Lexical Quantors: From Term to Discursive Practice Elina Kushch Theory and Practice of Translation Department, Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Vasyl Bialyk Department of Communicative Linguistics and Translation, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Chernivtsi, Ukraine Olena Zhykharieva O. M. Morokhovsky Department of English Philology, Translation and Philosophy of Language, Kyiv National Linguistic University, Kyiv, Ukraine Viktoriia Stavtseva Department of the English Language and Translation, Kyiv National Linguistic University, Kyiv, Ukraine Svitlana Taran Department of Communicative Linguistics and Translation, Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Chernivtsi, Ukraine Abstract—The paper looks into the emergence of terms and neologisms related to COVID-19 outbreak, which are treated as lexical quantors (LQs). A LQ, as a linguistic nominative unit, reflects the amount of language knowledge (LK) represented in a certain segment of language worldview (LWV). It is represented by a word or a phrase, which constitutes some quantum of information to designate a certain segment of LWV. It has a systemic character and is reflected in the semantics of a linguistic unit. This research is aimed at exploring COVID-19 lexical quantors both in terminological and general vocabulary aspects and it defines the major language concepts for special purposes (LSP). It is characterized by the word formation means expressing all types of LK with the prevalence of a denotative special meaning. General COVID-19 lexical units employ all word formation means to render both denotative and connotative components of LQs meanings revealing also social, cultural, and axiological aspects of LK. The boundary between COVID-19 terminology and general lexical units is quite blurred when the transition from one layer of vocabulary to another is observed. Word formation is viewed as the process of constructing LQs in terms of aggregated, condensed and modified knowledge means. In conclusion, the informative potential realization of LQ is manifested in various discursive practices, namely: media, politics, and public service announcements (PSA) that embrace both linguistic and socio-cultural characteristics of communication. Index Terms—Covid-19; discursive practice, lexical quantor, term, word formation I. INTRODUCTION The comprehension of human cognitive abilities in language organizing, processing, and conveying has always been one of the major goals of cognitive linguistics (Fauconnier, Turner, 1998, 2002; Langacker, 1987, 1991a, 1991b, 2000; Shepard, 1988; Ungerer, Schmidt, 1996). Cognitive linguistics is closely linked to the concept of knowledge representation in consciousness structures that reflect the surrounding world in human mind by virtue of language means. It is largely based on the theory of nomination according to which the process of nomination establishes the connection of linguistic elements with the facts of reality and includes the conceptual class of nomination into a certain system of linguistic signs (Onysko, Michel, 2010). A wide range research dwells upon different problems of cognitive word formation trying to integrate it into concepts like cognitive grammar, form-meaning iconicity and conceptual blending (Arndt-Lappe et al., 2018; Plag, 2002; Marshak et al., 2000; Onysko, Michel, 2010). Despite considerable advances in various language areas study in cognitive aspect, the problems of knowledge representation in the processes of word formation in relation to comprehension of language nature, understanding the ways of its evolution and acquisition, the dynamic processes in the language development and its use in communication in a creative way have not been sufficiently elucidated. The objective of the article is to give a brief outline of word formation means of new lexical units emerged under COVID- 19 pandemic. The research focuses on the epistemological aspect of a nominative unit which is viewed as a LQ containing some quantum of LK. The nominative units represented by LQs are classified into LQ-nominatives, LQ-adjectives, LQ- verbatives, and LQ-adverbatives reflecting aggregated, condensed and modified knowledge. ISSN 1799-2591 Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 75-85, January 2022 DOI: https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1201.09 © 2022 ACADEMY PUBLICATION