Technical terminology
Encyclopedia
Technical terminology is the specialized vocabulary
of any field, not just technical fields. The same is true of the synonyms technical terms, terms of art, shop talk and words of art, which do not necessarily refer to technology
or art
. Within one or more fields, these terms have one or more specific meanings that are not necessarily the same as those in common use. Jargon
is similar, but more informal in definition and use. Legal technical terms, often called (legal) terms of art or (legal) words of art, have meanings that are strictly defined by law.
Technical terminology exists in a continuum of formality. Precise technical terms and their definitions are formally recognised, documented, and taught by educators in the field. Other terms are more colloquial, coined and used by practitioners in the field, and are similar to slang
. The boundaries between formal and slang jargon, as in general English, are quite fluid, with terms sliding in and out of recognition. This is especially true in the rapidly developing world of computers and networking. For instance, the term firewall (in the sense of a device used to filter network traffic) was at first technical slang. As these devices became more important and the term became widely understood, the word was adopted as formal terminology.
Technical terminology evolves due to the need for experts in a field to communicate with precision and brevity, but often has the effect of excluding those who are unfamiliar with the particular specialized language of the group. This can cause difficulties as, for example, when a patient is unable to follow the discussions of medical practitioners, and thus cannot understand his own condition and treatment. Differences in jargon also cause difficulties where professionals in related fields use different terms for the same phenomena. For instance, substantial amounts of duplicated research occur in cognitive psychology
and human-computer interaction partly because of such difficulties.
and public relations
industries in particular have expanded the lexicon of business terms that marks the global business
environment.
s narrow the semantic focus of a term. An example is the Turkish word caïque
, a word for a wooden fishing boat, which is found in Russian as kaik (Cyrillic каик) and refers not just to any wooden boat, but the usage of the boat to Russian travellers when found as a private ferry-taxi on the Bosphorus. In other words the idea that the boat is ferried by an Ottoman
ferryman is part of the exotic "Turkishness" of the word to the Russian 19th Century traveller.
Vocabulary
A person's vocabulary is the set of words within a language that are familiar to that person. A vocabulary usually develops with age, and serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge...
of any field, not just technical fields. The same is true of the synonyms technical terms, terms of art, shop talk and words of art, which do not necessarily refer to technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
or art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
. Within one or more fields, these terms have one or more specific meanings that are not necessarily the same as those in common use. Jargon
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
is similar, but more informal in definition and use. Legal technical terms, often called (legal) terms of art or (legal) words of art, have meanings that are strictly defined by law.
"industry term"
An industry term is a type of technical terminology that has a particular meaning within a specific industry. The phrase industry term implies that a word or phrase is a typical one within a particular industry or business and people within the industry or business will be familiar with and use the term.Technical terminology exists in a continuum of formality. Precise technical terms and their definitions are formally recognised, documented, and taught by educators in the field. Other terms are more colloquial, coined and used by practitioners in the field, and are similar to slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
. The boundaries between formal and slang jargon, as in general English, are quite fluid, with terms sliding in and out of recognition. This is especially true in the rapidly developing world of computers and networking. For instance, the term firewall (in the sense of a device used to filter network traffic) was at first technical slang. As these devices became more important and the term became widely understood, the word was adopted as formal terminology.
Technical terminology evolves due to the need for experts in a field to communicate with precision and brevity, but often has the effect of excluding those who are unfamiliar with the particular specialized language of the group. This can cause difficulties as, for example, when a patient is unable to follow the discussions of medical practitioners, and thus cannot understand his own condition and treatment. Differences in jargon also cause difficulties where professionals in related fields use different terms for the same phenomena. For instance, substantial amounts of duplicated research occur in cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology
Cognitive psychology is a subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes.It is the study of how people perceive, remember, think, speak, and solve problems.Cognitive psychology differs from previous psychological approaches in two key ways....
and human-computer interaction partly because of such difficulties.
"Jargon"
The term jargon can, and often does, have pejorative connotations, particularly when aimed at "business culture" (especially when in forms bordering on slang or buzzwords). The marketingMarketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
and public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
industries in particular have expanded the lexicon of business terms that marks the global business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
environment.
"terminus technicus"
The use of the phrase "terminus technicus" (Latin "technical term") in linguistics and literature is latently semi-ironic, in that rendering the easily understandable English "technical term" in Latin with the more difficult, and to many readers exclusive, Latin equivalent "terminus technicus" itself illustrates how technical jargon and foreign loanwordLoanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s narrow the semantic focus of a term. An example is the Turkish word caïque
Caïque
A caïque , is the term for a traditional fishing boat usually found among the waters of the Ionian or Aegean Seas, and also a light skiff used on the Bosporus. It is traditionally a small wooden trading vessel, brightly painted and rigged for sail...
, a word for a wooden fishing boat, which is found in Russian as kaik (Cyrillic каик) and refers not just to any wooden boat, but the usage of the boat to Russian travellers when found as a private ferry-taxi on the Bosphorus. In other words the idea that the boat is ferried by an Ottoman
Ottoman Turks
The Ottoman Turks were the Turkish-speaking population of the Ottoman Empire who formed the base of the state's military and ruling classes. Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks is scarce, but they take their Turkish name, Osmanlı , from the house of Osman I The Ottoman...
ferryman is part of the exotic "Turkishness" of the word to the Russian 19th Century traveller.
Examples of technical terminology (specific fields)
- Legal
- NauticalGlossary of nautical termsThis is a glossary of nautical terms; some remain current, many date from the 17th-19th century. See also Wiktionary's nautical terms, :Category:Nautical terms, and Nautical metaphors in English.- A :...
- ScientificScientific terminologyWhile studying nature, scientists often encounter or create new material or immaterial objects and concepts and are compelled to name them. Most of those names are known only to professionals. However, due to popularization of science, they gradually become part of common languages...
- International scientific vocabularyInternational Scientific VocabularyInternational scientific vocabulary comprises scientific and specialized words whose language of origin may or may not be certain, but which are in current use in several modern languages. The name "International Scientific Vocabulary" was first used by Philip Gove in Webster’s Third New...
- MedicalMedical terminologyMedical terminology is a vocabulary for accurately describing the human body and associated components, conditions, processes and process in a science-based manner. Some examples are: R.I.C.E., trapezius, and latissimus dorsi. It is to be used in the medical and nursing fields...
- Economics terminology that differs from common usageEconomics terminology that differs from common usageIn any technical subject, words commonly used in everyday life acquire very specific technical meanings, and confusion can arise when someone is uncertain of the intended meaning of a word...
See also
- ArgotArgotAn Argot is a secret language used by various groups—including, but not limited to, thieves and other criminals—to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. The term argot is also used to refer to the informal specialized vocabulary from a particular field of study, hobby, job,...
- BuzzwordBuzzwordA buzzword is a term of art, salesmanship, politics, or technical jargon that is used in the media and wider society outside of its originally narrow technical context....
- ColloquialismColloquialismA colloquialism is a word or phrase that is common in everyday, unconstrained conversation rather than in formal speech, academic writing, or paralinguistics. Dictionaries often display colloquial words and phrases with the abbreviation colloq. as an identifier...
- Critical vocabularyCritical vocabularyA critical vocabulary is a formal terminology related to one or more branches of critical theory. Although it may be considered a type of jargon, it is predominantly used by academics and is not slang...
- EurodicautomEurodicautomEurodicautom was the pioneering terminology database of the European Commission, created in 1975, initially for use by translators and other Commission staff. By 1980 it was consultable on line within the Commission. As the Community grew it was expanded from six to seven, nine and finally eleven...
- JargonJargonJargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
- Legal writingLegal writingLegal writing is a type of technical writing used by lawyers, judges, legislators, and others in law to express legal analysis and legal rights and duties.- Authority :...
- LexigrafLexigrafLexigraf is a multilingual lexicographical project developed at the Aristotle University Thessaloniki Greece between 1997 and 2004.Current lexicographical projects require sophisticated IT infrastructure to be completed - both in hardware capacity and software...
- NomenclatureNomenclatureNomenclature is a term that applies to either a list of names or terms, or to the system of principles, procedures and terms related to naming - which is the assigning of a word or phrase to a particular object or property...
- OrismologyOrismologyOrismology is a subject that involves the defining or explaining of technical terminology. Many examples of orismology can be found in encyclopedias such as Wikipedia.-Sources:...
- Register (sociolinguistics)Register (sociolinguistics)In linguistics, a register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal...
- ShibbolethShibbolethA shibboleth is a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important...
- Three-letter acronymThree-letter acronymA three-letter acronym, three-letter abbreviation, or TLA is an abbreviation, specifically an acronym, alphabetism, or initialism, consisting of three letters...
- Variety (linguistics)Variety (linguistics)In sociolinguistics a variety, also called a lect, is a specific form of a language or language cluster. This may include languages, dialects, accents, registers, styles or other sociolinguistic variation, as well as the standard variety itself...
- Workplace jargonWorkplace jargon"Workplace jargon" is a term used in the United Kingdom to describe the often needless and/or meaningless sentences and phrases used by both managers and colleagues in the workplace instead of plain English....
External links
- Mathematical Words: Origins and Sources (John Aldrich, University of Southampton) Discusses the technical vocabulary of mathematics.