Linguistic image of the subject field as basis for cognitive linguistic approach to estimation of professional knowledge

The paper deals with methodological approaches to linguistic analysis of cognitive structure of professional knowledge as it is represented in students’ answers. The paper shows that in terms of ideographic representation of such structures it is rational to switch from 2D tree graph that represents the object language only (the Karaulov method) to the non-uniform network structure that include both the object language and metalanguage. The paper analyses the possibility of transforming the semantics of students’ answers into graph structures similar to hierarchically organized structure of reference graph. In terms of testing students’ theoretical knowledge such transformation provides the possibility of switching from standard testing systems to computer systems for recognition and estimation of free-form students’ answers.