THE ROLE OF NEOLOGISMS IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE STUDIES: INNOVATION, TRANSLATION, AND CULTURAL IDENTITY

Neologisms—newly coined words or novel uses of existing terms—serve as vital intersections of linguistic creativity, cultural expression, and ideological meaning-making in literary texts. This study explores the role of neologisms in comparative literature, emphasizing their functions as markers of authorial innovation, tools for worldbuilding, and challenges in translation. Drawing on corpus-based research, cognitive translation theory, and case studies from modernist fiction to contemporary dystopian literature, this article demonstrates how neologisms operate as critical nodes where style, ideology, and cross-cultural reception converge. Integrated methodological approaches combining corpus analysis, conceptual blending frameworks, and reception studies are proposed to advance comparative literary scholarship. Attention to neologisms illuminates broader questions of literary creativity, cultural identity, and the dynamics of power in global literary circulation.