Learning the technical vocabulary of an academic field, profession or trade is an important, and demanding, element of higher education or training for a profession. Students encounter technical vocabulary in course readings and classrooms and are expected to use it in speaking and writing in their studies and later in their professional practice. For tutors and learners in the trades, this vocabulary is central to learners’ development as ‘tradies’ (in New Zealand English) and signals belonging to the field. For English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teachers, there are few resources which identify the technical vocabulary of a field such as automotive technology. This article introduces an Automotive Technology Word List and accompanying lists of technical abbreviations (e.g. WOF, 4WD) and proper nouns. The three main aims of this article are as follows: (1) to outline features of technical vocabulary that are important for automotive technology; (2) to examine high-, mid- and low-frequency vocabulary in automotive technology, and how each of these frequency bands can present particular issues for L2 learners in the trades; and (3) to provide an evaluation of the Automotive Technology Word List. The article ends with suggestions on ways to use the list for planning, testing and strategy training and for production of teaching and learning materials. © 2021. EQUINOX PUBLISHING.
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