Svitlana Nykyporets

The article analyses the cognitive and pragmatic functions of anthropomorphic metaphor in contemporary English-language discourse relating to project management and innovative information technologies. Particular attention is devoted to the conceptual mechanisms through which human characteristics, physiological states, cognitive processes and social relationships are projected onto abstract technological phenomena and corporate management practices. The study investigates the role of anthropomorphic metaphor in the formation of specialised terminology, the conceptualisation of complex digital processes and the facilitation of professional communication within multicultural corporate environments. Drawing upon the cognitive theory of metaphor, the research employs corpus-based analysis using Corpus Query Language (CQL) to identify, extract and classify metaphorical expressions occurring in technical documentation and professional project management communications. The analysis examines representative terminological units, including parent/child process, orphan file, zombie process, dead code, AI hallucinations, handshake, project health check and post-mortem, with particular emphasis on their underlying source domains and communicative implications. The findings reveal systematic patterns of metaphorical conceptualisation across two principal areas: innovative IT technologies and corporate project management. Technological processes are frequently represented through metaphors associated with human mortality, vitality and cognitive activity, whereas managerial practices draw extensively upon models of physical health, social interaction and interpersonal relationships. Three principal pragmatic functions of anthropomorphic metaphors are identified: cognitive-heuristic, communicativemanagerial and emotional-psychological. These functions contribute to the interpretation of complex technical phenomena, the establishment of shared professional terminology and the conceptual framing of organisational processes. The research further identifies the relevance of anthropomorphic terminology to intercultural professional communication, particularly in environments where English functions as a lingua franca. It is established that understanding the conceptual foundations of such expressions represents an important component of specialised linguistic competence among future engineers and IT professionals. The findings provide a theoretical and methodological basis for incorporating anthropomorphic terminology into English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instruction at technical universities, thereby supporting the development of professional communicative competence and intercultural adaptability in international technological and corporate contexts. Keywords: anthropomorphic metaphor, cognitive linguistics, IT discourse, project management, English for Specific Purposes.