Term Lesson 13

Feedback on the assignment

Final instalment

Indication of field, sub-field

• Hélène R : slip • Adeline B noted different definitions of shear

stress in fluids mechanics and in geology (and only kept the second!)

• Doron K : space-borne imagery : limited to observations from Earth

• Thomas A. defined differently source mechanism in seismology and in vulcanology.

– This also means that you do not define terms in fields which you are not dealing with (they are not terms of your domain).

Field of origin field of application

• advection (in chemistry) as noted correctly by Antoine A.

• Sometimes there may be some supplementary information necessary for the field of application

• Antoine R. suggests that Fourier transform is used differently in maths

and in spectrometry. How ?

Adapting the definition

• Who is using your definition ? An expert, a lay-person, an interested lay-person, a translator ?

• Ones you find in authorized dictionaries• They may not fit your context : Réana K

for plume. • Other reasons for being unsatisfactory

(Ariane R ?)• But often have to be modified;: why ?

Hyperonym

• Choice of hyperonym: “ suprême” enregistrement for Marion G

• quality factor Q : hyperonym is measure : genre éloigné (Carole A.)

• Béatrix L did research on event in geology: what is the hyperonym?

isonyms

• Make sure that isonyms are defined on the same model. – silicic lava and vesicular lava– if these really are isonyms, they should be defined so as the

distinctive feature(s) stand out (Julie C)

• Identifying isonyms can help to enrich your terminology. Terminology work : dialectic of semasiology and onomasiology – When you have identified isonyms, you should seek them out

systematically • (as Marion G did with the different types of Kriging and Adeline B

with the isonyms of shear stress).

Metonymy and definitions

• fumarole – vent – what comes out of the vent (?)

• Cf construction.

– How do you deal with this when crafting a definition?

Pitfalls to avoid

- giving the etymology of terms (magma means paste in Greek) – though explanations of how a term developed could be relevant.

- using metalinguistic formulations in the body of the definition : “expression utilisée pour designer….”

- definitions within definitions

Tree diagrammes

• The tree diagramme should bring out the structure of the field, facilitate definitions by spotlighting the distinctive features.

• Sometimes this is not sufficient to give a definitive answer.

• In Marc-Alexandre J’s analysis of surface wave polarization, the isonyms were light polarization, sound polarization.

• It is not certain that surface wave polarization is a hyponym of wave polarization or a short variant.

• Expert knowledge is needed here.

Hyperonyms and hyponyms

• Many tree diagrams which indicated only immediately broader or narrower terms, with no isonyms (even in brackets).

• There must be isonyms though.

Illustrations to complement definitions

• In addition to the definition, illustrations are very useful –

• Wüster recommended their use in conjunction with definitions

• Cf. Adeline B. for different types of stress.

Morphology:suffixes

• ic suffix– used (systematically ?) to derive an adjective

from a corresponding noun :

andesitic, anorthositic, pyroxenitic… etc.

Analyse class(es) of corresponding nouns (Thomas A.)

Morphology : prefixes

• Prefixes in different sorts of correlations : autocorrelation

intercorrelation

cross-correlation…

• But many prefixes do not constitute a taxonomy :

convection, conduction… (Thomas A.)

synonyms

• Profusion of synonyms: sismographe, seismometer, sismomètre (“Nous sommes loin de l’idéal de la monosémie auquel tend la terminologie” Marc-Alexandre J says wrily. Suggests a possible different emphasis : on measuring or on recording.

Quasi-synonyms

• Synonyms : what could the difference between synonyms and quasi-synonyms be ? taux d’extrusion, taux d’effusion, taux d’éruption. (Marion G.);

• Quasi-synonyms can turn out to be isonyms: extrusive vent, effusive vent (Hanna M.)

Synonyms and collocations

• Analyse the following paradigm:

– Simple double couple– Ordinary double couple– Plain double couple– Conventional double couple– Pure double couple… Béatrix L.

Syntactic constraints

• Lise M. explains how phrases are transformed into synthetic constructions : – moment-tensor components only…

into – moment-only solution

• Cf. terms in the making

equivalents

• We are talking about equivalents, not translations.

• We suppose that the terms exist autonomously in each language (but new concepts …?)

• Not always obvious : – vesicular lava turned out to be not – vésiculaire (attested, but not often) but

vacuolaire.

Unattested equivalents in French

• Sill-dyke source : source de sill et dyke ?• Multiple equivalents in French, where

calques are rife (Elodie M.)

• Also possible that there are only discursive equivalents of terms in French : – la faille possède un pendage interne…

for inward-dipping fault. (Alexandra G.)énergie accumulée durant la déformation élastique

for elastic strain energy (no evidence of énergie de déformation élastique) (Aurélie P.)

Other points

• Kriging :

• how do you pronounce it?

• Wikipedia tells you!

a word of encouragement…

• A terminologist’s work is never done.

• As the main form of repository is the term bank,

not everything has to be finished;

it’s always in the process of being completed.