ETYMOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH CYBERSECURITY TERMINOLOGY IN FILM DISCOURSE

Abstract

The given paper aims at conducting an etymological analysis of the English cybersecurity terminology as represented in contemporary film discourse, using the scripts of American psychological TV series Mr. Robot as a primary source. The relevance of the study is driven by the intensification of both national and global cyber threats, particularly under wartime conditions, which has led to the emergence and dissemination of specialized cybersecurity terminology. The research is grounded in a structural and etymological analysis of 197 cybersecurity terms collected through total sampling from the transcripts of 3 seasons of the above-mentioned series’. The Online Etymology Dictionary served as the primary tool for tracing word origins, word-building models and structural patterns of the English cubersecurity terms under investigation. The analysis reveals that 74% of the terms under study have primarily hybrid origins, combining lexical elements from English, Latin, Greek, Old Norse, Italian and Germanic languages. High-frequency terms include hack, hacker, network, and malware, each traced to its historical root and semantic evolution. Borrowing and compounding from ancient languages are shown to be distinctive features of the analyzed terminological system.The paper categorizes the English cybersecurity terms based on the number of components, etymological sources, and structural patterns. The findings emphasize the prevalence of hybrid lexical units in the English cinematic cybersecurity language, reflecting both precision and adaptability within fictional contexts as well as playing a vital role in its enhancing. The article argues for the inclusion of etymological methods in professional linguistic research and highlights their value in understanding the evolution and functionality of technical lexicons. A promising direction for future scientific investigations is identified in the comparative exploration of word-formation strategies of the English cybersecurity terms in the systems of both general English (glossary) and cinematic discourse (series).