Professional Documents
Culture Documents
T h i s i n t r o d u c t o r y c o u r s e i n t e r m i n o l o g y h a s f i n a l l y come o u t .
There h a s been a d e f i n i t e gap i n the English terminology l i t e r a -
t u r e f o r a h a n d b o o k / c o u r s e b o o k w h i c h t h e p r e s e n t work w i l l v e r y
a p t l y f i l l . I t owes i t s o r i g i n t o a n u m b e r o f r e s i d e n t i a l c o u r s e s
h e l d o v e r t h e y e a r s i n Denmark, V e n e z u e l a a n d E n g l a n d f o r v a r i o u s
i n t e r n a t i o n a l t a r g e t g r o u p s . The c o u r s e h a s been p u b l i s h e d i n
r e v i s e d w r i t t e n form by The U n i v e r s i t y o f S u r r e y , w h e r e a s e m i n a r
w a s h e l d by t h e two a u t h o r s i n t h e s p r i n g o f 1 9 8 5 . T h e s u g g e s t e d
t a r g e t g r o u p s a r e s t u d e n t s aiming a t a p p l i e d language d e g r e e s and
diplomas i n translation.
V THE TERM
H e r e we move t o t h e s u r f a c e l e v e l o f t e r m i n o l o g y , t h e a c t u a l l i n -
g u i s t i c r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s o f c o n c e p t s . The r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n
c o n c e p t a n d t e r m i s e x p a n d e d on f r o m d i f f e r e n t t h e o r e t i c a l a n g -
l e s . Terms a r e s t u d i e d i n t h e n e t w o r k o f c o n v e n t i o n a l i z e d s i g n s
and as elements i n a system of terms - t h e terminology of a p a r -
t i c u l a r s u b j e c t f i e l d . Monosemy, p o l y s e m y , synonymy, e q u i v a l e n c e
a n d homonymy a r e d i s c u s s e d a s t y p e s o f t e r m - c o n c e p t r e l a t i o n s a n d
terminologization, compounding, derivation, conversion, loan
w o r d s a n d a b b r e v i a t i o n s a s means o f t e r m - f o r m a t i o n .
T h e s e t e c h n i c a l a s p e c t s a r e f o l l o w e d by recommenda t i o n s o f w h a t
s h o u l d b e k e p t i n mind when new terms a r e f o r m e d . The recommenda-
t i o n s a r e b a s e d on p r a c t i c a l e x p e r i e n c e a n d i n c l u d e s u c h r u l e s o f
thumb a s t h a t t h e terms m u s t b e w e l l - m o t i v a t e d , systematic,
g r a m m a t i c a l l y c o r r e c t , p o t e n t i a l l y p r o d u c t i v e , s h o r t , and n o t
h a v e c o n f u s i n g synonyms - a l l t h i s w i t h o u t f o r g e t t i n g t h e s o c i o -
l i n g u i s t i c s i d e of the m a t t e r ( u s e r a t t i t u d e s and i n t e r n a t i o n a l
a s p e c t s ).
V 1 TERMINOGRAPHY
The LSP v a r i a n t 9 f l e x i c o g r a p h y i s d i s c u s s e d f r o m a c o n t r a s t i v e
a n g l e . The m e r i t s o f a s y s t e m a t i c o r d e r i n g o v e r a n a l p h a b e t i c
o r d e r i n g o f LSP a r e b r o u g h t f o r w a r d . The d a n g e r s o f b a d l y p l a n n e d
mu1 t i - l i n g u a l d i c t i o n a r i e s a r e i l l u s t r a t e d a n d p r o p e r w o r k i n g
m e t h o d s i n t r o d u c e d . The p r o b l e m s o f c o n c e p t u a l n o n - e q u i v a l e n c e o r
p a r t i a l e q u i v a l e n c e between l a n g u a g e s a c e d e s c r i b e d a s w e l l a s
t h e e x i s t e n c e of " f a l s e f r i e n d s " i n m u l t i l i n g u a l terminologies.
V i s i o n s of terminographical p r o d u c t s i n the n e a r f u t u r e a r e o u t -
l i n e d a t t h e end of t h e c h a p t e r .
I X STANDARDIZATION A N D TERMINOLOGY
H e r e t h e a i m i s t o c l e a r up some g e n e r a l m i s c o n c e p t i o n s a b o u t
s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n a n d t h e n d e s c r i b e how i t i s d o n e , f o r w h a t p u r p o -
se a n d w h e r e , a n d w h a t t h e l e g a l s t a t u s of s t a n d a r d s i s . The t y -
p e s oE s t a n d a r d i z a t i o n a r e l i s t e d a n d , i n p a r t i c u l a r , s t a n d a r d s
r e l a t i n g t o p r i n c i p l e s a n d m e t h o d s a r e d i s c u s s e d i n d e t a i l . The
o r g a n i z a t i o n of I S 0 ( I n t e r n a t i o n a l O r g a n i z a t i o n f o r S t a n d a r d i z a -
t i o n ) i s e x p l a i n e d f r o m t h e p o i n t o f view o f i t s w o r k i n g m e t h o d s .
X TERMINOLOGY AND INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION ( I & D )
T h i s c h a p t e r l o o k s a t t h e i n t e r f a c e s between t e r m i n o l o g y and I & D ,
a t t e r m i n o l o g y a s t h e t o o l of communication i n I & D and a t I & D a s
the t o o l of terminology.
Again t h e a p p r o a c h is v e r y p r a g m a t i c . T e r m i n o l o g i c a l documents
a r e d e s c r i b e d a n d t h e t y p e s of d o c u m e n t a t i o n e l a b o r a t e d on. The
d i f f e r e n t p h a s e s o f t h e work a r e e x e m p l i f i e d a n d t h e i n s t i t u t i o -
n a l framework f o r t e r m i n o l o g y d o c u m e n t a t i o n i s e x p l a i n e d . A u t h e n -
t i c documents supply f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n .
The N o r d i c c o u n t r i e s a r e r e p r e s e n t e d a s a c a s e - s t u d y m o d e l o f
f u n c t i o n i n g c o - o p e r a t i o n a n d o f s y s t e m a t i c t e r m i n o l o g y work i n
different institutions.
TERMINOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION i s a n i m p o r t a n t c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e
f i e l d and i t s h o u l d b e of v a l u e t o anyone c o n c e r n e d w i t h termino-
l o g i c a l a c t i v i t i e s whether of t h e o r e t i c a l o r p r a c t i c a l n a t u r e .
KRISTA VARANTOLA
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED:
ARBEJDSPAPIRER 4 u d s e n d t a £ I n s t i t u t f o r L i n g v i s t i k , Kmbenhavns
U n i v e r s i t e t . D e c e m b e r 1 9 8 4 , ISSN 0109-2537. R e d a k t i o n : J e n s Elme-
g & r d Rasmussen ( a r t i c l e s i n E n g l i s h and Danish on linguistic
topics).
FINLANCE, T h e F i n n i s h J o u r n a l o f L a n g u a g e L e a r n i n g a n d L a n g u a g e
Teaching, vol. 111. 1 9 8 4 . E d i t e d b y L i i s a K o r p i m i e s , L a n g u a g e
C e n t r e f o r F i n n i s h U n i v e r s i t i e s , U n i v e r s i t y of JyvEsklB', F i n l a n d
( T h e m e o f v o l . 111: L a n g u a g e T e s t i n g ) .
- --
WT~~SI:NSCIIAF'TLlCIIL
.- -. - -.
-.- - - ---
------.--
.MARX-!iTAi)T-14/1984.
SCHRIFTRElHE
--- --p -- ---- -
D E R--.TECHN[SCIIFN IIOCIISCHIJLE KARI-
Ke thoden d c r F a c h s p r a c h l i c h e n Frerndspr2chen
a u s b i l d u n g . T e l l T E Ger.hard F j s c h e r .
-
GERMANISTISCHE ARBEITSHEFTE: FACHSPRACHEN- E i n e E i n f i i h r u n g . D i e -
t e r MBhn/ R o l a n d P e l k a . N i e m e y e r , T i i b i n g e n 1 9 8 4 . ISBN 3-484-
25130-1.