TYPES OF ABBREVIATIONS WITHIN THE MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL TERMINOLOGY SYSTEM OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Keywords: abbreviation, lexical abbreviation, initial abbreviation, terminological system, professional context

Abstract

The article analyzes the typology of the use of abbreviations to denote medical and pharmaceutical concepts in professional terminology. The purpose of the scientific research is to determine the most commonly used models of the mentioned terminological units in the relevant fields and describe the specifics of their possible classifications based on a comprehensive analysis. Given the need for detailed study of this part of the professional English vocabulary for adequate interpretation of its content and discovering the functional potential of abbreviations, their classifications in accordance to thematic criterion, formal expression, and meaning are proposed. The focus is on the lexical abbreviation units, as the analysis of the selected language material has revealed that they are the most commonly used units (compared to graphic ones). It was found that in the medical and pharmaceutical fields (both in practical application in clinical records and in the theoretical context reflected in scientific articles and literature) abbreviations are means to the designation of the following categories: names and descriptions of diseases, the nomination of anatomical structures and physiological indicators, medical and diagnostic procedures, language units to denote medical institutions, medical equipment, the status of a medical worker and a patient, abbreviation units in programs and standards. It is proved that among the abbreviations selected the initial ones quantitatively prevail, which briefly convey the meanings of multicomponent lexical units, proceeding from their functional purpose to rationalize and optimize professional language. They are represented by alphabetisms, acronyms, and mixed abbreviations, and it is found that the last one is presented with a small group of terms. It is determined that in the synonymous layer of these professional contexts both complete and incomplete synonyms are used, with a quantitative advantage of the second group. There is a phenomenon of antonymy, especially to denote the physiological parameters of the body and clinical manifestations of the disease. It has been found that polysemy and homonymy of English abbreviations are highly common, which in the case of translation into the recipient`s native language is a problem for adequate interpretation of the content of the target units.

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Published
2021-08-11
How to Cite
Plotnikova, N. V., AhibalovaТ. М., & Karachova, D. V. (2021). TYPES OF ABBREVIATIONS WITHIN THE MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL TERMINOLOGY SYSTEM OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE. New Philology, (82), 228-234. https://doi.org/10.26661/2414-1135-2021-82-37
Section
Articles