10.3. Thematic & ideographic groups

LG groups are further subdivided into thematic subgroups: terms of kinship, names for parts of the human body, colour terms, military terms etc. The basis of this grouping is both linguistic & extra-linguistic: the things the Ws name are closely connected in reality. Adjs fall into qualitative & relative LG groups. Among the 1^st, Adjs that characterise a substance for shape, colour, physical / mental qualities, speed, size etc. are distinguished.

The basic colour name system: blue, green, yellow, red. All the other Ws denoting colours bring details into this scheme & form subsystems of the 1^st & 2^nd order – synonymic series with basic terms as their dominants. Red is a dominant for the subsystem of the 1^st degree: scarlet, orange, crimson, rose. The subsystem of the 2^nd degree is: vermilion, wine red, cherry, coral, copper-red etc. Ws belonging to the basic system differ from Ws belonging to subsystems semantically & in: 1) frequency of use; 2) motivation; 3) simple / compound character; 4) stylistic colouring; 5) combining power.

The basic colour terms are frequent Ws belonging to the 1^st 1000 of Ws the semantic frequency list. Their motivation is lost in ME. They are all native Ws. The motivation of colour terms in the subsystem is clear: they are derived from the names of fruit (orange), flowers (pink), colouring stuffs (indigo). Basic system Ws & most of the 1^st degree terms are root Ws. The 2^nd degree terms are derivatives / compounds: copper-red, jade-green, sky-coloured. Stylistically the basic terms are neutral, the 2^nd degree terms are special / poetic. The meaning is widest in the 4 basic terms, it gradually narrows down from subsystem to subsystem.

The relationship between elements of various levels is that of inclusion. Semanticists call it hyponymy. J. Lyons: a constitutive principle in the organisation of the vocabulary of all languages. The meaning of scarlet is included in the meaning of red. Scarlet is the hyponym of red, & its co-hyponym is crimson. Red is the hyperonym of crimson & scarlet.

All the elements of lexico-semantic groups are within the same part of speech. When G meaning is not taken into account, we obtain ideographic groups. Ws & expressions are classed according to their signification, i.e. the system of logical notions. These subgroups may comprise Ns, Vs, Adjs & Advs together, if they refer to the same notion: light n, bright a, shine v & other Ws connected with the notion of light.

10.4. Terminological systems

Terminology constitutes the greatest part of every language vocabulary. It is its most intensely developing part. Terminology consists of many systems of terms. A term is any W / W-group used to name a notion characteristic of some special field of knowledge, industry / culture. The scope & content of the notion are specified by definitions in literature on the subject. Terminological systems are purposefully controlled. Almost every system of special terminology is fixed & analysed in glossaries approved by authorities, special commissions & eminent scientists.

An ideal term is monosemantic: within its own sphere, does not depend upon the micro-context. Polysemy is a drawback. Polysemy may be tolerated only if the term has various meanings in different fields of science. Alphabet & word have different meanings in mathematics & linguistics.

A term has no contextual meaning. The only meaning is a denotative free meaning. No emotional colouring / evaluation are possible. A term can obtain a figurative / emotionally coloured meaning only when used in literary / colloquial speech. It ceases to be a term; its denotative meaning becomes vague. Atomic was until 1945 as emotionally neutral as quantum / parallelogram. Since Hiroshima it has assumed a new implication. This atomic age taken literally has no meaning at all, but holds connotations of ruthless menace & monstrous destruction.

The terminology of a branch of science is a definite system reflecting the system of its notions. Terminological systems are intersecting sets: some terms belong simultaneously to several terminological systems: quantity of information, redundancy, enthropy, feedback.

The origin of terms. 1. Formation of terminological phrases with subsequent clipping, ellipsis, blending, abbreviation: transistor receiver → transistor → trannie; television text → teletext; ecological architecture → ecotecture; extremely low frequency → ELF. 2. The use of combining forms from Latin & Greek, common to many languages: aerodrome, aerodynamics, cyclotron, microfilm, telegenic, telegraph, thermonuclear, telemechanics, supersonic. 3. Borrowing from another terminological system within the same language. Sea terminology lent many Ws to aviation vocabulary, then terminology of the space conquest. Linguistics uses many terms borrowed from rhetoric: metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche.

The remaining 2 methods are common with other layers of the vocabulary: 1) W-formation in which composition, semantic shift & derivation take the leading part; 2) borrowing. It is often possible to trace a term to its author. Anode & cathode were coined by M. Faraday, vitamin by Dr. Funk in 1912, bionics was born at a symposium in Ohio (USA) in 1960. Many special notions become known to the layman & form part of everyday speech. Vitamin, sedative, tranquilliser, antenna, teletype, transistor, short waves are well known to everybody.