Onomastic Terminology: between Systemic Rigour and Unrestrained Proliferation

Abstract

This article examines contemporary onomastic terminology, focusing on the coexistence of systematic coherence and increasing terminological proliferation. It analyses the linguistic strategies underlying the formation of traditional and emerging (meta)onomastic terms, distinguishing between monorhematic neologisms and descriptive syntagmatic formations. Particular attention is paid to the circulation of terms across onomastics, other linguistic subdisciplines and applied domains through the mechanism of interdisciplinary transfer. Drawing on selected examples from recent terminological practice, including proposals documented in contemporary onomastic dictionaries and scholarly publications, the study critically examines the proliferation of neological terms, many of which are characterised by formal inconsistency, weak pragmatic motivation and limited communicative transparency. It is argued that excessive and insufficiently justified neologisation, including the fragmentation of terminology applied to highly individualised categories of named objects, may result in conceptual ambiguity, terminological inflation and reduced methodological reliability. By contrast, descriptive and structurally transparent terms are shown to provide greater clarity, interpretability and functional adequacy. The article therefore seeks to delineate the boundaries of terminological creativity in onomastics, emphasising the importance of conceptual discipline, cross-linguistic consistency and alignment with internationally recognised standards of scientific terminology.