Teaching English neologisms for the students learning English for specific purposes

The modern English language is a living, mobile system that actively responds to the emergence of new concepts, objects and phenomena of reality. Two processes occur in it at the same time - the emergence of new words, the enrichment of the vocabulary of one area, and the disappearance of words in other areas. Language needs development - some words naturally fall out of use, cease to be actively used in speech and writing, and some replace them.

Rapid changes in technology and science, communication, political and economic processes, as well as the expansion of intercultural interaction are the main factors affecting the changes taking place in the lexical composition of the English language. Due to the rapid development and globalization of these spheres, they have become a rich source of neologisms, and students who study English as a foreign language have encountered considerable difficulties in understanding and interpreting these neologisms. Unfortunately, many textbooks and teaching materials in the English language, which are used in Ukraine to teach English as a foreign language to ESP students, contain outdated or non-standard examples and do not keep up with the modern language, which is changing so rapidly. Thus, the relevance of this study is determined by the need to study new vocabulary as a means of reflecting the changes occurring in the modern world, as well as the understanding of this vocabulary by future specialists in different fields in order to successfully master a foreign language of their specialty. In modern conditions, the English language has acquired the status of the language of international communication, so the need for the development of professional communicative competence in future specialists is difficult to overestimate.

The review of the works of modern linguists has shown that there are certain differences in viewpoints on the nature, functions, and classification of neologisms, which creates opportunities for new linguistic research.

M. P. Kochergan considers the process of learning new objects and phenomena, the appearance of something new in the life of society to be the factors that cause the need for nomination, which entails the formation of new words and expressions or the appearance of new meanings in existing lexical units [4, p. 98].

In the study of O. I. Dzyubina, it is noted that neologisms are created to name a new object or phenomenon of extra-linguistic reality and are designed to be fixed in the lexical system of the language. They arise and are formed as nominative (identifying) lexical units designed to perform an intellectual and communicative function [2, p. 105].

M. O. Shutova believes that the emergence of new conditions of human existence, new relationships between speakers, new fields of knowledge and concepts require appropriate changes in the language that would depict the surrounding reality and the speaker's inner world. After all, it is the lexical composition that is the component of the language that is characterized by constant changes, which are explained by the new cognitive and communicative needs of speakers. Thus, numerous new words - neologisms, appear, which can be interpreted as lexical equivalents to changed communicative conditions [5, p. 79].

At the same time, the analysis of recent scientific works shows that the issue of studying neologisms in various fields of human activity has not been sufficiently investigated and therefore, requires further research. Among the latest investigations in this field, we can single out the works of M. V. Belozyorov, who is engaged in the study of English lexical and phraseological innovations in the field of economics, and O. V. Kapustina and N. M. Sinitsina, who investigate some aspects of the translation of neologisms in modern economic discourse. Neologisms in the field of political discourse has been the subject of research of O. B. Tomilova, who singled out the main concepts on which political neologisms are built; the works of Yu. A. Zatsny and Zh. V. Kolois have contributed to the study of neologisms in the field of Internet discourse.

This article is aimed to identify and describe the difficulties that students learning English for specific purposes face when studying and interpreting neologisms, and to single out certain types of activities in practical English classes that would contribute to the understanding and correct usage of neologisms in professional language, and their translation into Ukrainian.

Nowadays changes in society are so rapid that it is almost impossible to keep track of them. English, as the language of international communication covering all aspects of life, is very dynamic and sensitive to technological, economic, social and other changes. The appearance of new concepts and objects requires their verbal representation, thus causing the variability of the vocabulary of the English language. IT technologies, economy, social life are developing extremely rapidly, leading to the occurrence of many new words and meanings.

In practice, words or terms appear from time to time in different spheres and quickly become commonly used, although they will not be understood by most people who are even related to this or that sphere. Such new formations are called neologisms, and the peculiarity of their occurrence, the logic of word formation and the very essence of new expressions is, of course, a separate topic for consideration and study. Such neoplasms do not immediately enter dictionaries, which complicates their understanding and use [3, p. 219].

Neologisms, as a rule, make up the basic terminology and are included in it as a necessary and mandatory element. On the one hand, they are used by native speakers to denote relevant processes and phenomena, on the other hand, they are means of learning about these processes and phenomena, and with deeper understanding of their essence, new features of these processes and phenomena are revealed, which leads to the development of a new range of concepts. To designate and reveal them, new terms are created or existing ones are reinterpreted [1, p. 114].

Teachers of English as a foreign language cannot ignore such rapid changes in the lexical composition of the language. After all, the ability to receive, process and transmit information from authentic texts, which is important for professional communication, is one of the factors that determine the success and efficiency of the professional activity of future specialists in different fields. Such authentic texts often contain neologisms that have appeared in the language through various processes. The difficulties faced by students when processing such sources are that it is difficult for them to correctly interpret neologisms. The main difficulty in understanding the meaning of a neologism arises from the fact that the new word has not yet been added to dictionaries. Although many well-known dictionaries have a special section for neologisms, when it comes to spoken communication, dictionaries are not immediately accessible and students need to know ways to interpret new words or phrases they hear.

Understanding neologisms in the field of their professional activity can contribute to better mastering the foreign language of the specialty, the formation of professional competence by obtaining new information through foreign sources, and also serve as a means of developing intercultural communication, helping future specialists to avoid cultural mistakes and giving them a better understanding of the specifics of the cultural background and motives of their potential business partners.

When teaching English for ESP students, the teacher's tasks are, first of all, to form the student's communicative competence, expand their vocabulary through special terminology related to their specialty, and minimize the uncertainties associated with understanding and learning such vocabulary. Learning neologisms during English language classes can help in solving these tasks, as, firstly, it is good practice and improvement of spoken English, and, secondly, it enriches the vocabulary with innovations in the field of study, as well as gives understanding of the new cultural experience of the English-speaking society and modern trends of its development, the use of authentic educational materials and the development of students' critical thinking skills.

In addition, getting to know new vocabulary can increase students' interest to the process of learning English. A living language that is in the process of constant changes, new ideas and concepts, expressed in new words, can arouse genuine curiosity of a modern student, motivate him to further study of a foreign language of professional communication.

Teaching neologisms should be introduced at the initial stage of teaching English for specific purposes at university. Certainly, reading authentic professional literature, including newspapers and magazines, is possible if students have a sufficient level of English. However, it also makes sense to introduce some words or draw students' attention to neologisms in texts on general topics at the initial level of English language learning, with a special emphasis on understanding and translating neologisms into Ukrainian.

Of course it is necessary to use contextual clues to learn these lexical items. This condition is essential as many neologisms lose their meaning without context. In addition, the context simplifies the process of memorizing and understanding the word. From a methodological point of view, it is more convenient for the student to work with the text, rather than with a separate lexical unit.

It is worth discussing some principles of word formation in the English language with students for better recognition and interpretation of neologisms. Special classes can be devoted to the theoretical material, or relevant information can be introduced gradually, over the course of several classes. In our opinion, an integrated approach to teaching vocabulary can be more effective than isolated teaching of neologisms. An integrated approach can provide students with a broader understanding of the language and help them practice different groups of vocabulary items at the same time. Not only the lexical meaning of these words, but also their internal structure, stylistic affiliation and connotation should be discussed in the process of learning of specific cases of neologisms usage. Attempts to trace the etymology of words, analysis of word combinations and stylistic affiliation contribute to better understanding of the semantics of the lexical unit, and also contribute to better memorizing.

Study of neologisms is closely connected with the development of linguistic and intercultural competence, therefore, exercises aimed at forming the skills of working with neologisms in business, technological, social or other discourse should be aimed at assimilating knowledge about the language system and culture of the country and its inhabitants.

In general, it is possible to determine the main types of activities that the teacher should implement to teach students neologisms in practical ESP classes. Such activities will contribute to the adequate understanding and translation of neologisms in professional discourse, as well as their use in speech. These are, first of all, the tasks that involve the search and analysis of neologisms in authentic texts (determining the meaning of a neologism according to the context; finding the definition of a new word in English in explanatory dictionaries of the English language; analyzing word combinations with neologisms; determining the stylistic and genre features of the text, and also of the general context; translation of a neologism based on its definition taking into account the general context).

In practical ESP classes in general and when studying neologisms in particular, much attention should be paid to group discussions. Students can discuss different meanings of neologisms in groups using active and interactive methods (brainstorming, case studies, presentations, etc.). This type of activities increases the motivation and personal participation of the interlocutors in solving the problems discussed. They not only have to use the knowledge of a foreign language, but also formulate their own thoughts, find some means for defending their points of view. The discussion contributes to the development of lexical, grammatical, logical skills, encourages students to listen to the words said by others, thus developing the skills of understanding the spoken language, helps to develop the ability to express one's own thoughts independently.

In learning neologisms, lexical-semantic and speaking activities have proved well too, including such activities as finding the words that are close or opposite in meaning, using neologisms in a phrase or sentence, answering different types of questions using new vocabulary, using neologisms in the context of dialogue and monologue speech, etc.

Translation of neologisms into Ukrainian in the process of learning English in practical ESP classes may cause certain difficulties to students, since no dictionary can keep up with the modern language, which is changing so rapidly in all spheres. Sometimes student uses the context for translation, or he has the knowledge of the constituent parts of a neologism, as well as understanding of the ways of creating modern English neologisms. Since neologisms belong mainly to non-equivalent vocabulary, numerous translation transformations are used for their translation. The teacher's task is to familiarize students with these methods. For the translation of neologisms the following methods are most commonly used: transcription, transliteration, calquing, functional replacement, descriptive translation, and direct inclusion.

All of the above-mentioned types of tasks, which we propose to implement in practical English classes for teaching neologisms to ESP students, help, first of all, to develop the skills of using different types of lexicographic sources, stimulate the ability to apply translation and transformation techniques, help to improve understanding of the context and intuition in translation; form the ability to contextualize the meaning, and then to convey the meaning of new lexical units by means of the Ukrainian language.

In modern conditions, the process of its constant change and renewal must be taken into account when teaching students of non-linguistic specialties. The problem of understanding and translating neologisms is one of the main problems faced by the students in the process of learning English for their future professional activity. This is due to the fact that the rapid development of science, economy and technology makes it impossible to immediately include all the new words and terms that penetrate into all fields of human activity, into the dictionaries. As a result of the intensive influence of technology on our lives, spoken language is also changing. Therefore, the teacher must first of all familiarize students with the concept of neologism, its main types, give examples of use, give students the opportunity to determine the meaning of new words taking into account the rules of word formation and the context, when the neologism that occurs in the text is not included in the dictionary. In practical classes, neologisms can also be used for the formation of speaking competence, as they can be used and be a source of basic knowledge. Mastering a foreign language is not just the study of linguistic material, it is also the development of professional foreign language competence, which is necessary for effective professional activity in the specialty. Political, economic, social, and technological realities that are constantly changing leave a noticeable mark on the vocabulary of teaching materials and can also increase students' interest, which, in turn, will become an additional incentive to learn the educational material.