The Status of Professional Vocabulary in the Language System

Abstract

Although in various classifications of social dialects the professional language (professional lexical system) is singled out sufficiently clearly, but its internal heterogeneity and terminological identification have long been the most complex theoretical problems. The professional vocabulary has received in the Russian linguistic tradition a lot of different names: argot professional vocabulary, professional argo, professional argotisms (B.A.Larin, D.S.Likhachov), professional jargons, professional jargon words (V.M.Zhirmunsky, L.P.Krysin), professional terms, professional terminology (B.L.Bogorodsky, O.N.Trubachev), not standard professional vocabulary, industry jargon words (M.A.Grachev), etc. In order to eliminate terminological inaccuracy and reveal the basic properties of the professional vocabulary is classified in the article according to the following criteria: nomination methods, normative, functional-style characteristics, emotional-expressive characteristics, dictionary fixation. The proposed classification allows us to identify three groups of vocabulary — terminology, professional vocabulary and professional jargon — each of which has its own characteristics. It seems that the identified criteria and characteristics of a professional language can be considered as basic.