers’ inclination toward terminological innovation. Notably, distinct thematic focuses and varying degrees of interest in specific areas (e.g., bilingualism, language identity dynamics) were observed between Russian and German scholarship, contributing to different semantic interpretations and usage of key concepts. The conducted comparative analysis provides a deeper understanding of the current state of linguistic personality theory and may serve as a foundation for further improvement of classification criteria in the terminological system of the discipline.