On the relevance of studying foreign-language surnames in the process of teaching a foreign language for specific purposes in an agrarian university

The purpose of this article is to offer practical exercises and tasks based on the etymological study of surnames in English and German. The article considers the relevance of studying surnames as anthroponyms in teaching a professional foreign language (English, German for specific purposes: ESP, GSP) in the training of agrarian university students. At working programs of agrarian universities, the study of proper names is completely absent, but they occupy an essential stratum in the structure of the vocabulary of any language, reflecting important aspects of its history and culture. The forming process of onomastics as a specific branch of linguistics, the extralinguistic nature of surnames determines the relevance of studying this type of anthroponyms. This article considers methodology of using surnames when learning a foreign language in professional discourse, to present effective methodological techniques that contribute to the forming process of professional competencies. The following methods of scientific analysis and generalization have been used while preparing this article: descriptive, methods of etymological analysis, individual elements of comparative and typological analysis. Studying the origin and lexical features of surnames allows a teacher to apply integrative approach, getting away from standard techniques, filling training sessions with fresh and relevant information. This article examines surnames based on a professional activity or craft, presented in English and German.