Lecture Notes2 - I

Lecture notes 2_I
Overview of concepts and central theories of terminology (concept, referent, conceptual systems and
characteristics of the concept, definitions, term in terminology)
Basic Principles of Terminology (GTT) (ISO 10241)

1. Terminology begins with the concept and aims to clearly delineate each concept.
2. Concepts should not be studied in isolation, but rather as elements in a concept system that can be
drawn up based on a close study of the characteristics of concepts, which bring out the existing
relationships between the concepts.
3. Definitions should reflect the position of a concept in a concept system; the intensional* definition is
preferred as it is more systematic than any other type of definition.
4. The principle of univocity: each concept should be designed by only one term and one term should only
refer to one concept; synonymy and polysemy should be eliminated.
5. The synchrony** principle.
*An intensional definition gives the meaning to a term by specifying necessary and sufficient conditions
for when the term should be used. In the case of nouns, this means listing the properties that an object
needs to have in order to be counted as a referent of the term. (Wiki)
**A synchronic approach (from Ancient Greek: συν- "together" and χρόνος "time") considers a language
at a moment in time without taking its history into account. Synchronic linguistics aims at describing a
language at a specific point of time, often the present. In contrast, diachronic linguistics (from δια-
"through" and χρόνος "time"), as in historical linguistics, considers the development and evolution of a
language through history. (Wiki)
Approaches in Terminology:
- Systematic vs ad-hoc
- Onomasiological vs semasiological
- Normative vs descriptive vs mixed
There are four basic methods used in terminological work:

1. term identification;
2. (contextual) term analysis;
3. term creation;
4.
Types of Terminology
- Systematic Terminology aka Theory-oriented Terminology
- Ad-hoc Terminology aka Translation-oriented Terminology
Not to be confused with Translation Studies!
(The interaction between Terminology and Translation or Where Terminology and Translation Meet, 2013)
DEFINITIONS
The term - Specialized designations which designate clearly definable concrete or abstract objects ex.
camshaft, criminal proceedings (ISO 1087 - 1990)
The term - a (conventional) symbol that represents a concept defined within a particular field of
knowledge (M. T. Cabré, 1999, Terminology. Theory, methods and applications)
la désignation au moyen d’une unité linguistique d’une notion définie dans une langue de
spécialité. (în Setti, 2000:154) (ISO 1087 – revised 2000)
DIFFERENCE word vs term

WORDS
 Studied by lexicology and its branch, lexicography
 Presented in dictionaries in alphabetical, "notional" or " conceptual" or other chosen order
 Varied methods of formation
 All grammatical categories are represented
 Used by all/most speakers of a language
 Used in a wide range of communicative situations
 Polisemy
THE TERM
 Studied by terminology and its applied part, terminography
 Presented in glossaries and special dictionaries
 A more restricted/limited number of methods of formation
 Mainly nouns - other morphological units are less frequent Used (only/mainly) by professionals
according to the discipline; users are generally restricted to one domain - and the related ones
 Used in communication in the specialized field
 Monosemy (in the domain)
The TERM – a linguistic sign and not only…
 Its expression is a symbol
 It results from a convention
 The content is the most important feature
 The concept it represents is explicitly defined
 The description of the associated concepts sends to the field
 It is related to other terms of the same field (ap. M.T. Cabre -1999)
Designation – the formal side of the sign
 is a phonological representation
 is a structure of constituent morphemes
 it may have graphemic particularities (spelling)
Terms are associated with a domain and its concepts, find all their relevance within a specific domain.
Types of terms:
 a word (simple term)
 multiword expression (complex term)
 symbol or formula
 a scientific name in Latin (designates a particular concept within a given subject field.
Clues to identify a term:
 the word / combination of words – consistently associated with the same concept.
 the word / combination of words – consistently used within a particular subject field.
 the combination of words – relatively lexicalized.
 the word / combination of words – recurrent in your documentation.
 the word / combination of words – often set off by typographical devices such as italics, boldface
print, quotation marks etc.
 high frequency
 elliptic syntax
classification – based on:
a. function
b. meaning
c. origin
Week 2 Lecture 1 Professional communication, the role of terminology in
professional communication: the relation between GL and SL.
Structure
1. Professional communication
2. Terminology and professional communication
3. Relation of terminology with other fields
4. Skills for terminology
Definitions
Terminology is the science studying the structure, formation, development, usage
and management of terms.
A term is a designation of a concept belonging to a language for specific purposes
(LSP).
LGP = language for general purposes – language used every day to talk about
ordinary things in a variety of common situations
LSP = language for special purposes – the language used to discuss specialized fields
of knowledge (chemistry, gastronomy, biotechnology …)
Specialized Knowledge Unit (SKU) = Units that represent and transmit knowledge
Artificial languages vs special languages LSPs
Terminology management includes collecting terms, defining their meaning,
indicating their correct usage, translating terms, and storing this work so that it can
be useful to others.
Approaches to terminology management: systematic, ad-hoc, corpus-based
TOPIC FOR DEBATE: Does a clear-cut borderline exist between LGP and LSP?
Extras
Reading
Terminorgs. Recommended skills for terminology professionals. Developed and maintained by
TerminOrgs. Contributors: Kristina Olsson, Sue Kocher, Dino Ferrari, Hanne Smaadahl, Ronan Martin,
Detlef Reineke, Johannes Widmann, Kara Warburton, Amelia Gonzalez-Gil, Christine Hug, Palle Petersen
Version: September 2016
Lecture 6. Definition in Terminology: definition, classification, examples, best and worst practice.
The main types of textual support in terminology: definitions, contexts, observations, phraseologisms
and usage samples.
Textual supports are always accompanied by their references!
A definition: a descriptive statement that gives the essential characteristics of a concept as well as
characteristics that distinguish the concept from all others.
A definition: «A statement that describes a concept and permits its differentiation from other concepts
within a system of concepts.» (ISO 12620 : A.5.1)
A context: a quoted text that illustrates the definition. It may also take the place of a definition. The term
must always be present in the context.
A context can be: definitional/defining, explanatory, associative
Defining contexts include the essential characteristics of the concept under study.
Explanatory contexts provide information about some of the characteristics.
Associative contexts demonstrate the use of the term in the subject field under study, but do not help to
illustrate the textual match through correspondence of semantic features.
Examples
Defining context: "BSE or ‘Mad Cow Disease’ is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system
of cattle."
Explanatory context: "The disease has an incubation period of four to five years, but ultimately is
fatal for cattle within weeks to months of its onset. BSE first came to the attention of the scientific
community in November 1986 in the United Kingdom (UK)."
Associative context: "BSE is a federally reportable disease in Canada, under the authority of the
Health of Animals Act."
Observations or notes provide further information regarding usage of the term in discourse.
Phraseologisms and usage samples show how the term is used.
Observations provide information about nuances of the concept or about usage of the terms that
designate the concept.
Roles:
- connects two entities:
o The concept
o The term ( = the designation of the concept)
- states the essential and delimiting characteristics of a concept.
- helps establish the textual match between languages
Functions:
- fixation of a concept (typically during first concept – term assignment)
- explanation of a concept
- relating concepts (either for differentiation or similarity)
Form: term IS A description of concept Definiendum = Definiens
Types of definition depend on:
 Need
 Client
Term (Terms that have multiple meanings (polysemes) should be defined.)
Goal: intra-organization communication, R&D, educational etc.
Types of definitions:
- Definitions by genus and specific difference
- Partitive definitions
- Definitions by synonym
- Definitions by description
- Mixed synonym and description
- Operational definitions
- Definitions by demonstration
- Extensional Definitions
4
Definitions by genus and specific difference: also called analytical / Aristotelian definition
- Suitable to define nouns
- Analyzes their characteristics
- indicate the superordinate concept (the concept immediately above or at a higher level), then
the characteristic(s) that distinguish the concept from others in the same concept system.
Ex. lead pencil: Pencil whose graphite core is fixed in a wooden casing that is removed for usage by
sharpening.
Superordinate concepts - pencil / writing instrument.
Essential and delimiting characteristics - casing must be removed for usage by sharpening; graphite
core is fixed in wood casing.
Partitive definitions: describe a whole by its parts, or describe a part in relation to the whole
formulas: part of, component of, section of, period of, element in, ingredients making up, etc., followed
by the superordinate concept.
Ex. lead cartridge: The part of a mechanical pencil’s lead advance mechanism which stores and
guides the lead refill as it moves forward.
Superordinate concept - lead advance mechanism.
Essential and delimiting characteristics - stores the lead; guides the lead as it is advanced.
Definitions by synonymy: define the concept using a term with the same meaning, considered to be
more familiar to the target audience.
Softlifting: software piracy, software theft
Definitions by description: list the essential characteristics of the concept (nature, material, purpose,
means, cause and effect, time, place).
Mirror: a polished surface, usually made of glass, that forms images by reflection.
Nature - a polished surface.
Material - glass.
Purpose - to form images.
Means - by reflection.
Mixed: ex. synonym and description - begin with a synonym, then describe use, purpose, nature, etc.
Impulse (physiology): the signal that travels along the length of a nerve fibre.
Operational definitions: describe the performance of observable and repeatable operations
- Useful for defining processes, methods, mechanisms and machines by describing how they are
conducted or how they operate or function.
Ex. Printer: A computer peripheral that produces a durable record of data in the form of a
sequence of discrete graphic characters belonging to a predetermined character set.
Extensional Definitions – (in highly specialized terminological documents directed at field specialists)
- the definition can be formulated as an exhaustive list of the subordinate concepts which
correspond to the objects in the class.
Ex. threatened species: Critically endangered species, endangered species or vulnerable species.
Definitions: intensional vs extensional
by extension: “«expenses» include costs, charges and necessary outlays of every description;
«notice» includes a demand, consent or waiver.” (in legal texts - contracts)
by intension: “«business day» means a day on which banks and foreign exchange markets are
open for business in London and New York.”
Other types:
- Lexicographic vs. encyclopedic ~ terminographic
- Definitions by demonstration: provide a visual reference such as a drawing, illustration, video,
etc. (aka ostensive)
- by paraphrase: lengthen – the process that makes something longer
- Stipulative: prescribes meaning within a given (LEGAL) document
"Easement" means easement granted after May 4, 1970.
- the nature of the concept to be defined
- the purpose of the definition
5
- the information available
- the requirements of the user
Previous printed version New electronic version
labour (or labor) must be encoded main entry : labour
grammatical data : n
synonym : labor
high frequency (HF) must be encoded main entry : high frequency
synonym : HF
abbreviated form of : high frequency
high water: double must be encoded main entry : double high water
etc.
Best practices for definitions:
A terminological definition must meet the following requirements:
 Reference to a system: the definition inserts the concept into a concept system.
Example bicycle: land-vehicle used for transportation, having two wheels, a frame and a seat,
which is pedal-driven and human-powered
 Conciseness: the definition is concise, clear, and brief but still containing all the essential distinguishing
characteristics.
Example original definition:
Term: ageing Definition: Gradual rise in strength due to physical change in metals and alloys, in
which there is breakdown from supersaturated solid solution and lattice precipitation over a
period of days at atmospheric temperature.
poor shortened form: Term: ageing Definition: Gradual rise in strength due to physical change
in metals and alloys.
good shortened form: Term: ageing Definition: Rise in strength in metals and alloys in which there
is a breakdown from super-saturated solid solution.”
 Affirmativeness: the definition states what the concept is, rather than what it is not.
Example trailer Definition: Non-mechanically propelled vehicle.
 Noncircularity: the definition does not use words whose definitions refer back to the concept in
question, nor does it begin with the term itself.
Example: textiles Definition: Products of the textile industry.
 Absence of tautology - the definition is not a paraphrase of the term, but rather a description of the
semantic features of the concept. Avoid the following:
 Substitutability - Use of term of the same part of speech that - the definition begins with a term of
the same part of speech as the term being defined so that the term can be replaced by the definition
within text without changing the sentence.
Other tips:
- Mind the defining vocabulary/entailed terms (the language should not be (unnecessarily)
obscure :
- Mind definitional views: develop a concept system
- Front the definiendum and use a “definitor” or link to equate definiendum to definiens (X
is a Y; X includes A + B)
- the definiendum should be expressed by the same part of speech as the definiens
- The definition of the concept should not contradict other definitions in the same concept
system / field
6
Worst practices for definition:
 circularity: using a concept (C1) while defining another (C2), when the definition of C2 involves
use of C1
Example:
 textile: a type of fabric that is woven
 fabric: a type of textile (cf. ISO 1995)
 tautology: using several parts of the definiendum in the definiens
Example:
 uniform movement: movement that occurs uniformly (cf. ISO 1995)
 negation: defining by specifying what is absent
Example:
Health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (Note WHO’s definition, which is
acceptable: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity)
- incompleteness: insufficient statement of characteristics Influenza is a viral infection (no
differentiating characteristics? There are so many viral infections)
- multiple definitions: explaining more than one term in a definition
Exercise: Here are some definitions of medical concepts from THE MERCK MANUAL (1997). Which ones
fit the above recommendation and which do not? Why?
1.Influenza (flu) is a viral infection that causes a fever, runny nose, cough, headache, a feeling of illness
(malaise), and inflammation of the lining of the nose and airways.
2.An intracranial hemorrhage is bleeding inside the skull.
3.The term psychosomatic disorder has no precise definition. Most often, the term is applied to physical
disorders thought to be caused by psychological factors. However, no physical disorder is caused
exclusively by psychological factors. Rather, a physical disorder has a necessary biologic component – a
factor essential for the disease to occur.
4. Paraneoplastic syndromes are the remote effects of cancer (most commonly lung and ovarian cancer)
on many different functions of the body, often those of the nervous system.
5. Shy-Drager syndrome is a disorder of unknown cause in which many parts of the nervous system
degenerate.
EXTRA: read and consider.

Facts and objects have innumerable properties, some of which are expressed in conceptual
features, which are considered as more or less extended units of information. Not all of the features are
of interest for experts when they form a concept encompassing a particular extension (facts or objects) in
their expert domain; only salient features (FS), as opposed to latent features (FL), are. The latter are
features associated to an extension but generally not expressed as such in human dictionaries. Latent
features are often implied by and inherited through other features. The latent features might nevertheless
be important in natural language processing lexicons or ontologies, for example for use in applications
capable of drawing inferences. However, they are not expressed in terminological dictionaries, therefore
they are not considered salient in that case. Latent features may also be features relating to the extension
that are possessed by individuals as part of their background knowledge, but are not of interest to the
domain under consideration. For instance, the fact that a container is used to promote a brand is
something one may know about that object, but which is totally irrelevant in the domain of waste
management, where what matters are the main functions of the object in that domain, such as
conditioning, transportation and storage of goods, or the fact that they are a large part of waste and that
they have to be valorized by industrials themselves. These latter features are thus considered salient.
(Selja Seppälä, 2009, “A Proposal for a Framework to Evaluate Feature Relevance for Terminographic
Definitions”, Workshop on Definition Extraction 2009 – Borovets, Bulgaria, pages 47–53)
7
Lecture 6. Definition in Terminology: definition, classification, examples, best and worst practice.
The main types of textual support in terminology: definitions, contexts, observations, phraseologisms
and usage samples.
Textual supports are always accompanied by their references!
A definition: a descriptive statement that gives the essential characteristics of a concept as well as
characteristics that distinguish the concept from all others.
A definition: «A statement that describes a concept and permits its differentiation from other concepts
within a system of concepts.» (ISO 12620 : A.5.1)
A context: a quoted text that illustrates the definition. It may also take the place of a definition. The term
must always be present in the context.
A context can be: definitional/defining, explanatory, associative
Defining contexts include the essential characteristics of the concept under study.
Explanatory contexts provide information about some of the characteristics.
Associative contexts demonstrate the use of the term in the subject field under study, but do not help to
illustrate the textual match through correspondence of semantic features.
Examples
Defining context: "BSE or ‘Mad Cow Disease’ is a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system
of cattle."
Explanatory context: "The disease has an incubation period of four to five years, but ultimately is
fatal for cattle within weeks to months of its onset. BSE first came to the attention of the scientific
community in November 1986 in the United Kingdom (UK)."
Associative context: "BSE is a federally reportable disease in Canada, under the authority of the
Health of Animals Act."
Observations or notes provide further information regarding usage of the term in discourse.
Phraseologisms and usage samples show how the term is used.
Observations provide information about nuances of the concept or about usage of the terms that
designate the concept.
Roles:
- connects two entities:
o The concept
o The term ( = the designation of the concept)
- states the essential and delimiting characteristics of a concept.
- helps establish the textual match between languages
Functions:
- fixation of a concept (typically during first concept – term assignment)
- explanation of a concept
- relating concepts (either for differentiation or similarity)
Form: term IS A description of concept Definiendum = Definiens
 Need
 Client
Term (Terms that have multiple meanings (polysemes) should be defined.)
Goal: intra-organization communication, R&D, educational etc.
Types of definitions:
- Partitive definitions
- Definitions by synonym
- Definitions by description
- Mixed synonym and description
- Operational definitions
- Definitions by demonstration
- Extensional Definitions
8
Definitions by genus and specific difference: also called analytical / Aristotelian definition
- Suitable to define nouns
- Analyzes their characteristics
- indicate the superordinate concept (the concept immediately above or at a higher level), then
the characteristic(s) that distinguish the concept from others in the same concept system.
Ex. lead pencil: Pencil whose graphite core is fixed in a wooden casing that is removed for usage by
sharpening.
Superordinate concepts - pencil / writing instrument.
Essential and delimiting characteristics - casing must be removed for usage by sharpening; graphite
core is fixed in wood casing.
Partitive definitions: describe a whole by its parts, or describe a part in relation to the whole
formulas: part of, component of, section of, period of, element in, ingredients making up, etc., followed
by the superordinate concept.
Ex. lead cartridge: The part of a mechanical pencil’s lead advance mechanism which stores and
guides the lead refill as it moves forward.
Superordinate concept - lead advance mechanism.
Essential and delimiting characteristics - stores the lead; guides the lead as it is advanced.
Definitions by synonymy: define the concept using a term with the same meaning, considered to be
more familiar to the target audience.
Softlifting: software piracy, software theft
Definitions by description: list the essential characteristics of the concept (nature, material, purpose,
means, cause and effect, time, place).
Mirror: a polished surface, usually made of glass, that forms images by reflection.
Nature - a polished surface.
Material - glass.
Purpose - to form images.
Means - by reflection.
Mixed: ex. synonym and description - begin with a synonym, then describe use, purpose, nature, etc.
Impulse (physiology): the signal that travels along the length of a nerve fibre.
Operational definitions: describe the performance of observable and repeatable operations
- Useful for defining processes, methods, mechanisms and machines by describing how they are
conducted or how they operate or function.
Ex. Printer: A computer peripheral that produces a durable record of data in the form of a
sequence of discrete graphic characters belonging to a predetermined character set.
Extensional Definitions – (in highly specialized terminological documents directed at field specialists)
- the definition can be formulated as an exhaustive list of the subordinate concepts which
correspond to the objects in the class.
Ex. threatened species: Critically endangered species, endangered species or vulnerable species.
Definitions: intensional vs extensional
by extension: “«expenses» include costs, charges and necessary outlays of every description;
«notice» includes a demand, consent or waiver.” (in legal texts - contracts)
by intension: “«business day» means a day on which banks and foreign exchange markets are
open for business in London and New York.”
Other types:
- Lexicographic vs. encyclopedic ~ terminographic
- Definitions by demonstration: provide a visual reference such as a drawing, illustration, video,
etc. (aka ostensive)
- by paraphrase: lengthen – the process that makes something longer
- Stipulative: prescribes meaning within a given (LEGAL) document
"Easement" means easement granted after May 4, 1970.
- the nature of the concept to be defined
- the purpose of the definition
9
- the information available
- the requirements of the user
Previous printed version New electronic version
labour (or labor) must be encoded main entry : labour
synonym : labor
high frequency (HF) must be encoded main entry : high frequency
synonym : HF
abbreviated form of : high frequency
high water: double must be encoded main entry : double high water
etc.
Best practices for definitions:
A terminological definition must meet the following requirements:
 Reference to a system: the definition inserts the concept into a concept system.
Example bicycle: land-vehicle used for transportation, having two wheels, a frame and a seat,
which is pedal-driven and human-powered
 Conciseness: the definition is concise, clear, and brief but still containing all the essential distinguishing
characteristics.
Example original definition:
Term: ageing Definition: Gradual rise in strength due to physical change in metals and alloys, in
which there is breakdown from supersaturated solid solution and lattice precipitation over a
period of days at atmospheric temperature.
poor shortened form: Term: ageing Definition: Gradual rise in strength due to physical change
in metals and alloys.
good shortened form: Term: ageing Definition: Rise in strength in metals and alloys in which there
is a breakdown from super-saturated solid solution.”
 Affirmativeness: the definition states what the concept is, rather than what it is not.
Example trailer Definition: Non-mechanically propelled vehicle.
 Noncircularity: the definition does not use words whose definitions refer back to the concept in
question, nor does it begin with the term itself.
 Absence of tautology - the definition is not a paraphrase of the term, but rather a description of the
semantic features of the concept. Avoid the following:
 Substitutability - Use of term of the same part of speech that - the definition begins with a term of
the same part of speech as the term being defined so that the term can be replaced by the definition
within text without changing the sentence.
Other tips:
- Mind the defining vocabulary/entailed terms (the language should not be (unnecessarily)
obscure :
- Mind definitional views: develop a concept system
- Front the definiendum and use a “definitor” or link to equate definiendum to definiens (X
is a Y; X includes A + B)
- the definiendum should be expressed by the same part of speech as the definiens
- The definition of the concept should not contradict other definitions in the same concept
system / field
10
Worst practices for definition:
 circularity: using a concept (C1) while defining another (C2), when the definition of C2 involves
use of C1
Example:
 textile: a type of fabric that is woven
 fabric: a type of textile (cf. ISO 1995)
 tautology: using several parts of the definiendum in the definiens
Example:
 uniform movement: movement that occurs uniformly (cf. ISO 1995)
 negation: defining by specifying what is absent
Example:
Health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (Note WHO’s definition, which is
acceptable: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity)
- incompleteness: insufficient statement of characteristics Influenza is a viral infection (no
differentiating characteristics? There are so many viral infections)
- multiple definitions: explaining more than one term in a definition
Exercise: Here are some definitions of medical concepts from THE MERCK MANUAL (1997). Which ones
fit the above recommendation and which do not? Why?
1.Influenza (flu) is a viral infection that causes a fever, runny nose, cough, headache, a feeling of illness
(malaise), and inflammation of the lining of the nose and airways.
2.An intracranial hemorrhage is bleeding inside the skull.
3.The term psychosomatic disorder has no precise definition. Most often, the term is applied to physical
disorders thought to be caused by psychological factors. However, no physical disorder is caused
exclusively by psychological factors. Rather, a physical disorder has a necessary biologic component – a
factor essential for the disease to occur.
4. Paraneoplastic syndromes are the remote effects of cancer (most commonly lung and ovarian cancer)
on many different functions of the body, often those of the nervous system.
5. Shy-Drager syndrome is a disorder of unknown cause in which many parts of the nervous system
degenerate.
EXTRA: read and consider.

Facts and objects have innumerable properties, some of which are expressed in conceptual
features, which are considered as more or less extended units of information. Not all of the features are
of interest for experts when they form a concept encompassing a particular extension (facts or objects) in
their expert domain; only salient features (FS), as opposed to latent features (FL), are. The latter are
features associated to an extension but generally not expressed as such in human dictionaries. Latent
features are often implied by and inherited through other features. The latent features might nevertheless
be important in natural language processing lexicons or ontologies, for example for use in applications
capable of drawing inferences. However, they are not expressed in terminological dictionaries, therefore
they are not considered salient in that case. Latent features may also be features relating to the extension
that are possessed by individuals as part of their background knowledge, but are not of interest to the
domain under consideration. For instance, the fact that a container is used to promote a brand is
something one may know about that object, but which is totally irrelevant in the domain of waste
management, where what matters are the main functions of the object in that domain, such as
conditioning, transportation and storage of goods, or the fact that they are a large part of waste and that
they have to be valorized by industrials themselves. These latter features are thus considered salient.
(Selja Seppälä, 2009, “A Proposal for a Framework to Evaluate Feature Relevance for Terminographic
Definitions”, Workshop on Definition Extraction 2009 – Borovets, Bulgaria, pages 47–53)
11
Lecture 3 The Terminological documents – the term record (models, formats)
The terminological record consists of terminological data on the concept and its term/s, together with
additional data required for the management of the information recorded.
The more data the records contain, the greater the informational value of the database and the wider its
usage. However, as the number of data categories increases, so the records become more complex and
management of the data stock becomes more time-consuming.
DEFINITION (1): The terminology record is a tool for synthesizing and organizing data. The main criteria
for preparing a record are the validity, conciseness, timeliness, and complementarity of the data.
DEFINITION (2): The terminology record is a medium for recording, in a structured set of fields, the
terminological data for a specialized concept. (The Pavel tutorial)
Types of records used in systematic searches:
- extraction records
- terminology records
- correspondence records
TYPES OF TERMINOLOGICAL TRANSACTIONS in data entry:
- new records, or records added to the collection
- modifications made to improve the existing records
- cancellations, or records deleted from the database
The three main steps in the creation of terminology records are:
Researching
Establishing concept diagrams
Structuring the field of research
Scanning for terms
Establishing a monolingual base list
Performing conceptual analysis
Creating a terminology case file
Matching concepts and their designations across languages
Creating Records
Entering terms
Creating multilingual records
Selecting textual supports
Assigning usage labels
Sharing (how the final records are used):
Managing content
Keeping records current
Cross-referencing
Creating various terminology products (databases, glossaries etc.)
Terminology work is an iterative process. Once you have extracted terms from a document and
compiled, analyzed and recorded your research findings, you repeat the process for your other
documents.
The terminological base list is the list of terms created through term extraction. It contains all of the
terms that will be assigned to "nodes" of the concept diagram in order to group the textual supports by
concept.
In comparative terminology, the concept system is used to establish a terminological base list
for each of the languages.
Information - entered on the record in accordance with the rules laid out in a record-completion guide
that is applied to the entire database in question.
BASIC PRINCIPLE: "one record per concept and one concept per record"
DEFINITION: The terminological entry is the part of a terminological product which contains the
terminological data related to one concept.
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A terminological entry is the medium containing the terminological data pertaining to one
concept. If the terminological entry is stored in a database, it is usually called a terminology record.
The record offers a way to organize and synthesize the information you have gathered about the
concept and the term(s) that designate it.
The data that make up a record should be valid, concise, timely, and complementary.
Information on the record should be entered in accordance with the rules laid out in the
record-completion guide that is applied to the entire database guide in question.
TYPES OF TERMINOLOGICAL TRANSACTIONS:
 new records, or records added to the collection
 changes to improve the existing records
 cancellations, or records deleted from the database (or preserved into a repository)
The entire set of records clarifies the RELATION CONCEPT – TERM : as many terminology records as
there are nodes in the concept system.
Types of relations
Thesaurus relations:
Associative relations: a bidirectional relation between two terms that do not express the same concept
but relate to each other.
Predefined associative relation: RELATED_TO
Examples:
tennis RELATED_TO racket
football RELATED_TO goal (sports)
Synonym relations: a bidirectional relation between two terms that have the same or similar meaning
and can be used as alternatives for each other. This relation can, for example, be used between a term
and its abbreviation.
Predefined synonym relation: SYNONYM_OF
Examples:
spot SYNONYM_OF stain
Hierarchical relations: a unidirectional relation between two terms, one of which has a broader (more
global) meaning than the other. Depending on its direction, the relation can be used to look up either
more specialized or more general terms.
Predefined hierarchical relations:
LOWER_THAN to model narrowing relations e.g. plant - rose
HIGHER_THAN to model broadening relations e.g. rose- plant
Records - the starting points for organizing the information of a terminological search.
Types of search:
systematic
ad hoc
Types of records used in systematic searches:
extraction records
terminology records
correspondence records
A record is made up of fields.
Each field contains one particular type of data (or data element). A field may contain an entry term, a
grammatical parameter, an originator code, etc.
Data categories - the different types of information recorded in termbases, in the different fields of the
entries, such as definitions, parts of speech, and usage notes.
Information: mandatory vs optional
format of the information:
- free text
- predefined pick lists
- Boolean values
the input method: manual vs. system generated
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Types of Data Categories :
1. concept-related
2. term-related
3. technical/administrative
The information recorded in a terminological record - subdivided into data categories.
Data categories - groupings of data with common characteristics or features./ An inventory of data
categories for recording terminology.
- Single repository
- Concept orientation
- Term autonomy
- Data elementarity
Types of Data Categories: data categories can be characterized as:
- concept-related
- term-related
- technical/administrative
Standard terminological records usually contain the following information (ap. M.T. Cabre, 1999:124):
- The identification of the term
- Entry term
- Source of term
- Subject area(s)
- Grammatical category (POS)
- Definition
- Source of definition
A record is made up of fields. Each field contains one particular type of data (or data element).
A field may contain an entry term, a grammatical parameter, an originator code, etc.
In comparative terminology, a record includes at least two language modules.
Each contains the same series of fields corresponding to important data elements.
!!The minimum criteria for an entry should be source language term, target language term,
domain/subject field and term source for source and target language.
Examples of terminological records
EN
Term: bicycle
Subject field: transportation
Definition: land-vehicle used for transportation, having two wheels, a frame and a seat, which is pedal-
driven and human-powered.
Source: ISO 704:2009
Common Elementarity Errors
1. Error:
en: term = United Nations (UN)
Correct:
en: term = United Nations
term type = full form
en: term = UN
term type = acronym
Combinability enables us to identify individual units of content: /term/ combines here with /term type/.
2. Error:
definition = international organization that … (Merriam Webster, 10th. Edition 2004, p. 256)
Correct:
definition = international organization that …
source = Webster 2005, p. 256
Webster 2005 points to a shared resource (bibliographical entry)
Combinability: Source can be used with a term or any text or graphics field.
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Week 4The term: identification of term formation methods - case studies; neology - approach from the terminological perspective;
The term - definition - Specialized designations which designate clearly definable concrete or abstract objects ex.
camshaft, criminal proceedings
The term - definition - A (conventional) symbol that represents a concept defined within a particular field of
knowledge (M. T. Cabré, 1999, Terminology. Theory, methods and applications)
Designation – the formal side of the sign
 is a phonological representation
 is a structure of constituent morphemes
 it may have graphemic particularities (spelling)
classification: - form
A term can be:
 word (simple term)
 multiword expression (complex term)
 symbol or formula, a scientific name in Latin
 terminology unit (TU).
Examples
 single word: proliferation
 word combination: nonproliferation treaty
 acronyms: Amex (American stock exchange), UNESCO
 initialisms: CIA, UFO
 abbreviations: vol (for volume), pp for pages
 formula (chemical, mathematical): H2O, π r2
Types of terms:
simple terms - expand into complex terms in order to designate more and more subordinated concepts (for ex.
control, controller, graphics controller, AGP30-compliant graphics controller)
complex terms - contract into abbreviations (for ex., AGP30 = Advanced Graphic Port-30; KBMS means Knowledge-
Based Management System), some of which become simple terms (for example radar).
Types of terms:
Functional: nouns (objects), verbs (activities, processes, operations), adjectives (qualities, properties)
Meaning: objects, activities, processes, operations, qualities, properties, relationships
Origin: internal formation (derivation, composition, conversion) vs. loans
In Terminology
Designations - represented as terms, names (appellations) or symbols that designate or represent a concept; they
are attributed to a concept by consensus within a special language community
Objects – perceived or conceived, concrete or abstract, abstracted or conceptualized into concepts
Concepts - depict or correspond to a set of objects based on a defined set of characteristics represented or
expressed in language by designations or by definitions organized into concept systems
Property: any quality, attribute, or feature of an object
Characteristic: essential features that determine the identify of the concept associated with the object
Identifying concepts and concept relations;
 Analyzing and modeling concept systems on the basis of identified concepts and concept relations;
 Establishing representations of concept systems through concept diagrams;
 Crafting concept-oriented definitions;
 Attributing designations (predominantly terms) to each concept in one or more languages; and,
 Recording and presenting terminological data, principally in terminological entries stored in print and
electronic media (terminography).
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The three dimensions of the term (ap. Sager, 1990)
 Cognitive (the domain/field)
 Linguistic (the designation)
 Communicative/pragmatic
Pragmatic aspects in term formation
- New designational needs
- New terms are also created to rename existing realities.
Types of term formation
Primary term formation
- Monolingual
- No pre-existing linguistic entity
- Spontaneous, no rules, not planned
- The formation of a concept + the term
- The scientist / inventor (not a linguist)
- Examples: quark
Secondary term formation
- A new term is created for an existing concept
- The term is revised (in the same language)
- Transfer of knowledge to another linguistic community
- A pre-existing basis / term
- This can be in another language
- Created by a linguist / terminologist
- Rules/principles (to be found in language)
Principles for concept – term connection

Transparency – the concept it designates can be inferred, at least partially, without a definition (meaning is visible
in its morphology.)
- a key characteristic, usually a delimiting characteristic, is used in the creation of the term itself.
- only essential or delimiting characteristics not likely to change quickly as a result of technological evolution be
used. ex. chalkboard vs blackboard
Consistency - Existing terms and new terms must integrate into and be consistent with the concept system.
ex. synthetic fabrics: nylon, orlon, rayon, dacron etc.
Appropriateness - Proposed terms should adhere to familiar, established patterns of meaning within a language
community. Term formations that cause confusion shall be avoided. ex. genetic engineering vs. genetic
manipulation
Linguistic economy - A term shall be as concise as possible. ex. term bank vs. terminological databank
Derivability - Productive term formations that allow derivatives (according to whatever conventions prevail in an
individual language), should be favoured. ex. herb vs. medicinal plant
Preference for native language
Linguistic correctness term shall conform to the morphological, morphosyntactic and phonological norms of the
language in question.
Methods:
- Creating new forms
- Using existing forms
- Translingual borrowings (loan words)
Creating new forms through:
- Derivation (phosphorous, detoxification)
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- Compounds => complex terms
- Hyphen high-definition television
- Fusion/block downsizing, outflow
- No join member country
- Specialization in meaning: key word vs key-word
- Blends Biological + electronic = bionic
- Abbreviations: full form Court of Justice of the European Communities, abbreviation Court
- Initialisms (PC = personal computer)
- Acronyms (scuba = self contained underwater breathing apparatus)
- Clippings (influenza = flu)
- Aphaeresis (foreclipping): violoncello>cello
- Syncope(midclipping): milliamperemeter>milliammeter
- Apocope (hindclipping): laboratory > lab synchronization>sync, high fidelity>hi-fi
Existing forms:
- Conversion (Google => to google)
- Terminologization (wave => electromagnetic wave)
- Transdisciplinary borrowing: reaction => chemistry, physics, physiology
Semantic transfer within a special language
- Simile: L-shaped room, Π network
- Synecdoche (very productive): screen: concrete “the part of a computer on which information is
displayed” and abstract “the information displayed on this computer part”
- Metaphor: the invisible hand of the market
- Eponymy – a proper name into a common noun frequently used in physics (units of measure commonly
named after the inventor) Examples: ampere, "basic unit of electrical current" (after French physicist
Andre Ampere);
Loans:
Direct borrowing = full adoption of terms from contemporary languages (soft, hard in Romanian < English, chef,
reservoir in English < French)
Loan translation: The morphological elements of a term are translated literally in order to form a new term in the
target language (Eng. Online > French en ligne)
Neology in terminology
The appearance of a new concept normally coincides with the appearance of a new designation.
Two types of situation that require specific intervention:
- two or more designations converge in a concept and this results in a negative impact on communication
- a special language does not have the designation required for expressing a concept
Definition. Neology is the field of study that deals with new phenomena that appear in languages.
These phenomena can be seen at all descriptive levels of language, in the phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax
or the lexicon.
Neology currently refers to at least five different activities:
· the practical process of creating new lexical units
· the theoretical and applied study of lexical innovations
. institutional activity that is systematically organized to gather, assign, disseminate or implement
neologisms within a specific language policy
. identifying entirely new or recently developed special subject fields, or fields that have gaps requiring
intervention
· the relationship between the new item and dictionaries
 primary neology,
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 secondary or translation neology.
Neologisms – not a clearcut notion.
There are several possible parameters to determine if a unit constitutes a neologism or not:
a. diachrony: a recently arisen unit (define recently!)
b. lexicography: not in dictionaries
c. systematic instability: signs of formal instability (e.g. morphological, graphic, phonetic) or semantic
instability
d. psychology: speakers perceive it as a new unit
A classification of neologisms cannot be based on a single criterion but rather must be multidimensional.
Neologisms in special languages – neonyms.
Differences - words: Differences: neonyms:
· creation - new designational needs
· primary function - reject synonymy
· relationship with co-occurring synonyms - form – phraseology preferred
· resources favoured for creating the word - form – compounds based on neoclassical
· continuance in the language languages preferred
· the way they coexist in the system - designed to be international
· the way they relate to other systems
Function:
- referential
- expressive
Four basic types of neologisms:
1. neologisms in form, including the following structures:
a. derivations (with prefixes and suffixes)
b. compounds
c. phrases
d. abbreviations (initialisms, acronyms, clippings)
2. functional neologisms, including cases of lexicalization of an inflected form and those formed by syntactic
conversion
3. semantic neologisms, including three types of processes: broadening or narrowing or change of the
meaning of the base form
4. borrowed neologisms, which are true borrowings and loan translations
Linguistic characteristics of neologisms
Neonyms – monoreferential
The study of neology:
the linguistic aspect
the cultural aspect
the political aspect
Pragmatic and sociolinguistic aspects of neologisms
Applied neology – ensuring that a language of culture is capable of being used in all types of communication
The study of neologisms is particularly linked to language planning, language standardization
Linguistic conditions for a neologism to survive: they have to
· designate an explicitly delimited, stable concept that already exists so that the new term is unambiguous.
- be as brief and concise as possible
- be as transparent as possible.
- be able to be the basis for possible derived forms.
- conform to the phonological and graphic systems of the language
- result from necessity
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- not have negative connotations
The translator’s/terminologist’s task rel. to neologisms:
1. understanding the meaning of the SL neologism
2. confirming that it is not a typographical error
3. confirming that it is not an aberrant invention by a non native speaker
4. assessing its status in the language; i.e.
a. checking whether it is already in technical or general text
b. checking whether it is already in a dictionary
c. judging its likely staying power
5. identifying and weighing it against competing alternatives
6. finding an equivalent neologism in the TL
7. dealing with etymological and other complicating linguistic factors
8. rendering its meaning in a paraphrase or synonym.
Definition of neologisms in corpus linguistics: the first occurrence of a word or multi-word unit found within a
given corpus.
- nonce formation/ hapax legomenon
Semantic neology – discoverable by comparing the collocates of each word entering the corpus with the
collocational pattern.
Semantic and formal neology – a semantic shift is often accompanied by a grammatical reassignment. (ex. cap ~
capi/capete/capuri)
Productivity A sign of the increasing institutionalisation of a neologism in text is the appearance of associated
inflected and derived forms.
(based on M T Cabre, 1999)
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WEEK 1 – TERMINOLOGY SEMINAR
So…WHAT IS TERMINOLOGY ANYWAY?
When you hear the word “terminologist”, what images usually come to mind? Is it the same as
‘translator’ to you?
 person who spends every moment searching in dictionaries and the internet to find new words, new
meanings.
 an academic or translator who always spends time with books and papers.
“Terminologist”  saying something like “oh, it is about the languages”: an oversimplified description.
*** Definitions – what are the common elements they all use in defining this concept? Which one is
the clearest to you?
1. Manuel Sevilla Muñoz: “Terminology is a science whose aim is to study terms […]. Terminology
allows the compilation, description and presentation of terms”.
2. Noa Talavan: “Terms are words and expressions that are particular to one or more subject fields
or domains of human activity. Terminology is the study of terms and how they are used; it is a
formal discipline which systematically studies the labelling of concepts, through the research and
analysis of terms utilized in specific contexts, with the aim of documenting them and promoting
correct usage”.
3. Daria Protopopescu: “Terminology is not a completely new field of study, but rather it has
developed out of a basic human need, that of identifying and labelling or naming things. In spite
of that, its exact definition is not clearly stated and the views on terminology as a scientific
discipline vary considerably”.
4. United Nations Guidelines: “Terminology is the subject field that investigates the structure,
formation, development, usage and management of the terminologies in various subject fields,
and that prepares the methodological foundation for many applications”.
[1] Muñoz, Manuel Sevilla. “Introduction to Terminology”. in Material de clase. Universidad de Murcia.
[2] Talavan, Noa. “A University Handbook on Terminology and Specialized Translaștion.” Universidad
Nacional de Educacion a Distancia. Madrid: 2016.
[3] Protopopescu, Daria. (2013). Theories of terminology – past and present. In Studii şi cercetări de
onomastică şi lexicologie SCOL, 6(1-2), pp. 195-201. at
http://cis01.central.ucv.ro/revista_scol/site_ro/2013/LEXICOLIGIE/PROTOPOPESCU.pdf
[4] “Guidelines for Terminology Policies: Formulating and implementing terminology policy in language
communities.” United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Infoterm. Paris: 2005. at
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000140765
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TASK: Time how long it would take you to find equivalents to the terms in the
text below and how long it would take to actually translate it into RO. You have
52 words, 404 characters with spaces. At 2000 characters/page, how much of
the work is that of a terminologist and how much that of a translator?
Computed tomography scan was suspicious for appendicitis, and an appendectomy was performed.
The histologic sections showed circumferential leukemic infiltrate (panel A; original magnification ×40,
hematoxylin and eosin stain). Remnants of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (white arrow) were noted
adjacent to the neoplasm (black arrow) (panel B; original magnification ×200, hematoxylin and eosin
stain). […] (Narittee Sukswai & Duangpen Thirabanjasak, B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma with
an unusual appendiceal involvement, Blood 2019 134:1110)
Terminology provides interlocutors with the language and the structure for specialized or technical
communications, professional interactions, using adequate linguistic resources, and minimizing
misunderstanding and ambiguity.
SOOOOO… without terminology the technical and specialized communication does not exist.
Term comes from Latin “terminus” which means ‘limit’ or ‘end’ 😊It establishes
the limit where a concept ENDS and another begins
 General language is formed and structured by words  technical language contains terms and
words. Without words we are entirely unable to communicate.
 Same applies to specialized environments. Terminology has different concepts. It is the practice
and methodology serving the organization and analysis of terms. It is a set of specialized
vocabulary (terms).
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“Whenever and wherever specialized information and knowledge are created, communicated,
recorded, processed, stored, transformed or re-used, terminology is involved in one way or
another” (Galinski & Budin, 1997).
How does Terminology help us as (translation) professionals?

Specialists … understand the function of various term formation processes, how each process affects the
meaning and ways to effectively control the use of terminology in textual and oral productions.
Eg. Key word is a word that is key/important= General language, free combination of words.
Keyword is a search-related word which describes content; with the emergence of computerized data
bases, keywords are important research tools for search engines – created in IT and used in various
specialized domains
Translators … learn how terminological resources (i.e. term banks, glossaries, encyclopedic dictionaries,
etc.) can be employed to make more consistent and coherent translations.
Practical case study – WHY TERMINOLOGY MATTERS IN

JOURNALISM
Term choice = questionable + not easy to make, especially when multilingual journalists are to
translate articles or edit them while the clock is ticking in the newsroom.
What’s the media΄s responsibility for readers’ perception of reality? What’s the price of
“distorting” language?
Larger news-media usually invest in reliable translation services, although translation is

commonly seen as an automatic and invisible practice by journalists.
BUT…
What about using anglicisms without falling into the usual trap of keeping a word in English
simply because it sounds more attractive?
eg. in Elle magazine in Romania
“Editorial fashion: The Motorcycle Diaries. Piesele statement din piele, carourile, animal
print-ul și un touch din denim, dublate de un spirit aventuros, conturează look-uri biker
actuale și de impact.”
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also in Elle
“Criticii nu au avut cuvinte de laudă la adresa prestației actorului Eddie Redmayne din Jupiter Ascending și se
pare că de aceeași părere a fost și el, după cum a declarat pentru GQ. „Am câștigat un premiu pentru cea
mai proastă performanță a anului. Deci da, chiar a fost o performanță destul de proastă pentru cariera
mea.””
Terminology matters in journalism  using language correctly may reduce

misunderstandings, improve communication and raise credibility in journalism.
source: https://termcoord.eu/2016/05/why-terminology-matters-in-journalism-lecture-at-the-university-of-luxembourg/
INPUT 1. The main linguistic characteristics shared by specialized languages are listed below:
a. The use of specialized lexical units, that is to say, a Terminology of their own.
b. A systematic use of those lexical units, something that implies a greater coherence in the
lexical use than that exhibited in standard languages. For example, fewer synonyms are used
in specialized languages, even if this may account for a wider lexical repetition. repetition for
the sake of consistency and accuracy is favored.
c. There is a frequent use of terms with Greek and Latin prefixes and suffixes.
d. An important number of notions are expressed through phrases and not through single words,
for example, rental payment, diminishing returns, level of production, equity of redemption,
etc.
e. Abbreviations, acronyms and symbols are very common.
f. There is a preference for nominalizations instead of the corresponding verbal forms
(specialization instead of specialize).
g. Short sentences are very frequent and there is little complex subordination.
h. Digressions and explanatory sequences are also quite common when information is presented
between parentheses for the sake of brevity
i. Some specialized languages incorporate other semiotic systems into the text, such as the
language of phonetics, which makes use of the phonetic alphabet.
j. Other specialized languages produce their own type of documents that possess a series of
linguistic conventions (special graphic signs) and a specific design and organization of the
information; a clear example is administrative language, with its contracts, certificates, etc.
k. Finally, there is a clear tendency towards impersonalization and objectivity, that is achieved
through strategies such as the use of the passive, impersonal sentences (third person singular
it), etc.
Talaván, Noa, A University Handbook on Terminology and Specialized Translation, Madrid,
2016, pp 26-27)
TASK 1. Read the following text and decide whether it can be considered a specialized text
– use arguments from the lecture and from the INPUT 1 section above and list them.
A 29-year-old man with a history of Philadelphia chromosome–positive B-lymphoblastic

leukemia/lymphoma (B-ALL/LBL), 3 months post–allogeneic stem cell transplantation, presented
with right lower quadrant abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Computed tomography
23
scan was suspicious for appendicitis, and an appendectomy was performed. The histologic sections
showed circumferential leukemic infiltrate (panel A; original magnification ×40, hematoxylin and
eosin stain). Remnants of gut-associated lymphoid tissue (white arrow) were noted adjacent to the
neoplasm (black arrow) (panel B; original magnification ×200, hematoxylin and eosin stain). […]
The germinal centers and the neoplasm were positive for CD10, but only the latter was TdT
positive. Ki-67 labeling index was 50% (panel F; original magnification ×40,
immunohistochemical stain).
(NaritteeSukswai&DuangpenThirabanjasak, “B-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma with an
unusual appendiceal involvement”, Blood 2019 134:1110)
INPUT 2.
When discussing terminology, three aspects are considered:
Object: "any part of the perceivable or conceivable world." [ISO 1087] Objects can be
material (e.g. a certain house, Tower Bridge) or immaterial (speed, pain, freedom,
process). [cf: DIN 2330, p. 3]
Concept: "A unit of thought constituted through abstraction on the basis of properties
common to a set of objects. The semantic content of a concept can be re-expressed by
a combination of other and different concepts, which may vary from one language or
culture to another". [ISO 5963:1985]
Term: "Designation of a defined concept in a special language by a linguistic
expression." [ISO 1087]
TASK 2 Assign a concept to the correct subject field and identify the differences in meaning.
Use various resources: dictionaries, glossaries, encyclopedias, textbooks etc. Also identify
the equivalents into Romanian.
Ex. Noise / zgomot
Noise[x] – domain X definition Dx
Noise[y] – domain Y definition Dy
differences between the noise [x] and noise [y]
Ex. Noise [1]: refers to random, unpredictable, and undesirable signals, or changes in
signals, that mask the desired information content. DOMAIN– information theory,
electronics) (https://www.britannica.com/technology/noise-telecommunications )
Homework for next time:

Go to the UNHCR website (https://www.unhcr.org/news/latest/2015/8/55df0e556/unhcr-viewpoint-
refugee-migrant-right.html ) and other online resources:
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- read up on and write down the differences between ‘refugee’, ‘(economic) migrant’, ‘asylum
seeker’ and ‘immigrant’;
- How are they defined in the Romanian dex? What about on IATE?
- How about in these 2 articles? How are these terms used?
https://stirileprotv.ro/stiri/actualitate/valul-masiv-de-migranti-continua-sa-creasca-polic-ic-
tii-romani-au-salvat-53-de-refugiac-i.html
- https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/06/bulgaria-europe-migrant-crisis-118719/
Remember: Choices about words do matter.
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WEEK 3
Terminology Seminar 2_I LMA
Fall Semester 2022-23
Approaches: semasiological, onomasiological; normative, descriptive

INPUT
The semasiological approach – specific of Lexicology; sense: from word towards meaning; basic
question: „what does X mean?
The onomasiological approach – preferred in Terminology; sense: from the concept to the
terms(designation); basic question: „what is x called?”
TASK 1. Starting from the definition of SCARĂ in DEX (below), create a monolingual and a bilingual
(English, Romanian) entry for the word using the onomasiological approach.
Reminder: Onomasiology starts from a concept which is taken to be prior (i.e. an idea,
an object, a quality, an activity etc.) and asks for its names. The opposite approach is
known as semasiology: here one starts with a word and asks what it means, or what
concepts the word refers to. Thus, an onomasiological question is, e.g., "what are the
names for long, narrow pieces of potato that have been deep-fried?" (answers: french
fries in the US, chips in the UK, etc.), while a semasiological question is, e.g., "what is the
meaning of the term chips?" (answers: 'long, narrow pieces of potato that have been
deep-fried' in the UK, 'slim slices of potatoes deep fried or baked until crisp' in the US).
SCÁRĂ, scări, s.f. I. 1. Obiect (de lemn, de fier, de frânghie etc.) alcătuit din două părți laterale lungi și
paralele, unite prin piese paralele așezate transversal la distanțe egale și servind pentru a urca și a coborî
la alt nivel. ♢ Scară de pisică = scară flexibilă formată din două parâme care susțin trepte de lemn,
folosită în navigație. 2. Element de construcție alcătuit dintr-un șir de trepte de lemn, marmură, piatră
etc. (cu balustradă), servind pentru comunicarea între etaje, între o clădire și exteriorul ei etc.; (la pl.)
trepte. ♢ Scară rulantă = scară cu trepte mobile montate pe o bandă rulantă; escalator. ♦ Treaptă sau șir
de trepte la un vehicul, servind la urcare și la coborâre. 3. Fiecare dintre cele două inele prinse de o parte
și de alta a șeii, în care călărețul își sprijină piciorul. II. 1. Succesiune, șir, serie ordonată de elemente
(mărimi, cifre etc.) așezate în ordine crescândă, descrescândă sau cronologică, servind la stabilirea
valorii a ceva. ♢ Scara ființelor (sau viețuitoarelor) = șirul neîntrerupt al ființelor organizate, de la cele
mai simple până la cele mai evoluate. Scara durității (sau de duritate) = succesiunea progresivă a durității
celor zece minerale adoptate ca etalon al gradului de duritate. Scară muzicală = succesiune a sunetelor
muzicale, cuprinzând aproximativ opt octave. 2. Serie de diviziuni la unele aparate și instrumente
(termometru, barometru etc.), formând o linie gradată, cu ajutorul căreia se face determinarea unei
mărimi prin deplasarea unei părți mobile. 3. Linie gradată care reproduce în mic unitățile de măsură și
care servește la măsurarea distanțelor sau a cantităților cuprinse într-o hartă, într-un plan, într-un desen.
26
Use table format in each case.
Ex.
Term Meaning
scară obiect (de lemn, de fier, de frânghie etc.) alcătuit din două părți laterale
lungi și paralele, unite prin piese paralele așezate transversal la distanțe
egale și servind pentru a urca și a coborî la alt nivel.
scară element de construcție alcătuit dintr-un șir de trepte de lemn, marmură,
piatră etc. (cu balustradă), servind pentru comunicarea între etaje, între o
clădire și exteriorul ei etc.; (la pl.) trepte.
Term-Ro Meaning Term_EN Meaning

scară Obiect (de lemn, de fier, de ladder a piece of equipment consisting of a
frânghie etc.) alcătuit din series of bars or steps between two
două părți laterale lungi și upright lengths of wood, metal, or rope,
paralele, unite prin piese used for climbing up or down
paralele așezate transversal la something. (Oxford dictionaries)
distanțe egale și servind
pentru a urca și a coborî la alt
nivel.
scară Element de construcție stair ...
alcătuit dintr-un șir de trepte
de lemn, marmură, piatră
etc. (cu balustradă), servind
pentru comunicarea între
etaje, între o clădire și
exteriorul ei etc.; (la pl.)
trepte.
... ... ... ...
TASK 2. Which of the following is an example of a normative / descriptive approach?

a. *
b. **
27
(sources at the end!)
INPUT The five principles of Terminology as suggested by Eugen Wuster are the following:
Basic Principles of Terminology (GTT) (ISO 10241)
1. Terminology begins with the concept and aims to clearly delineate each concept.
2. Concepts should not be studied in isolation, but rather as elements in a concept system that can be drawn up
based on a close study of the characteristics of concepts, which bring out the existing relationships between the
concepts.
3. Definitions should reflect the position of a concept in a concept system; the intensional* definition is preferred
as it is more systematic than any other type of definition.
4. The principle of univocity: each concept should be designed by only one term and one term should only refer
to one concept; synonymy and polysemy should be eliminated.
5. The synchrony/synchronicity** principle – the terminologist is concerned with the way in which specialists
use a term at the respective moment.
*An intensional definition gives the meaning to a term by specifying necessary and sufficient conditions for
when the term should be used. In the case of nouns, this means listing the properties that an object needs to have
in order to be counted as a referent of the term. (Wiki)
**A synchronic approach (from Ancient Greek: συν- "together" and χρόνος "time") considers a language at a
moment in time without taking its history into account. Synchronic linguistics aims at describing a language at a
specific point of time, often the present. In contrast, diachronic linguistics (from δια- "through" and χρόνος
"time"), as in historical linguistics, considers the development and evolution of a language through history. (Wiki)
TASK 3. Consider the following text and decide whether the statements are true or false (write T or F):
A battery, which is actually an electric cell, is a device that produces electricity from a chemical reaction.
Strictly speaking, a battery consists of two or more cells connected in series or parallel, but the term is
generally used for a single cell. A cell consists of a negative electrode; an electrolyte, which conducts
ions; a separator, also an ion conductor; and a positive electrode. The electrolyte may be aqueous
(composed of water) or nonaqueous (not composed of water), in liquid, paste, or solid form.
a. A terminologist is interested about who invented the battery (Alessandro Volta) and the
etymology of the word (from Anglo-French baterie, from batre “to beat”, from Latin battuere)
diachrony – synchrony; TRUE / FALSE
b. The following entries are based on the semasiological approach: TRUE / FALSE
B attery (legal) - b: an offensive touching or use of force on a person without the person's consent
— compare ASSAULT
Battery (physics): b: a group of two or more cells connected together to furnish electric current
Battery (military): an artillery unit in the army equivalent to a company
Battery1. (legal) - b: an offensive touching or use of force on a person without the person's consent
— compare ASSAULT; 2. physics): b: a group of two or more cells connected together to furnish
electric current……
28
c. A terminological glossary includes the pronunciation of the term battery/ˈbat(ə)ri/
TRUE / FALSE
d. A terminologist is interested in the existing types of batteries: TRUE / FALSE
Batteries generally can be classified into different categories and types, ranging from chemical
composition, size, form factor and use cases, but under all of these are two major battery types; there
are: Primary Batteries, also known as non-rechargeable; Secondary Batteries, also known as
rechargeable, of which the most important types based on the chemical processes involved are: a.
Lithium-ion(Li-ion); b. Nickel Cadmium(Ni-Cd); c. Nickel-Metal Hydride(Ni-MH); d. Lead-Acid.
e. A terminological glossary normally includes information of the type: battery – NOUN (batteries)
count. 1. A container consisting of one or more cells etc. Synonyms: cell, accumulator, power
unit. TRUE / FALSE
f. A terminologist is interested in information such as: battery: criminal law (1216) [LAW]
TRUE / FALSE
g. A terminological glossary possibly includes images TRUE / FALSE
DRY BATTERY
INPUT
Ad hoc research is a question of solving a terminology problem in a translation as quickly as
possible.
Subject-related research (also known a systematic or thematic terminology work) is more
reliable method because it allows the terminology of all or part of a clearly defined subject area
and the relevant concepts as they relate to each other to be set out in a systematic/organized form.
TASK 4. Decide whether the following characteristics apply to systematic (S) or ad hoc (A)
terminology management:
• for users lacking time and resources
• lower level of specialization
• no/little consistency
• finding – not saved in a database
• team work
• (largely) reusable findings
• use of available language tools
• higher level of specialization
• time consuming
• presupposes the use of existing resources
• formulated as response to individual queries
29
*from Biber et al., Grammar of spoken and written English, Longman, 1999
**F. Rodeghiero et al., Standardization of terminology, definitions and outcome criteria in immune
thrombocytopenic purpura of adults and children: report from an international working group,
Blood (2009) 113 (11): 2386–2393.
30
Terminology III*/
Seminar 3 The term record: identifying and
selecting information, creation of term
records for given terms
QUIZZ: Start with this: choose the correct answer in each case:
1. The TERM RECORD TR is a concept/document/frame/
2. The FIELD is a kind of TR/ a part of the TR/ the result of a TR
3. The FIELD contains: data about the concept/ language/ the term/ science in general/ all of the
above?
4. ONE FIELD contains: all data about the concept/ some data about the concept/ one type of data
about the concept/ two types of data about the concept
5. Which are the mandatory fields in a TR:
6. TRUE or FALSE? All TRs should be identical, no matter the domain
7. TRUE or FALSE? All TRs in the same glossary/termbase should be identical
8. TRUE or FALSE? A TR should contain images
9. TRUE or FALSE? The FIELDS in a TRs in a glossary should be in the same order
10. TRUE or FALSE? A TR must be in electronic format
INPUT.
Concept orientation - is the fundamental principle whereby a terminological entry describes one and
only one concept. This principle originates from the General Theory of Terminology and is still extremely
relevant today even for the most practical types of terminology work. It distinguishes terminology from
lexicology, where an entry describes an individual word or expression, which can be polysemic.
Terminology databases are usually multilingual; each language term in an entry is equivalent in meaning
to the others. However, because entries are meaning-based, they can also contain multiple terms in a
given language. Synonyms, abbreviations, and spelling variants of a term must all be placed in the same
entry. NOT IN THE SAME FIELD!!! One can say that terminology resources are structured more like a
thesaurus than a conventional dictionary.
Term autonomy - is the principle whereby each term in a terminological entry can be documented or
described with the same level of detail. In other words, the TMS should not have an unbalanced
structure whereby there are more fields available to describe a so-called ‘main’ term than for other
31
terms. This unbalanced structure has been observed in some TMSs where there are a number of fields
available to document the first term, such as Part-of speech and Definition, but fewer fields for
subsequent terms, such as Synonym and Abbreviation. This reflects a poor design (my emphasis).
Instead, the TMS should use a Term type data category. For example, instead of:
Term:
Part-of-speech:
Definition:
Synonym:
Abbreviation:
One should have:
Term:
Part-of-speech:
Definition:
Term type:
where the Term type field allows values such as abbreviation and acronym. The value synonym should
not be necessary since all terms in a given entry are synonyms of each other. So long as the term section
shown above can be repeated in the entry, all terms can be equally described.
Data elementarity
Data elementarity is a best practice in database management in general, and it also applies to
termbases. According to this principle, there can only be one type of information in a database record or
field. This means that in the termbase design separate fields are required for different types of
information, which takes careful planning to account for all types of information that may be required
by the users. An example where this principle has been violated is when the Definition field contains not
only a definition, but also the source of that definition. Another example is when both the part-of-
speech and gender is inserted into a field, such as ‘n f’ for a feminine noun. Possibly the worst case is
when the Term field contains two terms, as this also violates term autonomy. Unfortunately, this seems
to occur fairly frequently, such as when a term field contains both a full form and an abbreviation, for
example:
Term: access control list (ACL)
These are two different terms. The following arrangement is better:
Term: access control list
Term type: full form
Term: ACL
Term type: acronym
(K Warburton, 2014, Terminology management, pp 658-659)
TASK 1. List the data categories in each of the following records; what differences can you identify:
32
a.
At http://ier.gov.ro/
b.
In https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/e-library/glossary/displaced-person_en
33
c.
https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-
do/networks/european_migration_network/docs/emn-glossary-es-version.pdf
TASK 2. Identify and list possible errors in the content of this TR (Term Record).
Terminology record for the term electrode.
1. Entry term : electrode

2. Source of term: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc_welding
3. Subject area: Physics
4. Grammatical category : Noun
5. Definition: A conductor through which electric current passes into or out of a conducting
medium. (The World energy book: an A-Z atlas and statistical source book) (Termium plus)
6. Context: The electrical double-layer at a solid electrode does not in general behave as a pure
capacitance but rather as an impedance displaying a frequency-independent phase angle
different from 90°.
7. Date of record: 01. 25. 201X
8. Equivalents in other languages: electrode FR; electrodo ESP
9. Source of equivalence: Fr: Grand dictionnaire encyclopédique Larousse.
Esp : Diccionario ilustrado de las ciencias / Tomás de Galiana Mingot.
TASK 3. Use the material collected for the creation of the definition of the term cardiac arrest and create
a bilingual (En Ro) TR for this term. Indicate your resources!!!
TASK 4 Introduce the information in the term record you have just created in a private termbase at
https://www.termbases.eu/ (you have to create an account and register!) Prior to that watch the tutorial
at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY8ZlZwVuVA&list=PLFvjWRoirKVg03BHStkhBxfhspVnQkGGx&ind
ex=4 and
34
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhKKxRDw5Rg&list=PLFvjWRoirKVg03BHStkhBxfhspVnQkGGx&ind
ex=5 (in Spanish 😊)
35
TASK 1. Identify the term formation processes in the following examples:
a. hazardous b. co-educational c. high-definition television d. HD TV e. quasar f. compact disk-
read only memory technology g. CD-rom technology h. realpolitik
TASK 2. What principles of term formation (transparency, consistency, appropriateness, linguistic

economy, derivability, preference for native language) are manifest in the case of the following terms
or sets of terms:
a. fluoride, chloride, bromide, iodide, nitride/ferrate, cuprate, plumbate, argenate, aurate, stannate
b. predatory pricing = the pricing of goods or services at such a low level that other suppliers cannot
compete and are forced to leave the market; price elasticity = a measure of the responsiveness of demand
to a change in price. if demand changes by more than the price has changed, the good is price-elastic; if
demand changes by less than the price, it is price-inelastic.
c. mad cow disease = bovine spongiform encephalopathy;
d. NAG = N-acetylglutamate;
e. Nebula, nebulize, nebulization, nebulizer;
f. idiopathic purpura vs immune purpura: the term "idiopathic" – deprecated vs "immune" –
preferred to emphasize the immune-mediated mechanism of the disease; the term "purpura" deprecated,
because bleeding symptoms are absent or minimal in a large proportion of cases.
TASK 3. Consider the following text:

All herpes viruses are morphologically identical. They have a large double stranded DNA genome. The
virion consists of an icosahedral nucleocapsid of about 100 nm in diameter, which is surrounded by a
lipid bilayer envelope. Between the capsid and the envelope is an amorphous layer of proteins, termed
the tegument. The envelope that surrounds the nucleocapsid is derived from the inner nuclear
membrane of the host cell. Virus-encoded glycoproteins are incorporated into the virion envelope and
are visible as "spikes" that project from its surface. There are two closely related viruses termed Herpes
Simplex 1 and Herpes Simplex 2. (Lecture notes – Human Herpesviruses, at
http://www.virology.uct.ac.za/teachherpes.html)
a. Which of the following would you select as terms – explain your answer in one sentence each:
nucleocapsid; cell; from.
b. Which term formation processes are used in the case of the following terms?
a. lipid bilayer envelope; b. DNA; c. icosahedral; d. virion; e. "spikes"
36
INPUT 1. Read the following text, focusing on: motivation of term form; rules for term formation: the
institution(s) involved in term creation; term creation principles at work.
As early as 1782 it was stated by Guyton de Morveau that, in the interest of science, it
was necessary to have “a constant method of denomination, which helps the intelligence and
relieves the memory” [1]. Ideally, an element or a compound should have a unique name because
the proliferation of names for the same substance can lead to confusion. A case in point, but not
the only one, is element 104, for which the names rutherfordium and kurchatovium have been
used for nearly three decades by competing laboratories. At the heart of the problem is the belief
of the discoverers that they have the sole right to name a new element. However, given a decision
by IUPAC in 1947, discoverers have the right to suggest a name to IUPAC, but only the IUPAC
Commission on Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry, after an examination of the suggested
name to determine its suitability and a public and expert review process, could make a
recommendation to the IUPAC Council. On 1 January 2002, when the IUPAC Commission on
the Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry ceased to exist, this responsibility was taken over by
the IUPAC Inorganic Chemistry Division to which this Commission belonged. The IUPAC
Council makes the final decision. […]
3. CHOICE OF NAMES FOR NEW ELEMENTS
In keeping with tradition, elements are named after
• a mythological concept or character (including an astronomical object);
• a mineral, or similar substance;
• a place or geographical region;
• a property of the element; or
• a scientist.
To avoid confusion in the literature, when a name has been in unofficial use for a
particular element, but a different name is ultimately chosen for that element, then the first name
cannot be transferred for use for another element. A case in point is element 105 for which the
name hahnium has been unofficially used. Since the name dubnium was chosen for that element,
hahnium cannot be used for another as yet unnamed element. […]
…
For linguistic consistency, the names of all new elements should end in “-ium”.
ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS – Favourable factors:
(a) Habits of users
(b) Presence or absence of transparency
(c) Understanding of the concept
(d) Etymology
(e) Memorization and reproduction
TASK 4. Which of the previous rules can be identified in the naming of the following chemical elements:
Lead (Pb 82); Helium (He 2); Polonium (84); Rutherfordium (Rf, 104).
TASK 5. Find the names of the latest 5 elements discovered and the naming rule in each case.
INPUT 2. The “Analogue Rule” with regard to naming in Greek

The processes operated during primary term formation in a source language can provide valuable
guidance for the creation of terms on a secondary level. The processes of designating a concept in a
target language must take account of the corresponding processes operated in the source language just
37
as these are reflected in the form of the primary term. The systematization of these processes within an
integrated naming mechanism in the target language is called the “analogue rule”.
According to the analogue rule, “when forming a term in a target language in order to name a
new concept that has been primarily named in the source language, the namer’s first choice should be to
apply a term-formation mechanism analogous to the term-formation mechanism used for the source
language term”.
Example:
In the subject field of 〈Electronics〉, the English term chip was formed in the source language as a simple
single-word term, via terminologization of the ordinary term chip, meaning “a very thin slice of wood,
food, etc.” in order to render the concept “integrated circuit in the form of a thin rectangular
semiconductor plaque”.
In Greek, an analogous mechanism by terminologization was applied to the ordinary Greek term πλινθίο
(= small brick). This choice provided for the possibility to render successfully terms such as those
displayed in the table below.
38
(from Κostas Valeontis, The “analogue rule” a useful terminological tool in interlingual transfer of
knowledge, 2nd Terminology Summit, Barcelona, Spain, 2004
ACTIVITY. Consider the following set of terms in IT from the Newsletter of the French Society of
Terminology (Letter no 22, Automne – Hiver, 2014 – 2015). Choose one term and identify the term
formation process, explain its necessity, look it up in sites on the Internet and check to what extent it is
in use in French. Is there a Romanian equivalent? If not, suggest one keeping in mind the Principles of
term formation and the “analogue rule”.
EXTRA A. Consider the terminologies of the domains chemistry and the subdomain chemical elements,
and the domain biology. a. Who created these terminologies? b. How is the terminology created in each
case?
(refer also to taxonomy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology)
chemical symbols, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table The Chemical Elements, Their
Discovery and the Origins of their Names http://d1068036.site.myhosting.com/Elements/elements.html)
In 1862, the French geologist Antoine Béguyer de Chancourtois made up a list of elements, arranged by
increasing atomic weight. He is said to have wrapped the list, divided into 16 sections around a cylinder.
After he had done this, he noticed that different sets of similar elements lined up. One of these groups,
oxygen, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium, had a repeated pattern. The atomic weights of these elements
are 16, 32, 79, and 128, all multiples of 16. This periodic repeat seemed to be part of a natural pattern
that occurred regularly.
EXTRA B. Dermophis donaldtrumpi is a proposed species of caecilian – a nearly-blind, serpentine

amphibian – to be named after Donald Trump. It was originally discovered in Panama and is yet to be
confirmed as a new species; as of October 2021, the binomial name has not been formally published. It
was given its name after the Rainforest Trust held an auction for the naming rights. The company
EnviroBuild won the auction and named the species in protest against Trump's environmental policies
and views.
EXTRA C.
Comment on the following quote with respect to the resources of Romanian in terms of terminological
creativity:
39
In many cases borrowings are unnecessary because most languages have enough resources to create their
own terms. [...] Replacing borrowings with genuine forms of a language is indicative of the vitality of a
language, of the attitudes its speakers have with respect to language survival, and the hierarchical
relationships that exist among languages, which all express political economic and social relations. (M.T.
Cabre, Terminology. Theory, Methods, Applications, John Benjamins, 1999)
40

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Lecture notes 2_I

Basic Principles of Terminology (GTT) (ISO 10241)

There are four basic methods used in terminological work:

DIFFERENCE word vs term

EXTRA: read and consider.

EXTRA: read and consider.

Principles for concept – term connection

How does Terminology help us as (translation) professionals?

Practical case study – WHY TERMINOLOGY MATTERS IN

Larger news-media usually invest in reliable translation services, although translation is

eg. in Elle magazine in Romania

Terminology matters in journalism  using language correctly may reduce

A 29-year-old man with a history of Philadelphia chromosome–positive B-lymphoblastic

Homework for next time:

Remember: Choices about words do matter.

Approaches: semasiological, onomasiological; normative, descriptive

Term-Ro Meaning Term_EN Meaning

TASK 2. Which of the following is an example of a normative / descriptive approach?

1. Entry term : electrode

TASK 2. What principles of term formation (transparency, consistency, appropriateness, linguistic

TASK 3. Consider the following text:

INPUT 2. The “Analogue Rule” with regard to naming in Greek

EXTRA B. Dermophis donaldtrumpi is a proposed species of caecilian – a nearly-blind, serpentine

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