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DOI: 10.15862/01FLSK226 (https://doi.org/10.15862/01FLSK226)

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Obukhova O.N., Baykova O.V. [Military vocabulary in the German-language Military documentary Discourse of the Great Patriotic War period: structural, semantic and pragmatic aspects] World of Science. Series: Sociology, Philology, Cultural Studies, 2026, Vol. 17, No. 2. Available at: https://sfk-mn.ru/PDF/01FLSK226.pdf (in Russian). DOI: 10.15862/01FLSK226

Military vocabulary in the German-language Military documentary Discourse of the Great Patriotic War period: structural, semantic and pragmatic aspects

Obukhova Olga Nikolaevna
Vyatka State University, Kirov, Russia
E-mail: Obuchova75@mail.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8658-6000
RSCI: https://elibrary.ru/author_profile.asp?id=130771

Baykova Olga Vladimirovna
Vyatka State University, Kirov, Russia
E-mail: olga-baykova@yandex.ru
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4859-8553
RSCI: https://elibrary.ru/author_profile.asp?id=267136
WoS: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/rid/A-7435-2016
SCOPUS: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.url?authorId=57148217500

Abstract. The article provides a systematic description of the structural-semantic and functional-pragmatic features of German military vocabulary within the historical and communicative context of the Great Patriotic War. The analysis of primary sources (German-language frontline operational documents) allows for reconstructing the formation mechanisms and specifics of the functional dynamics of the military terminology system. The empirical base consists of 327 lexical units selected from archival materials totaling 300 pages (combat logs, orders, reports). It was revealed that military vocabulary represents a dynamic stratified system combining the strict normativity of official discourse and the variability of informal communication. Structural and morphological analysis demonstrates the dominance of compounds (78,6 %), ensuring nominative precision and communicative economy. The study classifies types of word-formation models, including determinative and copulative compounds, as well as abbreviations. Semantic differentiation encompasses personnel, operational, technical, and communicative domains. The pragmatic aspect reveals the correlation between lexical choice and the tactical situation, chronotopic determination, and genre polarization. The article also examines the evolution of terminology under the influence of ideological factors of the National Socialist regime. The authors conclude that the vocabulary has a dual function: codification of institutional attitudes and explication of the subjective experience of service. The results confirm that German military vocabulary of the studied period functions as a strictly organized hierarchical system, functionally subordinate to the tasks of institutional communication, directive control, and objective recording of combat operations, reflecting deep societal transformations under conditions of total war and militarization.

Keywords: military vocabulary; German language; military-documentary discourse; structural and semantic analysis; pragmatics; terminology; frontline documents

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