SPECIFICS OF TEACHING THE LATIN LANGUAGE TO STUDENTS OF MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

Abstract. The article deals with the specifics of teaching the Latin language to future medical specialists. The differences between the study of “dead” Latin and modern foreign languages are analyzed. It is noted that the main task of mastering the Latin language is the formation of terminological competence in students of medical institutions of higher education. It is emphasized that the number of hours allocated for studying the Latin language has been reduced. It is considered that medical terminology, based on words of Latin origin and their Greek equivalents, is important for students to master basic anatomicalhistological, clinical and pharmaceutical terms and professional disciplines. The Latin Language is taught in medical institutions of higher education to lay the foundation for studying medical terminology by students from the first year with its subsequent use in professional activities, that is, to prepare future medical workers to use specialized terminology correctly. It is taken into consideration that the specifics of studying the Latin language are the absence of the communicative component and difficulties in memorizing terms due to the large number of both Latin lexical material and Greek term elements. This leads to a decrease in motivation among medical students to study Latin medical terms during the process of learning the Latin language. The teacher must look for new methods and use various teaching techniques to activate students’ cognitive activities. Interesting tasks, puzzles, and crosswords are proposed to engage students in learning Latin medical terminology, improving and facilitating the process of studying the Latin language. It is emphasized that special attention should be paid by the Latin language teacher to the fact that specialized vocabulary is used in various fields, particularly in biology, chemistry, pharmacy, and clinical practice, therefore, students must have a basic level of knowledge of the Latin language to understand and use specialized terminology.