LEXICAL ASPECTS IN ELITE GYMNASTICS

Abstract

The study offers an in-depth analysis of elite gymnastics. The terminology of this widely practiced sport was established by exploring the origin, structure, and dynamics of the lexicon, with particular attention to the interplay between the specialized code and the perspective of media/television communication. Both normative and the descriptive dimensions are considered, with emphasis on the role of loanwords and eponyms in consolidating a transnational vocabulary. Furthermore, the functions of sports commentators’ discourse are examined, illustrating how terminological precision combines with stylistic expressiveness, to shape a hybrid register that mediates between the technical and the sociocultural sphere.