SPECIALIZED VOCABULARY IN OIL AND GAS DISCOURSE

Authors
V.N. Lukovtseva, E.V. Knyazeva
Affiliation
RUDN University, Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia
Issue 24
Pages
43-54

The analysis of the English professional terminology in the oil and gas discourse is made in the article. The material for research were the terms the lexical elements of which are used in specialized fields (subjects or their branches) or modified from elements from other fields. 

The topicality of the issue can be preconditioned by the fact that the vast majority of information related to the development of marine shelves is published in English. Absence of new terms in specialized technical dictionaries makes it difficult to translate and understand the specialized texts.

The author highlights that specialized terminology presupposes a particular kind of education and knowledge that is specific to a given area of business and different from the background required by the other spheres. Some of the specialized terms in this field are orthographically identical with their General English counterparts, but their meanings are incompatible.  

Practical investigation has shown that professional jargons are either reinterpreted common words or new-coined words. But jargons by contrast with terms and professional words are always non motivated. Professional jargon is classified into the following groups:  professional affiliation of workers; professional activity;  professional tools and accessories; technical buildings and constructions;  geological and structural conditions of formation; substances.

It is concluded that professional vocabulary has important functions: it makes the language more colorful, laconic and expressive and represents a particular shared code between those who work in the fields of the petroleum industry. Knowledge of terminology, professional jargon, slang and socio-cultural factors can help eliminate common mistakes and misunderstanding in professional communication. 

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For citation

Lukovtseva, V.N. & Knyazeva, E.V. (2017). Specialized vocabulary in oil and gas discourse development. Issues of Applied Linguistics, 24, 43-54.

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