English abbreviations in the field of education: thematic classification and teaching methods

Abstract

The professional training of future foreign language teachers and translators requires a command of the terminology of the relevant field, including its abbreviated forms. Drawing on similar studies classifying Ukrainian and foreign-language terms across various fields, the author notes a lack of research dedicated to English-language abbreviations. Together with the need for their systematic structural and thematic classification, this has led to the relevance of this study, the aim of which is to identify thematic groups and sub-groups and to determine their structural features. The tasks include selecting material, grouping it into thematic categories, and providing recommendations for teaching abbreviations. English-language terminology, as a coherent system, is formed on the basis of shared conceptual characteristics and unites lexical units according to their extra-linguistic features. Its study involves organising terms by dividing them into thematic groups and sub-groups. The basis for such a division is the denotative feature, i.e. the correlation of terms with phenomena and objects of real life. This article examines the problem of systematising 100 English abbreviations, selected from original English sources, on the basis of three semantic categories: ʼstudents, pupils and their levels of foreign language proficiencyʼ, ʼlanguage as the object of study or researchʼ, and ʼconditions of learning and teachingʼ. According to the results of the analysis, the thematic groups of English abbreviations formed are characterised by hierarchy (centre and periphery), variability in terms of branching, composition of components, structure, part of speech, and methods of terminological formation. The common conceptual features of the components across all thematic groups ensure their thematic coherence, logical consistency and clarity. The consistent and systematic study of abbreviations during the process of learning English contributes to the development and improvement of reading skills and to raising the overall level of foreign language proficiency. Further research should focus on clarifying the structural organisation and word-formation patterns of English-language abbreviations, analysing strategies for their accurate rendering into Ukrainian, and identifying effective methodological approaches to their mastery and appropriate use in foreign-language speech during the training of future teachers and translators.