Sport, rekreacija i fitnes –analiza odabranih kinezioloških naziva

Language changes constantly, and the most frequent changes occur in the lexicon – the origination of new extralinguistic phenomena results in a generation of new words. The aim of this study was to analyse the selected terms in kinesiology, the science that studies the patterns of controlling the process of physical exercise and the results that this process has on the human organism – sport, recreation, recreational sport and fitness. The selected examples were analysed in Croatian, English, German and Italian. An attempt was made to show how sport, from fun in general language, became a structured, goal-oriented, contest-based, ludic physical activity in technical language, that recreation is amusement, but also a recovery through programmed sport activity within the concept of recreational sport, and that fitness can be regarded as the striving for optimal physical quality of life. The analysis showed how the denotations of selected concepts vary, and that technical terms should be considered within a context in order to select the description that will ensure their understanding. Movement is a metaphor of life – their interrelationship may be observed through the described concepts and the names assigned to these concepts – starting from the legends about the genesis of the world to today's concept of contemporary life style that is aimed at its designation in terms of quality and creativity.