NOMINATIVE POTENTIAL OF COMPOUND NOUNS IN CUSTOMS ENGLISH

Abstract

The article examines the peculiarities of nominating some customs concepts by means of compound nouns. The main nominative categories employing the compound noun structure are customs terms and customs ‘professionalisms’, therefore the article establishes a criterion that allows differentiating between these categories of professionally oriented vocabulary. The peculiarity of nomination by means of a compound noun is believed to be an attributive component incorporated into the nominative meaning. However, there is a fundamental difference between the positions of the elements expressing these meanings in English and Russian. In a Russian phrase composed of nouns, one of which attributes the other, the main word is placed in the first position, the attributive noun follows it; whereas in the English compound noun the main noun always occupies the final position.  It is of practical importance that the study suggests 2 main transformation techniques (models) for translating English compound nouns into Russian, as well as illustrates how the translation techniques (transformations) of syntactic assimilation and omission are applied in order to make professionally oriented translation adequate, thus providing the most effective communication in customs professional setting.