POLYSEMY OF PHYSICAL AND TECHNICAL TERMS AND THEIR TRANSLATION SPECIFICS (BASED ON FRENCH LANGUAGE)

Abstract

The article examines the features of polysemy in French physical and technical terminology as an important aspect of the development of scientific language. Polysemy is treated as a systematic phenomenon arising from the semantic evolution of lexemes and reflecting the dynamics of the formation and functioning of terminological systems. The study analyzes approaches to interpreting terminological polysemy in linguistic research and outlines debated aspects of the relationship between monosemy and polysemy in scientific discourse. Based on French physical and technical terminology, the main sources of polysemy are identified, including the transfer of general-language vocabulary into specialized domains and metonymic shifts leading to categorical polysemy. It is established that the same term may represent different logical categories (phenomenon, process, quantity, property, action, or result of an action) while retaining a common semantic core. Such polysemy does not cause communicative ambiguity, as the meaning of a term is clearly actualized in the context of a specialized text. Special attention is given to translation issues, the semantic evolution of physical and technical terms, and their ability to extend beyond narrow terminological systems into related fields of knowledge and general vocabulary. Polysemy is identified as an inherent feature of French physical and technical terminology, reflecting processes of secondary nomination, interdisciplinary interaction, and the overall development of the language system. The study also highlights the role of context as a decisive factor in interpreting polysemous terms. A systematic approach to analyzing polysemy contributes to a deeper understanding of knowledge conceptualization, and the findings can be applied in lexicology, terminology studies, translation studies, and the practice of translating scientific and technical texts. This confirms the importance of a comprehensive analysis of polysemy for the development of theory and practice in modern terminology.