MEDICAL LANGUAGE IN BULGARIA IN RECENT DECADES – DYNAMICS, REGISTERS OF COMMUNICATION, CONNOTATIONS

Abstract

In contemporary linguistics, the issue of the professional language of physicians is gaining increasing attention. In recent years, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, medical language has been actively used in the public sphere, entering various linguistic registers beyond narrowly specialized contexts. This has directed scholarly attention toward diverse and multidirectional strategies in the use of medical vocabulary. The present article examines the dynamics, procedural nature, and specific features of the connotations of medical lexical units across different communication registers.
In the medical field, the use of traditional terminology of Greek and Latin origin continues; however, since the first decade of the 21st century, there has been a gradual introduction of lexical units from English, which are becoming established as official terms and terminological combinations. Medical Anglicisms in the Bulgarian language are considered as a result of the dynamic exchange of knowledge on a global scale. The most important features of the language used by medical professionals to communicate effectively and precisely with one another are presented, taking into account the dynamics of linguistic development. Among the distinguishing features of medical language are the use of technical, diagnostic, and therapeutic terms and phrases, as well as a rich set of abbreviations and acronyms. From a communicative perspective, it is characterized by conciseness, specificity, appropriateness, and clarity. These characteristics are manifested within a specialized medical environment and at different linguistic levels—within the high (academic) medical register, the interdisciplinary register, as well as the general communicative register of doctor–patient interaction.
In recent decades, medical language has begun to move beyond the narrow confines of the professional sphere and is increasingly used in the public domain. Its use in the media adapts it to a broader audience, and its presence unfolds in several aspects. In news reporting, medical terminology is employed when covering developments in the healthcare system (health crises such as pandemics, new treatments, or scientific discoveries). At the same time, medical language is used in promoting health literacy—through articles, interviews with physicians, and health-related media segments, complex medical language is adapted for the general public, seeking a balance between professional accuracy and comprehensibility. A third aspect emerges in the field of marketing and advertising of pharmaceutical products, where the intended connotations are reliability and scientific validity. Fourth, medical language is used with high frequency in digital media and social networks. Through these channels, information spreads rapidly, often without sufficient clarity regarding its reliability and credibility, thus creating a risk of misinformation. Finally, medical language is also present in fictional texts—literature, film scripts, and television series. In an aesthetic context, the use of highly specialized terminology is seen as a means of achieving artistic goals such as strong expressiveness and realism in characters, plots, and messages.