PROTOTYPE MODEL OF NOMINATIVE SPACE OF MICROSPHERE OF TERRORISM CONCEPT

The investigation is an attempt to model the conceptual structure of the TERRORISM concept in terms of frame semantics. Using semantic analysis of the lexeme ‘terrorism' and other items of naming space ‘terrorism', range of items has been established, that fill the frame slots at different levels of generalization. Detailed structure of the concept allowed to reveal the conceptual foundations of substantive lexical-semantic field of terrorism, to reveal the units' combinations for its designation and their interconnections within the lexical-semantic system of English. The paper analyzes cognitive, semantic, onomasiological, structural and stylistic peculiarities of lexical means verbalizing the microsphere of TERRORISM in modern Anglo-American political discourse. The study determines the principles of lexical-semantic organization (generic-specific relations, core-periphery distinction and thematic stratification) of the nominative space denoting the concept TERRORISM and highlights the cognitive basis of the microsphere of TERRORISM verbal representation. It also works out the qualitative-referential pattern of the concept. Fragments of this pattern find their reflection in the semantics of present-day English designation units. Hyper-hyponymic relations as a type of synonymy are identified between the constituents of the space. The highlighting of the main dominant units of the concept ‘terrorism' – violence, war and lawlessness – suggests the complex nature of the micro conceptual sphere TERRORISM, structured by the concepts TERRORISM, VIOLENCE, WAR, LAWLESSNESS. The paper also carried out a thematic parceling of terrorism nominative space, which is based on the selected synonymic rows. Among the reconstructed parcels the following are identified: PHENOMENON OF TERRORISM, AGENTS, PATIENT, TERRORIST ACTIVITIES, RESPONSE (COUNTERTERRORISM).