ОСОБЛИВОСТІ АНГЛІЙСЬКОГО МЕДИЧНОГО СЛЕНГУ ТА ОЗНАЙОМЛЕННЯ З НИМ СТУДЕНТІВ ВИЩИХ МЕДИЧНИХ НАВЧАЛЬНИХ ЗАКЛАДІВ ЯК ЗАСІБ МОТИВУВАННЯ ДО ВИВЧЕННЯ ІНОЗЕМНОЇ МОВИ

Abstract

The article presents characteristic properties of slang words and expressions used in nonofficial communication of health professionals in English-speaking countries recently. It defines structural and semantic peculiarities of English medical slang and subjects it concerns. Analysis of scientific literature and non-standard medical lexical units demonstrated that slang words and expressions were formed by means of structural changes such as word reduction, compounding, abbreviations, or acronyms, and semantic transformations such as metaphorization and metonymy. The most common mechanism of structural formation of English medical slang units was found to be abbreviations, or acronyms, often with figurative meaning. The possible difference between abbreviations and acronyms was defined and illustrated. Different kinds of word reduction and compounding were determined and demostrated. Semantic ways of formation of nonofficial words and expressions were shown to be metaphorization and metonimia and metaphor when the object was attributed alien signs was more common. To make speech more expressive facetious expressions were often used. Sometimes new words incomprehensible to wide audience were formed from two unselectional in denotation parts, the first one being a part of an English word and the second one – a Greco-Latin terminoelement.English medical slang concerns different subjects including medical drugs; therapeutic notions; health care professionals and their characteristics; patients and their conditions; medical procedures; medical institutions and their units. Lexical items denoting medical drugs were formed by word reduction, compounding, abbreviations, sometimes with metaphor. Slang units denominating therapeutic notions were constituted by all abovementioned means. The dominant mechanism of formation of nonofficial lexical items denoting people was metaphor, sometimes with structural changes, and slang words and expressions referring to patients and their conditions often having offensive meaning. Non-standard words to define medical procedures were foremost constituted by word reduction. In formation of slang items denominating medical institutions and their units, metaphor sometimes with word reduction or compounding was used. To introduce professional slang words and expressions to students for examples of tasks built on matching slang units with their definitions are suggested.In conclusion the authors assert that introduction of English medical slang to students enriches their professional vocabulary by lexical items relevant in modern nonofficial communication of medical professions of English-speaking countries and thus motivates them for language learning.