ADAPTATION OF FOREIGN TERMS IN THE PROFESSIONAL LANGUAGE OF INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIALTIES

Abstract

In the contemporary context of the development of the Ukrainian language as a key factor of statehood, national identity, and professional communication, the processes of adapting foreign terminology in the professional language of infrastructure specialties have gained particular relevance. The road construction sector, especially under wartime conditions, remains a strategically important field for Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure, as it ensures mobility, logistics, and national resilience. At the current stage, the terminological lexicon of road construction has been significantly enriched by foreign borrowings. French, German, English, and Slavic terms that entered the Ukrainian language from the 18th to the 21st centuries have become an integral part of professional discourse. These lexical units are incorporated into the national terminological system through phonetic, morphological, and semantic adaptation, which ensures their functional compatibility with Ukrainian linguistic norms.
This study provides a detailed description of the road construction terminological system, considering the origin of terms, word-formation patterns, structural features, and methods of integrating borrowings into scientific and technical vocabulary. Particular attention is given to the interaction between native and borrowed elements and the productivity of word-formation models. The analysis demonstrates that foreign terms constitute both historically established and contemporary layers of Ukrainian road construction terminology, contributing to the systematization, internal consistency, productivity, and stability of the terminological system. The results of the research may serve as a theoretical basis for further terminological studies and provide practical guidance for developing linguistic recommendations regarding the standardization, codification, and normalization of terminology in the field of road construction, as well as for other infrastructure-related professional domains.