Method of morphemic analysis as an effective tool for teaching medical terminology in the study of Chinese as a foreign language

Abstract

International cooperation affects all spheres of human life. The medical field is no exception in this regard. In recent years, there has been an increase in interest in traditional Chinese and modern Chinese medicine in the global medical community. In this connection, there is an increasing need for specialists who speak Chinese as a foreign language. Specific of training such specialists for work in the health sector is the need to teach them a large number of medical terms and also to acquaint with the peculiarities of the Chinese mentality. This will make it possible to build a dialogue with Chinese colleagues more effectively. Because "the knowledge of behavioral patterns can progress students’ ability to model a dialogue and at large their speaking skills in the foreign language.". In addition, understanding the Chinese mentality through learning Chinese as a foreign language can solve the "problem of formation of ethno-cultural competence of students - future teachers.". As traditional medicine and modern medicine co-exist in the PRC, each of them has its own research vocabulary. The peculiarity of the terms pertaining to traditional Chinese medicine is that they are formed from polysemantic hieroglyphs and have a metaphorical character, which is due to the close relationship between traditional Chinese medicine and ancient Chinese philosophy. Therefore, the most effective approach to explain the meaning of the terms of traditional Chinese medicine is the use of the method of morphemic analysis in combination with an explaining philosophical and cultural concepts behind these terms. Most of these terms represent phonetic and semantic borrowings. The method of morphemic analysis is effective for explaining the meanings of semantic borrowings which occupy an important part in the terminological system of the Chinese language.