On Сommercial Names Forming a Single Semantic Construction in Forensic Linguistic Examination

Abstract

The work discusses the problem of forensic linguistic examination of a trademark, as well as the search for ways to optimize this procedure. Unresolved issues arising during the examination of a trademark are discussed. It is shown that one of the most difficult cases of such expertise is the analysis of similarity to the extent of mixing one-word trademarks and compound ones. A complicating factor in the study of such naming units is the ability of a composite designation to form an integral structure (an integral combination). In practice, it is quite problematic to make a decision on the perception of a composite designation as a whole. That is why this article aims to find criteria on the basis of which an expert linguist could unambiguously identify a combination of words as a whole. For this purpose, the classification of a phrase according to the degree of connectivity of its components (division into syntactically free (articulate) and syntactically non-free (integral, non-articulate) combinations) is discussed and various approaches to understanding the integral composite designation are generalized. Special attention to phraseological units and synlexes as the main types of integral word combination is paid. The language markers of the word combination are discussed. In particular, it is shown that in order to formulate conclusions about the integrity of word combination, a positive answer to the question: "Does the meaning of the studied word combination look like a meaning of separate word?" is needed. Also negative answers to such questions as: "Do the words forming the studied combination retain an independent meaning?"; "Does each of the words bring meaningful information into understanding the general meaning of the combination?"; "Can the elements of the studied word combination be replaced by other elements?" are needed. Using the example of a specific linguistic expertise, the methodology for determining the linguistic markers of a whole word combination is demonstrated and thus specific ways of objectifying the results of linguistic expert examination of trademarks are proposed.