Scholarly record

METHODS OF TEACHING ECONOMIC TERMINOLOGY TO STUDENTS OF NON-LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITIES

E. N. Malyuga, A. V. Radyuk, Y. O. Mikheeva

Abstract

Students of non-linguistic universities are currently being exposed to ever more extensive English classes. With this category of students, the least developed methods of teaching Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) are the ones designed to develop the skills of specialised terminology usage. Since terminology forms the core of a professional language, it can be viewed as a conglomerate of its basic attributes and properties. Terms are the most mobile layer of the vocabulary, subject to constant and intensive enrichment and change, which calls for a systemic approach to handling the corresponding methodological issues. To achieve their linguadidactic goals, foreign language teachers should have an understanding of the specific nature of terminology, the means of instruction, as well as the individual and personal characteristics of their students. While LSP teaching relies on a large number of existing methodologies, the most popular are the communicative, cognitive and definitional methods. This article aims to describe the stages of vocabulary introduction in class and review the teaching methods that could be applied at each stage. The analysis centres around the communicative method used to introduce economic vocabulary to students; the cognitive (or gnoseological) method relying on the unity of the word and the concept, language and thinking, linguistic and extralinguistic factors affecting terminology development and semantics of individual terms; and the definition method, focusing on the analysis of meanings and the search for equivalents in the target language. In the course of professional communication at the initial stage, students get acquainted with the terms united by the topic of the lesson. Further, definitions are analysed with Anglo-Russian equivalents revealed. Upon memorising the terms, students go on to apply them in situations of real communication. The communicative approach allows to form the skills of monologic and dialogic speech and helps ensure appropriate use of terms in context. In addition, the study is concerned with conceptual, semantic, network and mental maps, denotative text maps and Venn diagrams. These methods of cognitive mapping allow to re-examine the central concept and link it to students’ experience. The semantic map reflects the lexical characteristics of a particular concept and is a convenient tool in enlarging foreign language lexicon. The use of semantic maps helps establish mental connections between terms and concepts behind them. Students do not learn isolated words, but explore the system of their relationships. The structuring of knowledge and graphic support contribute to better assimilation of new foreign language terminology.

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