Terminology, Semantics and
Lexicography
Terminology and Semantics
Semantics
Terminology
What: The study of the relationship
between the linguistic sign an the object
to which it refers
What: the study of the concept (semantic
features) and its linguistic representation
(sign or label).
Methods: Traditional approach:
Methods: Investigating the context in
which a given sign is used
Etimology; Contemporary approach:
Meaning as system (synonymy, polysemy)
Interest: how a particular sign (word)
came to be associated with a specific
referent (thing) in any field. The sign is
associated with a basic meaning and
other meanings can be subsequently
added. Relationship between the
different meanings.
Interest: link the sign to semantic
features of the object to be named in a
particular subject field. Relationship with
other concepts.
Terminology and Semantics
Semantics
Terminology
Sign: container of meaning
Sign: means of communication
Diachronic and Synchronic
Essentialy synchronic
Identify and organize related ideas.
identify all the characteristics
that differentiate each term
Semantic change: analogy and
metonymy
Term formation
intralinguistic: deals with language
as a system.
extralinguistic: deals primarily with
communication in context
special languages as means of
communication
Semaseological perspective: starts with
the sign and attempts to discover the
corresponding meanings
Onomasiological perspective: starts with
the concept and attempts to discover the
corresponding sign or signs
Terminology and Lexicography
Lexicography
Study of words
in general
Terminology
Study of
specialized
language
Terminology and Lexicography
Lexicography
The process of making dictionaries
that mainly cover general
language words, but occasionally
special language, too
Terminology
The process of compiling
collections of specialized terms.
The output of terminographical
work is also terminology (used in
the singular form preceded by
definite article or in the plural
form with no article)
Terminology and Lexicography
Lexicography
Research of
words in-vitro
(like in a lab)
Terminology
Importance of
the situational
context
Situational context
Subject field: Medicine
– Situational context: scientific
publication (intended for
communication among experts)
Term: Cystitis
- Situational context: medical
practice (intended for communication
between doctor and patient)
Term: Urinary tract infection
– Situational context: conversation
among friends
Term: Bladder infection
Concept:
Terminology and Lexicography
Lexicographical analysis
To identify meanings and arrange
them in a logical order. This will
enable the lexicographer to
formulate a definition, which is
semantically equivalent to the
meanings of the lexical unit.
Terminographical analysis
Aimed at determining the
characteristics of the concept
represented by a term identified.
The terminologist attempts to
identify such semantic features as
nature, purpose, function and
material
Therefore, we are more
interested in defining or
explanatory contexts than
in formal definitions!
Terminology and Lexicography
Lexicographical work
To seek definitions; in other
words, lexicography aims at
decoding a message (focus on
meaning). Users of a dictionary
look up a word to get to its
meaning/definition
Terminographical analysis
To provide users with an
appropriate means of expression
(users look for a designation – not
a definition). Hence, it is possible
to say that terminology aims at
encoding a message
Dictionaries (1)
• Method (Word-based): The
lexicographer starts from a word form and
investigates all the possible
senses/meanings associated with that
form
Dictionaries (2)
• Presentation: Alphabetical
• Because of their alphabetical presentation,
synonyms are scattered throughout the
dictionary, whereas polysemes and
homonyms are grouped together
• Polyseme: a word that has related but
different meanings. All these different
meanings are grouped into a single dictionary
lemma and are preceded by a number
Dictionaries (3)
• Homonym: a word that has unrelated
different meanings, usually due to different
etymology. In a dictionary, each of these
meanings is assigned a new entry:
Entries cover all word classes, including modal verbs,
auxiliary verbs, prepositions, articles, and partitives
(grammatical words + content words)
Descriptive: A dictionary is meant to be
descriptive/informative in that the lexicographer’s job is
just that of recording the different uses of a word
Communicative context: The words recorded in a
dictionary belong to a wide array of registers (formal,
informal, slang, vulgar, etc.)
Terminologies (1)
• Method (Concept-based): Terminologies
contain terms that revolve around a specific
area of specialist knowledge (conceptual
organization of terms). The relations
between the concepts representated by
the terms in a given subject field are the
underlying organizing principle in
terminology work
• Presentation: Concept-based work is
usually presented in a thesaurus-like
structure, where words are grouped based on
similarity of meaning
Example: IATE
Definitions usually extracted from
specialized sources (articles,
manuals, patents, books, etc., and
not from lexicographic works!
Domain/Subject field  Situational
context
Terminologies (2)
• Synonyms (words standing
for the same concept) are all
grouped together under the
same entry
• Polysemes and
Homonyms are presented
separately, each in a different
entry, regardless of whether
they belong to the same
subject-field
• However, the retrieval of
data is still performed through
the term or a component
thereof
Terminologies (3)
Prescriptive rather than Descriptive: The
terminologists’ job is to standardize the
coinage process and usage of specialized
lexicon by eliminating polysemy (clarifying
the semantic boundaries of terms) and
regulating the usage of terms in a field of
expertise.
Standardization involves
agreeing on a set of
specifications and criteria, which
are to be used to create
consistency in work procedures,
term coinage and usage, and
foster interoperability
Communicative context: As a general rule,
terminologists are concerned with terms
used by specialists. However, any subject
field encompasses several levels of
communication, each with variants that
need to be accounted for (between
specialists, between specialists and laymen)
: p. 34
What are the four basic methods
used in terminological work?
Seen in week 1
Term identification:
you need both a
good command of
the general
language and a
knowledge of the
subject field
Have a look at the
next presentation!
Context analysis: to
determine the
meanings of words
in context
Term creation: to fill
the gaps existing in
any TL culture
Standardization:
being prescriptive