NOMEN-BASED TERMS FOR AIRCRAFT IN ENGLISH AND GERMAN: CLASSIFICATION, NAMING FEATURES, AND CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS

Abstract

The article aims to describe the peculiarities of nomination and to systematize the names of aircraft in the Anglophone and German-language traditions. The relevance of this study lies in the need for a careful contrastive analysis of nomen-based terms across languages. The paper classifies nomen-based terms in the aircraft names of Great Britain, the United States, and Germany according to onomastic models. The theoretical framework draws on approaches to term formation, nomenclature, and eponymy presented in the works of I. Asmukovych, N. Nikulina, O. Pavlova, M. Dziuba, O. P. Kovalchuk, O. Romanova, L. Khalinovska, L.  Turovska, R. Arntz, G. Budi, H. Felber, K. Kageura, and R. Temmerman. The research material is a representative corpus of 620 English- and German-language aircraft names selected by exhaustive sampling from manufacturers’ catalogues, encyclopaedic handbooks, and industry reviews, covering the period from the dawn of aviation to 2025. The following models are described: eponymic nomens (proper anthroponyms formed from personal names/surnames) and corporate eponymic nomens, as well as figurative nomens, subdivided into: mythonyms (containing names of mythic heroes), zoonyms and phytonyms (including lexemes denoting animals and plants), toponyms (geographic names), nomens with components denoting natural phenomena, and cosmonyms (including names of planets and celestial phenomena); in addition, alphanumeric nomens (letter-number codes) and hybrid nomens (lexemes combined with alphanumeric markers). The comparative analysis reveals culturally specific features of nomination. The British tradition demonstrates the preference for eponymic and figurative lexical nominations in the early period of aviation, with a gradual shift toward hybrid nominations; the American system exhibits the highest share of code-based and hybrid designations. In German onomastics, alphanumeric nominations predominate. The study also considers nomination patterns diachronically, taking historical and industrial factors into account.