Abstract
<jats:p>The study aims to identify the semantico-cognitive features of definitions in US corporate law terminology (using the “Corporation” node frame as an example) by constructing a cognitive-frame model of the US corporate law terminology system through a comprehensive semantico-cognitive analysis of dictionary definitions for key terms verbalizing this frame. The paper examines various viewpoints on the definition of “frame” in cognitive linguistics and terminology studies, identifying their shared key characteristics. The scientific novelty lies in the first-ever description of the “Corporation” node frame, which forms the core of the cognitive-frame model of the US corporate law terminology system. Using content analysis, component analysis, and semantico-cognitive analysis, the study investigates the interaction between the semantic components of the definition of the term “corporation” and the knowledge structures of the “Corporation” frame. As a result, a semantic-frame model of the definitions of the term “corporation” was developed and described as a scheme with “empty windows” (slots) that require filling with answers to questions serving as impulses to actualize fragments of knowledge about a corporation in human memory. It is proven that the frame under study possesses a stable hierarchical structure, where the invariant part is formed by the generic features of a corporation fixed in definitions, while the variant part consists of specific features intended to fill the frame slots with individual data that “adapt” the frame to specific conditions. It is established that the perspectivization of particular segments of the “Corporation” frame as cognitive contexts allows for overcoming uncertainty in situations of intra-industry polysemy.</jats:p>