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Chapter 20. Cognitive approaches to the study of term variation

  • Sabela Fernández-Silva
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Theoretical Perspectives on Terminology
This chapter is in the book Theoretical Perspectives on Terminology

Abstract

This chapter presents a cognitive approach to research on terminological variation, which posits that term variation is cognitively motivated, since it reflects differences on how specialized concepts are categorized by different individuals in different contexts. Firstly, an overview is given of the theoretical principles that focus on the flexible nature of specialized knowledge categorization and naming. Secondly, we present a classification of the cognitive factors of term variation, which differentiates between systemic and contextual factors. Thirdly, we report the results of a study on the cognitive function of term variation, which indicate that term variation is used as a cognitive strategy to transfer specialized knowledge, but also to avoid repetition, accommodate the text to the audience, or generalize.

Abstract

This chapter presents a cognitive approach to research on terminological variation, which posits that term variation is cognitively motivated, since it reflects differences on how specialized concepts are categorized by different individuals in different contexts. Firstly, an overview is given of the theoretical principles that focus on the flexible nature of specialized knowledge categorization and naming. Secondly, we present a classification of the cognitive factors of term variation, which differentiates between systemic and contextual factors. Thirdly, we report the results of a study on the cognitive function of term variation, which indicate that term variation is used as a cognitive strategy to transfer specialized knowledge, but also to avoid repetition, accommodate the text to the audience, or generalize.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Theoretical perspectives on Terminology 1
  4. Part 1. General Theory of Terminology (and beyond)
  5. Chapter 1. The reception of Wüster’s General Theory of Terminology 15
  6. Chapter 2. General principles of Wüster’s General Theory of Terminology 37
  7. Part 2. Knowledge-based Terminology
  8. Chapter 3. Conceptual relations 63
  9. Chapter 4. Terminology and standards 87
  10. Chapter 5. Concept management for Terminology 111
  11. Chapter 6. Multidimensionality 127
  12. Chapter 7. Terminology and ontologies 149
  13. Part 3. Socioterminology and Cultural Terminology
  14. Chapter 8. Founding principles of Socioterminology 177
  15. Chapter 9. Cultural Terminology 197
  16. Part 4. Textual Terminology, Terminology and Lexical Semantics
  17. Chapter 10. Textual Terminology 219
  18. Chapter 11. Terminology and Lexical Semantics 237
  19. Part 5. Corpus-based Terminology
  20. Chapter 12. Text genres and Terminology 263
  21. Chapter 13. Knowledge patterns in corpora 291
  22. Chapter 14. Terminology and distributional analysis of corpora 311
  23. Part 6. Terminology and Cognitive Linguistics
  24. Chapter 15. Units of understanding in Sociocognitive Terminology studies 331
  25. Chapter 16. Frame-based Terminology 353
  26. Chapter 17. Conceptual metaphors 377
  27. Part 7. Variation and equivalence
  28. Chapter 18. Causes of terminological variation 399
  29. Chapter 19. Diachronic variation 421
  30. Chapter 20. Cognitive approaches to the study of term variation 435
  31. Chapter 21. Terminological growth 457
  32. Chapter 22. Terminology and equivalence 477
  33. References 503
  34. Standards and resources cited in chapters 575
  35. Biographical notes 583
  36. Index 591
https://doi.org/10.1075/tlrp.23.20fer

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Theoretical perspectives on Terminology 1
  4. Part 1. General Theory of Terminology (and beyond)
  5. Chapter 1. The reception of Wüster’s General Theory of Terminology 15
  6. Chapter 2. General principles of Wüster’s General Theory of Terminology 37
  7. Part 2. Knowledge-based Terminology
  8. Chapter 3. Conceptual relations 63
  9. Chapter 4. Terminology and standards 87
  10. Chapter 5. Concept management for Terminology 111
  11. Chapter 6. Multidimensionality 127
  12. Chapter 7. Terminology and ontologies 149
  13. Part 3. Socioterminology and Cultural Terminology
  14. Chapter 8. Founding principles of Socioterminology 177
  15. Chapter 9. Cultural Terminology 197
  16. Part 4. Textual Terminology, Terminology and Lexical Semantics
  17. Chapter 10. Textual Terminology 219
  18. Chapter 11. Terminology and Lexical Semantics 237
  19. Part 5. Corpus-based Terminology
  20. Chapter 12. Text genres and Terminology 263
  21. Chapter 13. Knowledge patterns in corpora 291
  22. Chapter 14. Terminology and distributional analysis of corpora 311
  23. Part 6. Terminology and Cognitive Linguistics
  24. Chapter 15. Units of understanding in Sociocognitive Terminology studies 331
  25. Chapter 16. Frame-based Terminology 353
  26. Chapter 17. Conceptual metaphors 377
  27. Part 7. Variation and equivalence
  28. Chapter 18. Causes of terminological variation 399
  29. Chapter 19. Diachronic variation 421
  30. Chapter 20. Cognitive approaches to the study of term variation 435
  31. Chapter 21. Terminological growth 457
  32. Chapter 22. Terminology and equivalence 477
  33. References 503
  34. Standards and resources cited in chapters 575
  35. Biographical notes 583
  36. Index 591
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