Towards a Systematic Description of Lexical Units for Developing EFL Learners' Professional Communicative Competence

Abstract

This article explores methodological approaches to the development of lexical competence in professionally oriented foreign language instruction. In contemporary higher education, effective professional communication in a foreign language requires not only grammatical accuracy but also a well-structured system of lexical knowledge relevant to a specific field. The study aims to examine the theoretical foundations of lexical skill formation and to identify an optimal set of lexical abilities necessary for preparing students for professional interaction. The research is based on the analysis of methodological and psychological literature devoted to vocabulary instruction and speech activity. The paper considers the distinction between productive and receptive lexical skills, their psychophysiological foundations, and the structural components of lexical competence. Particular attention is paid to the stages of lexical skill formation and to the role of collocations, semantic associations, and situational relevance in mastering professional vocabulary. The findings demonstrate that effective lexical training should integrate semanticization, automatisation, contextual practice, and the development of compensatory strategies. The study concludes that a systematic and communicatively oriented approach to teaching lexical units ensures their accurate retrieval, appropriate combination, and flexible use in professional discourse, thereby enhancing students’ overall professional communicative competence