Culture, cognition, and terminology: towards the formation of a unified methodological approach to the study of terminological systems

The subject of the study is the formation of a unified methodological approach to the analysis of terminological systems in contemporary linguistics. The object of research is the term as a multidimensional unit of language, thought, and knowledge. The author views the term not as an isolated nominative unit but as a result of conceptualization and categorization processes, embedded in language and related to the professional and cultural worldview. Special attention is given to the interaction of cognitive terminology, Russian cognitive semantics, and linguoculturology. The article analyzes various approaches to understanding the term, identifies their limitations and potential for integration. The author examines the terminological system as a dynamic organization of knowledge that functions in discourse and is conditioned by cultural models of perception and interpretation, as well as its role in scientific and professional communication. The methodological foundation of the research includes conceptual analysis, comparative-interpretative methods, and modeling. A theoretical-synthetic approach is used, allowing for the integration of cognitive and linguocultural aspects of the study of terminological systems. The main conclusions of the conducted research are the statements about the need for the integration of cognitive and linguocultural approaches in terminology. The novelty of the research lies in the development of a unified methodological model for analyzing terminological systems, which includes conceptual-categorical, discursive-functional, and linguocultural levels. A special contribution of the author is the justification of understanding the term as a dynamic cognitive-communicative unit that reflects not only the structure of knowledge but also culturally conditioned ways of its organization. It is shown that the terminological system represents not a collection of nominations but a complex network of knowledge enshrined in language and functioning in professional discourse. The proposed approach expands the possibilities of terminological analysis, facilitates a more precise description of the semantics of the term, and has practical significance for terminography, translation, and intercultural professional communication.