THEMATIC GROUP «HEALTH» IN THE COURSE OF UKRAINIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

The article examines the features of the functioning of lexical units of the thematic group “Health” in Ukrainian as a foreign language. This group is significant for all foreign students, regardless of why they decided to study Ukrainian. According to the standard “Ukrainian as a Foreign Language. Proficiency Levels A1 – C2”, the topic “Health” is one of the mandatory ones for beginners. The analysis was carried out on the material of textbooks of levels A1 – A1 and the lexical minimum “1000 and 1 word” (level A1). The materials that function in the textbooks “Step 1” by O. Turkevych and O. Palinska, “Yabluko” by M. Buryak and “Ukrainian for Foreigners” by A. Chystyakova (all textbooks for levels A1 – A2) are presented. Based on the collected material, the core and periphery of the analyzed thematic group are determined. Attention was paid to the quantitative and qualitative composition of the vocabulary: the number of units in each source and their frequency of use. The second aspect depends on the scope of the topic (whether it is covered in a separate section or presented briefly within another) and the exercises contained in the sections. The greatest number of repetitions of words in the textbook “Ukrainian for Foreigners” is due to the significant number of exercises for studying lexical and grammatical material. The greatest number of lexemes was found in the textbook “Step 1” because the textbook allocates an entire section for the topic “Health”. It was found that each of the zones (core and peripheral) covers all six subtopics of levels A1–A2: a) parts of the body; b) personal hygiene; c) well-being; d) diseases and ailments; e) a visit to the doctor; f) pharmacy. In the core group, the largest percentage is made up of lexemes denoting parts of the body (37%). In the periphery, the largest subgroup is the subgroup about a visit to the doctor (38%). The minimum covers all subtopics of levels A1‒A2, but it does not contain all the units we found in the analyzed textbooks. This is since the minimum is designed for level A1, and the textbooks cover levels A1‒A2. Key words: thematic group of vocabulary, methodology for teaching the vocabulary of the Ukrainian language as a foreign language, lexical minimum.