Terminology

Terminologyis a group of specialized words and respective meanings in a particular field, and also the study of such terms and their use;^[1]the latter meaning is also known asterminology science.Atermis a word,compound word,or multi-wordexpressionthat in specificcontextsis given specific meanings—these may deviate from the meanings the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language.^[2]Terminology is a discipline that studies, among other things, the development of such terms and their interrelationships within a specialized domain. Terminology differs fromlexicography,as it involves the study ofconcepts,conceptual systems and their labels (terms), whereas lexicography studies words and their meanings.

Terminology is a discipline that systematically studies the "labelling or designating of concepts" particular to one or more subject fields or domains ofhumanactivity. It does this through the research and analysis of terms in context for the purpose of documenting and promoting consistent usage. Terminology can be limited to one or more languages (for example, "multilingual terminology" and "bilingual terminology" ), or may have aninterdisciplinarityfocus on the use of terms in different fields.

Overview[edit]

The terminology discipline consists mainly of the following aspects:

Analyzing concepts and concept structures utilized in a field or area of activity
Identifying the terms assigned to concepts
Creating correspondences between terms in the different languages in the case of multilingual or bilingual term.
Creating new terms in databases or compiling the terms on paper or in databases managing terminology databases as required

Types of terminology[edit]

A distinction is made between two types of terminology work:

Ad hoc work on terminology,which deals with a single term or a limited number of terms
Systematic collection of terminology,which deals with all the terms in a specific subject field or domain of activity, often by creating a structuredontologyof the terms within that domain and their interrelationships.

Ad hoc terminology is prevalent in thetranslationprofession, where a translation for a specific term (or group of terms) is required quickly to solve a particular translation problem.

Nomenclaturecomprises types of terminology especially having to do withgeneral ontology,applied ontology,andtaxonomy(categorizationsandclassifications,such astaxonomy for life forms,taxonomy for search engines,and so on).

Terminology as a discipline[edit]

Aterminologistintends to hone categorical organization by improving the accuracy and content of its terminology. Technical industries andstandardizationinstitutes compile their own glossaries. This provides the consistency needed in the various areas—fields and branches, movements and specialties—to work with core terminology to then offer material for the discipline's traditional and doctrinal literature.

Terminology is also then key in boundary-crossing problems, such as in language translation andsocial epistemology. Terminology helps to build bridges and to extend one area into another.Translatorsresearch the terminology of the languages they translate. Terminology is taught alongside translation in universities and translation schools. Large translation departments and translation bureaus have aTerminologysection.

Science[edit]

Terminology scienceis a branch oflinguisticsstudying special vocabulary.

The main objects of terminological studies are speciallexical units(or speciallexemes), first of all terms. They are analysed from the point of view of their origin, formal structure, their meanings and also functional features. Terms are used to denote concepts, therefore terminology science also concerns itself with the formation and development of concepts, as well as with the principles of exposing the existing relations between concepts and classifying concepts; also, with the principles of defining concepts and appraising the existing definitions. Considering the fact that characteristics and functioning of term depend heavily on its lexical surrounding nowadays it is common to view as the main object of terminology science not separate terms, but rather the whole terminology used in some particular field of knowledge (also called subject field).

Terminological research started seventy years ago and was especially fruitful at the last forty years. At that time the main types of special lexical units, such as terms proper, nomens, terminoids, prototerms, preterms and quasiterms were singled out and studied.^{[further explanation needed]}

Anomen,or anomenclature unit,is a name of a single notion or a certain unit of mass production,^[3]e.g. prefix dis-; Canon 550D; UA-24; etc.

Terminoids,orjargon terms,are special lexical units which are used to name the phenomena that are absolutely new and whose concepts are not interpreted in a monosemantic way. E.g., Salmon Day, mouse potato, etc.^[4]

Prototermsare special lexemes that appeared and were used in prescientific times.^[5]

Pretermsare a special group of lexemes which is represented by special lexical units used as terms to name new scientific notions. They are represented by a vast descriptive pattern, e.g.business process reengineering,management by walking about, etc.^[6]

The main principles of terminological work were elaborated, terminologies of the leading European languages belonging to many subject fields were described and analysed. It should be mentioned that at the former USSR terminological studies were conducted on an especially large scale: while in the 1940s only four terminological dissertations were successfully defended, in the 1950s there were 50 such dissertations, in the 1960s their number reached 231, in the 1970s – 463 and in the 1980s – 1110.

As the result of development and specialising of terminological studies, some of the branches of terminology science – such astypologicalterminology science,semasiologicalterminology science, terminological derivatology, comparative terminology science, terminography, functional terminology science, cognitive terminology science, historical terminology science and some branch terminology sciences – have gained the status of independent scientific disciplines.

Terminological theories[edit]

Terminological theories include general theory of terminology,^[7]socioterminology,^[8]communicative theory of terminology,^[9]sociocognitive terminology,^[10]andframe-based terminology.^[11]

References[edit]

^The two meanings given by theConcise Oxford English Dictionary(in their entirety) are: "terms used in an art etc." and "science of proper use of terms".
^a word or expression that has a precise meaning in some uses or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or subject."Term".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Retrieved2018-06-25.
^Канделаки Т. Л. Значения терминов и системы значений научно-технических терминологий // Проблемы языка науки и техники. Логические, лингвистические и историко-научные аспекты терминологии. — Москва, Наука, 1970.
^Хаютин А. Д. (1972) Термин, терминология, номенклатура (учебное пособие). — Самарканд, 1972.
^Гринев С. В. Основы лексикографического описания терминосистем: Дис.… док. филол. наук. — М., 1990.
^Лейчик В. М. Некоторые вопросы упорядочения, стандартизации и использования научно-технической терминологии // Термин и слово. — Горький, 1981.
^Wüster, E. (1979).Einführung in die allgemeine Terminologielehre und terminologische Lexikographie. Teil 1-2.Springer-Verlag.
^Gaudin, F. (1993). "Socioterminologie: propos et propositions épistémologiques".Le Langage et l'Homme.28(4). Intercommunications: 247–257.
^Cabré, M.T. (1999).La terminología: representación y comunicación.
^Temmerman, R. (2000).Towards new ways of terminology description: the sociocognitive-approach.John Benjamins.
^Faber, P.; Montero, S.; Castro, M.R.; Senso, J.; Prieto, J.A.; León, P.; Márquez C.; Vega, M. (2006). "Process-oriented terminology management in the domain of Coastal Engineering".Terminology.12(2). John Benjamins Publishing Company: 189–213.doi:10.1075/term.12.2.03fab.

External links[edit]

Terminologyfrom theOTTIAQwebsite
TermNet- International Network for Terminology
Infoterm- International Information Centre for Terminology
ISOTechnical Committee 37 "Terminology and other language and content resources" (ISO/TC 37)
Faotermfrom theFAOTerminology website
TermSciences, the Scientific Terminology Database
IULA, Institut Universitari de Lingüistica Aplicada

[1] The two meanings given by theConcise Oxford English Dictionary(in their entirety) are: "terms used in an art etc." and "science of proper use of terms".

[2] word or expression that has a precise meaning in some uses or is peculiar to a science, art, profession, or subject."Term".Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary.Retrieved2018-06-25.

[3] Канделаки Т. Л. Значения терминов и системы значений научно-технических терминологий // Проблемы языка науки и техники. Логические, лингвистические и историко-научные аспекты терминологии. — Москва, Наука, 1970.

[4] Хаютин А. Д. (1972) Термин, терминология, номенклатура (учебное пособие). — Самарканд, 1972.

[5] Гринев С. В. Основы лексикографического описания терминосистем: Дис.… док. филол. наук. — М., 1990.

[6] Лейчик В. М. Некоторые вопросы упорядочения, стандартизации и использования научно-технической терминологии // Термин и слово. — Горький, 1981.

[7] Wüster, E. (1979).Einführung in die allgemeine Terminologielehre und terminologische Lexikographie. Teil 1-2.Springer-Verlag.

[8] Gaudin, F. (1993). "Socioterminologie: propos et propositions épistémologiques".Le Langage et l'Homme.28(4). Intercommunications: 247–257.

[9] Cabré, M.T. (1999).La terminología: representación y comunicación.

[10] Temmerman, R. (2000).Towards new ways of terminology description: the sociocognitive-approach.John Benjamins.

[11] Faber, P.; Montero, S.; Castro, M.R.; Senso, J.; Prieto, J.A.; León, P.; Márquez C.; Vega, M. (2006). "Process-oriented terminology management in the domain of Coastal Engineering".Terminology.12(2). John Benjamins Publishing Company: 189–213.doi:10.1075/term.12.2.03fab.

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