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A) Terms

"All scientists are linguists to some extent. They are responsible for devising a consistent terminology, a skeleton language to talk about their subject-matter. Philologists and philosophers of speech are in the peculiar position of having to evolve a special language to talk about language itself."

This quotation makes clear one of the essential characteristics of a term, viz. its highly conventional character. A term is generally very easily coined and easily accepted; and new coinages as easily replace out-dated ones. Terms therefore are rather transitory by nature, though they may remain in the language as relics of a former stage in the development of a particular branch of science.

"A word is organically one with its meaning; likewise a term is one with a concept. Conceptualization leaves, as it were, language behind, although the words remain as (scientific or philosophical) terms. Linguistically the difference is important in that terms are much more easily substitutable by other terms than are words by other words: it is easier to replace, say, the term phonology by phonemics (provided I make it clear what is meant), than to replace everyday words like table and chair by other words."

Terms are generally associated with a definite branch of science and therefore with a series of other terms belonging to that particular branch of science. Terms know no isolation; they always come in clusters, either in a text on the subject to which they belong, or in special dictionaries which, unlike general dictionaries, make a careful selection of terms. Taken all together, these clusters of terms form the nomenclature, or system of names, for the objects of study of any particular branch of science.

Terms are characterized by a tendency to be monosemantic and therefore easily call forth the required concept.

Terms are mostly and predominantly used in special works dealing with' the notions of some branch of science. Therefore it may be said that they belong to the scientific style. But their use is not confined to this style. They may as well appear in other styles — in newspaper style, in publicistic style, in the belles-lettres style and practically in all other existing styles. But their function in this case changes. They no longer fulfil their basic function, that of bearing an exact reference to a given notion or concept. The function of terms, if encountered in other styles, is either to indicate the technical peculiarities of the subject dealt with, or to make some reference to the occupation of a character whose language would naturally contain special words and expressions.

In this connection it is interesting to analyse the stylistic effect of the medical terminology used by A.J. Cronin in his novel "The Citadel." The frequent use of medical terms in the novel is explained by its subject-matter — the life of a physician — and also by the fact that the writer himself is a physician and finds it natural to use medical terminology.

The piling up of difficult and special terms hinders the reader's understanding of the text even when the writer strives to explain them. Moreover, such an accumulation of special terminology often suggests that the author is showing off his erudition. Maxim Gorki said that terms must not be over-used. It has been pointed out that those who are learning use far more complicated terms than those who have already learned.

There is an interesting process going on in the development of any language. With the increase of general education and the expansion of technique to satisfy the ever-growing needs and desires of mankind, many words that were once terms have gradually lost their qualities as terms and have passed into the common literary vocabulary. This process may be called "de-terminization". Such words as radio, television, and the like have long been in common use and their terminological character is no longer evident. A good writer will confine himself to the use of terms that are easily understood from the context and those also that he finds absolutely necessary in the development of his theme.

Here is an example of a moderate use of special terminology bordering on common literary vocabulary.

"There was a long conversation — a long wait. His father came back to say it was doubtful whether they could maketheloan. Eight per cent, then being securedformoney, was a small rateofinterest, considering its need. For ten per cent Mr. Kuzel might make a call - loan. Frank went back to his employer, whose commercial choler rose at the report."

(Theodore Dreiser, "The Financier")

Such terms as 'loan', 'rate of interest', and the phrase 'to secure for money' are widely known financial terms which to the majority of the English and American reading public need no explanation. The terms used here do not bear any special meaning. Moreover, if they are not understood they may to some extent be neglected. It will suffice if the reader has a general idea, vague though it may be, of the actual meaning of the terms used. The main task of the writer in this passage is not to explain the process of business negotiations, but to create the environment of a business atmosphere. A term has a stylistic function when it is used to create an atmosphere or to characterize a person through his calling and his consequent mode of expression.

Sometimes terms are used with a satirical function. Here is an interesting example:

"What a fool Rawdon Crawley has been," Clump replied, "to go and marry a governess! There was something about the girl too."

"Green eyes, fair skin, pretty figure, famousfrontaldevelopment ," Squills remarked.

(W. M. Thackeray, "Vanity Fair")

The words 'frontal' and 'development', in addition to their ordinary meanings, have a terminological aspect, i.e., they belong both to the common literary stock and to a special group of the literary vocabulary, to the science of anatomy. But being paired, they lose their common aspect and become purely terminological. The combination becomes, as it were, an anatomical term signifying 'breast'. But being preceded by the word 'famous' used in the sense indicated by the Shorter Oxford Dictionary as "a strong expression of approval (chiefly colloquial): excellent, capital," the whole expression becomes satirical.

In the following passage the metaphorical use of 'little animal', causes the terms to assume a satirical function.

"I should like," said young Jolyon, "to lecture on it: PropertiesandqualitiesofaForsyte. This littleanimal, disturbed by the ridicule of his own sort, is unaffected in his motions by the laughter of strange creatures (you and I). Hereditarily disposed to myopia, he recognizes only the persons and habitats of his own species, among which he passesanexistence of competitive tranquillity ."

(John Galsworthy, "The Man of Property")

The metaphor 'animal' has drawn into its terminological aspect such words and word combinations as 'sort', 'pass an existence', 'tranquillity'. On the other hand, the word "animal" used as a term involves other terms from the nomenclature of biology: 'creature', 'species', 'habitats', 'myopia' ( med .).

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