Metatext: Nature and Features.

Abstract

In the article the basic concepts text, metatext are considered, the nature and main features of metatext are defined. Such types of texts as reports, discussions, monographs, textbooks and papers present scientific knowledge, its semantics. Having achieved a certain degree of development, scientific knowledge finds new channels of communicative links in the shape of compressed texts, ones of which are monolingual terminological dictionaries. Metatext is a product of the interpretation of linguistic reality, objectifying certain areas of knowledge about language. A metatext function is implemented on the basis of metatext elements and metatext proper. Metatext elements establish relationships between elements of the main text, but do not supplement its content. Metatexts are qualified as texts arising about other texts (prototexts), as a result of reaction to them. Therefore, the definition in the monolingual terminological dictionary is a metatext, as it serves to define clearly and concisely the meaning of term which is the object of interpretation in the source text. Metatext is the only truly scientific approach to the object, the way of theoretical abstraction and scientific generalization.