Особливості функціонування скорочень та абревіатур в технічних текстах (на основі інструкцій з експлуатації військової техніки)

Abstract

This qualification work investigates the linguistic features of abbreviations and shortened forms functioning in English-language military technical manuals. The relevance of the research is determined by the rapid growth of foreign military equipment supplied to Ukraine and the consequent need for accurate interpretation of highly specialized documentation. Military manuals represent a specific type of technical text characterized by strict standardization, structural clarity, and a high concentration of terms, among which abbreviations and shortened forms constitute a significant portion. The study systematizes existing approaches to defining and classifying abbreviations and shortened lexical units, examines their structural types, semantic features, and functional load in technical discourse. The research material comprises two English-language operator’s manuals for military equipment (TM 9- 6115-753-10 and TM 10-3930-673-10), from which a total of 626 abbreviations and 455 shortened forms were extracted using continuous sampling. The methodological basis of the research includes descriptive, structural-semantic, classification, contextual, quantitative methods, as well as corpus analysis of technical documents. The scientific novelty lies in performing a comprehensive analysis of abbreviated units within military manuals—a domain that remains insufficiently examined in Ukrainian linguistics. The practical significance of the work consists in the possibility of applying the findings to improve the standardization of military technical documentation, develop specialized glossaries, and support more effective translation and interpretation of operational manuals.The first chapter presents the theoretical foundations of studying abbreviations and shortened forms in linguistics. It examines military manuals as a specific type of technical text, provides an overview of scholarly sources on the definitions of abbreviations and shortened forms, and describes their functions, classification, and role in military documentation. The second chapter offers a corpus-based analysis of English-language military technical manuals, identifying the structural and lexical features of the documents under study. A classification of abbreviations and shortened forms was conducted, their main functions and frequency of use were determined, and patterns of their functioning in military-technical discourse were identified. In the authentic English-language Technical Manual TM 9-6115-753-10 [9] (Operator’s Manual for Generator Set AMMPS MEP-1070), 314 abbreviations were identified and classified according to the structural framework selected in the theoretical part of the research. According to the results of the classification, initial abbreviations constitute 68% (213 examples), syllabic abbreviations account for 9% (28 examples), and combined abbreviations represent 23% (71 examples). Additionally, 245 different shortened forms were recorded in TM 9-6115-753-10, which together amount to more than 400 occurrences in the text, with the total number of their contextual uses exceeding 1,800 instances. The second manual selected for the analysis of abbreviations and their functioning in military-technical discourse is Technical Manual TM 10-3930- 673-10 (Operator’s Manual for All-Terrain Lifter Army System — ATLAS). The continuous sampling method revealed that this manual contains 312 abbreviations. According to the structural classification, 70% are initial abbreviations (218 examples), 12% are syllabic (37 examples), and 18% are combined (57 examples). Over 210 different shortened forms were identified, amounting to more than 3,000 occurrences throughout the text. The conclusions summarize the findings of the research and outline prospects for further scholarly investigation.