Military terms are a fairly large group of words in a language. The main purpose of this vocabulary is to designate objects, phenomena and concepts related to conquests and defense - central topics in the history and politics of all times and peoples.
Purpose of military terminology
Military terms and definitions are part of an open dynamic language system that is subject to certain changes and lives in accordance with special laws of development.
Since ancient times, when military affairs advanced, took shape in a separate system, the thesaurus of special naming terms that are used by military experts in situations of war and in the daily life of the army began to expand: local war, ideology and propaganda, weapons, and combat training. With the complication of military equipment and the development of tactical and strategic capabilities, new naming began to appear and gain a foothold in the language: landing, military aviation, nuclear forces. Tactically obsolete objects are gradually moving into the category of historicisms: ballista, gazyry, Table of ranks, cavalry, Red Army man . There is an integral indivisible “core” of universal terms that have survived centuries: soldiers, captain, navy, medal, victory.
In its main purpose, military terminology serves the interests of society and the state, since it is associated with fluid processes in political life (both external and internal).
Classification of military terms and definitions
In the modern world, military terms and concepts, as well as the objects that they designate, are in a state of dynamic development in the conditions of continuous scientific and technological progress. Nevertheless, within that specific area to which it is assigned, the term remains a stable unit that does not change its meaning.
Among military terminology, it is customary to distinguish the following groups:
- military-political terms (strategic, tactical);
- military-diplomatic terms (organizational);
- military-technical terms (refer to different types of armed forces and combat arms).
The development of terminology in Russian
The sources of military terminology in the ancient Russian language can be traced on the example of the text "Words on Igor's Regiment" (presumably 1187). Since the “Word” is dedicated to a military campaign, the military terms of its time are richly represented here: regiment, scolding, squad, army, helm, shield, spear, bow, arrow, etc.
Further, in the 17th century, as the language developed, borrowings from Latinism and Germanism began to penetrate into it. So, in the translation of the German book "The Military Art of Infantry" (published in 1647) there are many German military terms that still exist: a musketeer, soldier, ensign, captain, etc.
During the military interaction and successful conquests in the XI-XVII centuries. the military lexicon was enriched with words from the Turkic languages: quiver, beshmet, guard, etc.
In Peter's time, the Russian language was enriched in military and naval terminology thanks to the active reformist activities of the first Russian emperor. Thanks to the development of shipbuilding and the borrowing of advanced technologies from the Dutch and English languages, marine terms have penetrated, and are now relevant in the military: raid, navy, pennant, fairway, boat, flight (Dutch), boat, brig, midshipman (English).
France and Germany, whose armies were in the period of the XVIII — XIX centuries. the most organized and highly trained, they brought into our speech such military terms as the army, battalion, garrison, carriage, attack, landing, captain, march, mine, cavalry, courier, sapper, squadron (French), corporal, assault, guardhouse, bandolier, camp (German), etc. Language contacts contributed to the fact that the Italian language “came” carbonarium, cavalier, barricade, bastion, arsenal, etc.
In modern Russian, most borrowings are brought in by the English language and its American version. These are mainly military professions and military equipment, the terms and definitions of which have analogues in the Russian language: helicopter - helicopter, sniper - shooter, submarine - submarine, aviator - pilot, etc.
Lexicography of military terms
Putting together a meaningful “military” arsenal of language by compiling a dictionary of military terms is not an easy task. On the one hand, this opens up the scope of the historical memory of the language, on the other hand, the concrete urgent need for codification and systematization, including the legal side of the military life of society.
In 2011, a team of authors under the general editorship of D. O. Rogozin prepared a large scientific work - a unique dictionary-reference book “War and Peace in Terms and Definitions”. This dictionary of military terms is dedicated to all the groups of specific terminology we have previously named. It embodied articles dedicated to special naming in various sections - the theme of war and peace, military affairs, military history, contemporary topical issues of national and international security. For example, in the Dictionary martial law is interpreted - a term that is heard even in peaceful areas:
- martial law - the strategic deployment of the armed forces in accordance with the requirements of the war (i.e., bringing them to the highest levels of combat readiness).
The terminological system of the Dictionary reveals the problems of military science and the theory of war, the history and classification of the Armed forces and weapons, as well as economics, geography, pedagogy, history and law related to this field.
Military terms in a living language system
As you know, life does not stand still. In the modern world, military terms, like the objects that they designate, are in a state of dynamic development in the conditions of continuous scientific and technological progress. Of particular difficulty is the systematization of such a huge corpus of lexemes: according to L.F. Parparov, the number of supplies in the modern armed forces reaches about 3 million items.
In addition, it was noted that the activation of the "reproduction" of specific terms and definitions occurs during militaristic "outbursts", namely during periods of armed clashes, revolutionary coups, ethnic and religious conflicts: terrorism, separatism, "Bandera", martyrs, " suicide belt " etc.
Military terminology in speech
The scope of the use of military terms is not limited to headquarters and the barracks, the front lines and the rear - on the pages of popular newspapers and magazines, in television broadcasts, political events, the situation in the domestic army, military conflicts are covered, and, of course, the author-military journalist cannot do without special vocabulary .
Linguist S.G. Ter-Minasova noted that in the dictionary of the Russian literary language for the designation of physical violence there is a "stock" of 98 options, and for expressing kindness and humility - only 11 words and phrases. Surprisingly, even in the everyday use of the language, a considerable arsenal of “spears and arrows” is hidden.
The role of metaphor in military terminology
Considering the history of mankind as a continuous “history of wars”, it can be noted that military vocabulary penetrated many areas of life (politics, diplomacy, journalism, private conversations and everyday communication), entangling them with a network of metaphors: the struggle for cleanliness, the war with a pen; face masks are jokingly called “heavy artillery” in the women's arsenal of skin care products, etc.
Metaphorical expressions are also present in the speech of the military themselves, and sometimes some new weapons are called with a “poetic accent,” for example: self-propelled mortar 2C4 Tulip, self-propelled artillery 2C1 Gvozdika, towed gun 2A36 Hyacinth-B, heavy flamethrower TOS-1 system “Pinocchio”, intercontinental strategic complex “Topol-M”, etc.
The transfer of meaning in military terminology is often based on an associative impression or human experience. Therefore, to express a concept, words that express an ordinary name or concept are attracted: a mine-trap; "Caterpillars" of the tank; "Scythe of death" (machine gun during the First World War); tank, lohan (a tank during the First World War), Tsar Tank, "Rook" (Su-25 aircraft).
The problem of translating military terms
When translating foreign texts containing military terms and definitions, difficulties often arise due to language inconsistencies caused by:
- the lack of an analogy between the concept and reality (Army is the Ground Forces, not the Army);
- inconsistency or incomplete coincidence of terms (Military Academy is a military school, not a military academy);
- differences in the rank systems of the armed forces of different countries;
- differences in the structure of organizational and staff structures (troop in the British Army - platoon, and in the US Army - reconnaissance company);
- a brief “period of life” of individual terms (for example, the dictionaries of the terms of the First and Second World Wars differ significantly, although less than 30 years have passed between them);
- a significant number of abbreviations and acronyms that are difficult to decipher;
- an abundance of slang expressions (My feet are dry - flying over land; No joy - no target found).