AUTHORIAL NEOLOGISMS AND OCCASIONALISMS OF MILITARY VOCABULARY IN WARHAMMER 40,000 TEXTS

Abstract

This article examines lexical innovation in the military discourse of Warhammer 40,000 fiction published by Black Library, focusing on the structural, semantic and stylistic characteristics of neologisms and occasionalisms. The study analyzes how military science fiction constructs specialized terminology for futuristic warfare, institutions and technologies through processes of compounding, derivation, pseudo–Latin formation and semantic reinterpretation. Particular attention is paid to the distinction between stable terminological neologisms and context–dependent occasionalisms functioning as expressive stylistic devices. The research is based on continuous sampling from the novels Horus Rising and False Gods, with lexical units classified according to semantic domain, word–formation mechanism and degree of systemic stability. The analysis demonstrates that Warhammer terminology performs multiple functions simultaneously: it contributes to world–building, reinforces ideological structures, simulates bureaucratic and military realism, and intensifies narrative expressiveness. The article further argues that lexical innovation in military fantasy discourse represents not only a nominative process but also a mechanism of stylistic foregrounding and conceptual construction. The findings show that Warhammer 40,000 develops a hybrid lexical system in which terminological precision coexists with metaphorical and ideological symbolism, creating a distinctive military–fantasy linguistic environment.