Sometimes we find ourselves in a society of people where we often hear unfamiliar and complex words. Not understanding their meaning, we feel a little out of place when these words refer directly to us. Words describing specialized processes and phenomena from any particular branch of knowledge are professional vocabulary.
Definition of vocabulary
This type of vocabulary is special words or turns of speech, expressions that are actively used in any area of human activity . These words are a little isolated, because they are not used by a large mass of the country's population, only by its small part, which received a specific education. The words of professional vocabulary are used to describe or explain production processes and phenomena, tools of a particular profession, raw materials, the final result of labor and the rest.
The place of this type of vocabulary in the system of language used by a particular nation
There are several important questions regarding various aspects of professionalism that linguists are still studying. One of them: "What is the role and place of professional vocabulary in the system of a nationwide language?"
Many argue that the use of professional vocabulary is appropriate only within the framework of a particular specialty, therefore it can not be called national. Since the formation of the language of specialties in most cases occurs artificially, it by its criteria does not fit the characteristics of commonly used vocabulary. Its main feature is that such vocabulary is formed in the course of the natural communication of people. In addition, the formation and formation of a nationwide language can take a sufficiently long period, which cannot be said about professional lexical units. Today, linguists and linguists agree that professional vocabulary is not a literary language, but it has its own structure and characteristics.
The difference between professional vocabulary and terminology
Not all ordinary people know that the terminology and language of the specialty are different from each other. These two concepts are distinguished on the basis of their historical development. The terminology arose relatively recently; the language of modern technology and science refers to this concept. Professional vocabulary reached the peak of its development during the times of handicraft production.
Also, the concepts differ in terms of their official use. The terminology is used in scientific publications, reports, conferences, specialized institutions. In other words, it is the official language of a particular science. The vocabulary of professions is applied “semi-officially”, that is, not only in special articles or scientific papers. Specialists of a certain profession can use it in the course of work and understand each other, while it will be difficult for an uninitiated person to learn what they say. Professional vocabulary, examples of which we will discuss below, has some opposition to terminology.
- The presence of emotional coloring of speech and imagery - the lack of expression and emotionality, as well as the imagery of terms.
- Special vocabulary is limited to the conversational style - the terms do not depend on the usual style of communication.
- A certain range of deviations from the norm of professional communication is a clear correspondence to the norms of a professional language.
Based on the above characteristics of terms and professional vocabulary, many experts are inclined to the theory that the latter refers to professional colloquy. The difference in these concepts can be determined by comparing them with each other (steering wheel - steering wheel, system unit - system unit, motherboard - motherboard and others).
Varieties of words in vocabulary
Professional vocabulary consists of several groups of words:
- professionalism;
- technicisms;
- professional slang words.
Professionalisms are called lexical units that do not have a strictly scientific character. They are considered "semi-official" and are needed to denote any concept or process in production, inventory and equipment, material, raw materials and so on.
Technicisms are the words of professional vocabulary that are used in the field of technology and are used only by a limited circle of people. They are highly specialized, that is, to communicate with a person who is not initiated into a certain profession, with their help it will not work.
Professional-slang words are characterized by reduced expressive coloring. Sometimes these concepts are absolutely not logical, and only a specialist in a particular field can understand them.
In what cases is professional vocabulary used in the literary language?
Species of a special language can often be used in literary publications, oral and written speech. Sometimes professionalism, technicalism, and professional jargon can replace terms in the poorly developed language of a particular science.
But there is a danger of the widespread use of professionalism in periodicals - it is difficult for a non-specialist to distinguish concepts that are close in meaning, so many can be mistaken in the processes, materials and products of a particular production. Excessive saturation of the text with professionalism prevents it from being correctly perceived, meaning and style for the reader are lost.
Professional slang words are very rarely used in any publications. In scientific journals they do not exist at all, and in fiction they may appear as a characterological tool. This species does not acquire a normative character.
How are professionalisms formed in this kind of vocabulary?
Terms, in contrast to professional vocabulary, are formed in three ways:
- Comparison - take suffixes, roots or prefixes of Latin, Greek words and add the necessary Russian words to them. For example, a "monoblock" is a "mono" ("single, single") device.
- Rethinking - a word known to many (sometimes implying a different meaning) adapts to a specific process and is fixed in terminology.
- Borrowing - words from other languages are used to define our concepts.
The formation of professional vocabulary occurs through simplification of terms, they can be shortened words from long definitions of concepts. Just like terms, professionalisms can be formed through comparison, rethinking, borrowing. But at the same time there will be a stylistic decline, emotionality or expressiveness (woodpecker - hammer drill, iron - metal construction).
Professionalism Examples
Borrowing and rethinking are the main ways in which professional vocabulary is formed. Examples of a special language by type are discussed below.
Professionalism: installation - assembly scrap, separation - a group that went ahead, a draft - climbing uphill, a basement - an article located at the bottom of the newspaper.
Techniques: inch - one inch thick board.
Professional-slang words: "ate?" - “Do you understand?”, noodles - a two-wire wire.
When is special vocabulary inappropriate?
The use of professionalism is not always stylistically justified. Since they have colloquial coloring, their use in book styles is inappropriate. Professional slang words in the literature should not be used at all. This is an unofficial communication on the features of the processes of a particular science, therefore they are used only in colloquial speech.