TRANSMITTING INFORMATION WITHOUT AN INDIVIDUAL MATERIAL CARRIER
The present article deals with the semantic and functional characteristics of a zero sign, which represents a significant and apprehended absence of some symbol in the context, where it was or should be under the mandatory conditions for the existence of this environment. Its characteristics have not been properly described in scientific works, th erefore the study, based on the meth ods of semantic, distr ibutive a nd communicative analysis, survey and comparison of the features of different units, aimed at filling the gap in the interpretation of types of language units, seems to be a current matter of interest. The authors use the term zero sign to denote a unit that does not have an external form, performs special functions, and is actively represented in various cultural spheres. The article demonstrates the presence of a zero sign in the languages. Its registration is an indispensable condition for the correct interpretation of the context. The absence of anything can report as much information as its presence. A zero sign occupies a special place among the ways of transmitting information without material carriers. The study results ascertain that a zero sign plays an essential role in t he extremely complex process of information transmission. In conclusion the authors give a range of applications which are related to the subsequent detailing of the means and methods of information transmission and the prospects for their purposeful use.