3. Term formation

New terms that are the result of a formation process (compounding, conversion, truncation) are usually classified according to the strategy speakers have used to create them. These strategies can be formal, functional, or semantic in nature.

1. Formal methods

Among the formal methods available for creating new terms we distinguish two methods: the combination of morphemes and words, including derivation, compounding, and creation of phrases; and the formal modification of existing units by means of truncation processes, including initialisms, acronymy, and clipping.

a. Derivation consists of the addition of affxes to lexical bases to form new words. In English three possibilities are known: prefixing, suffixing, and mixed cases in which both a prefix and a suffix are added to the same base:

- prefixation: reopen, untie;

- suffixation: processor, transmitter;

- preffixation + suffixation: unconstitutional, disarmament.

b. Compounding consists of combining two or more lexical bases to create a new lexeme. Three types of combination are used:

- combination of native contemporary forms: greengrocer, roadsweeper;

- combination of neoclassical forms: electrolyte, lysosome;

- combination of contemporary and neoclassical forms: bio-science, megacity.

c. The use of phrasal units involves forming a new unit from the organized syntactic combination of words,

e.g. random access memory, magnetic resonance imagery

d. Truncation is a formal device consisting of reducing a unit to one of its parts. It includes the formation of initialisms, acronyms, and clippings:

-initialisms are abbreviated complex terms made up of the first letters of the term element:

FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation);

EU (EuropeanUnion);

IOC (International Olympic Committee).

- acronomy: ALGOL (algorithmic language); bit (binary digit)

- clipping: jumbo (jumbo jetliner), narc (narcotics agent)

2. Functional methods

Functional methods comprise two processes:

a. Conversion or zero derivation, i.e. changing the category of an existing word without changing its form (except that in this grammatical conversion any characteristics of inflection belonging to the former category are eliminated and replaced by those corresponding to the new category). For example:

record (verb) record (noun)

pigeon hole (verb) pigeon hole (noun)

b. lexicalization, by converting one of the inflected forms of a lexeme into a new word with a different grammatical category. For example:

VERB NOUN

harden hardening

weld welding

3. Semantic methods

Semantic methods modify the meaning of a term.

The form on which the new form is based can belong to several subcodes. Two prime criteria are used to classify the terms that result from this kind of formation process: provenance of the base form, and the type of semantic modification produced in the process.

a. By provenance of the base form, the two most frequent sources are the general language lexicon and the terminology of other special subjects.

b. Modification takes one of three forms:

1. extending the meaning of the base form

- pin (straight piece of wire with a sharp point);

- pin (pegs on a printer platen engaging holes at the edges of paper).

2. narrowing the meaning of the base form

- printer (one or something that prints);

- printer (the part of a computer system that produces printed matter).

3. changing the meaning of the base form

- washer (one who washes, extended to appliances);

- washer (flat disk used to relieve friction, prevent leakage, ordistribute weight).

Beside the formal, functional, and semantic methods, all languages also have otherways of creating new terms. Borrowing and loan translation or calquing incorporate units that belong to one language code into another. For example:

a. borrowings, i.e. taking over a word or expression with its spelling: horsd’oeuvre, coup d’état;

b. loan translations, i.e. translating the components of a foreign word: English wintergreen, from Dutch wintergroen; Spanish rascacielos, from English skyscraper.

Term formation rules

The ability to create words and terms is a natural manifestation of a speaker's linguistic competence. All speakers of a language arecapable of proposing new designations that refer to new perception of the real worldor of proposing alternative names for a previously named concept. For this purpose speakers use processes governed by linguistic rules that are part of the lexical component of a language's grammar.

When speakers form a new word or term, they often recombine known morphemes, a process which requires less effort than the creation of original units.

Consequently, the mechanisms leading to the formation of new words or terms, incontrast to those that lead to borrowing, are governed by linguistic rules that are apart of a language's grammar.

We can identify the following types of rules for word or term formation:

1. derivational rules using a prefix:

[prefix + [base]x ] (y)(x);

2. derivational rules using a suffix:

[[base]x + suffix] (x)(y);

3. compounding rules:

[[base]x # [base]y] (x)(y);

4. conversion rules:

[base]x→[base]y.

Terminologists must know the word formation processes of the language. The designations proposed for new concepts made by terminologists and experts must be supported by a good knowledge of all the devices a language offers. This applies both to the first designation proposed for an original concept and to proposals to change designations because the existing form is not deemed suitable. In addition, new designations must also be mindful of the formal tendencies of the subject field they belong to. For example, in chemistry all enzymes have the suffix-ases.

Lecture 15.

TERM TRANSLATION

1. Translation

2. Translation of special terms

3. Means of translation

4. Translation strategies