Terminology in the Era of Globalisation

Te minology in he E a o Globalisa ion SERGIUSZ GRINIEWICZ Uniue si y o Bialy s ok he impo ance o e minology in he e a o globalisa ion s ems om he ac ha nowadays he apid g ow h o scien i ic and echnological knowledge is p ac ically impossible wi hou paying a en ion o he s a e o e minology. Special lexical uni s comp ise mo e han 90 pe cen o he new wo ds in mode n lang ages. The g ow h o scien i ic and echnical ocabula ies is much as e han ha o he e e yday speech ocabula y, so a p esen he numbe o e ms in some sciences ( o e, ample chemis y o biology) exceeds he numbe o common wo ds. We can compa e he ollowing igu es: he ull, unab idged e sion o he Webs e 's dic iona- y con ains abou 700,000 English wo ds; he la ges Russian 17- olume dic iona y ea s some 120,000 wo ds ( hough al eady he e a e dic iona- ies con aining ca. 200,000 wo ds); a he same ime Russian cons uc ion e minology numbe s mo e han 150,000 wo ds, mode n biological e mi- nology exceeds a million names o a ie ies o li ing beings, in chemis y we know mo e han 1,5 million subs ances. In indus y al eady a he be- ginning o he 1980s mo e han 20 million ypes o a ious p oduc s we e manu ac u ed, each o hem ha ing i s own special name. Special ocabula y no only al eady comp ises he majo pa o any ad- anced na ional language bu also is he mos dynamic s a a o language. The so-called "in o ma ion explosion" - ha is ex emely apid g ow h o lows o scien i ic and echnological in o ma ion - caused he e minologi- cal e plosion - ha is eno mous g ow h o he numbe o new e ms. Fo example a he beginning o he 1g h cen l y acco ding o ou calcula ions he e exis ed abou 10 housand building e ms; a he beginning o he 20 h cen u y hei numbe g ew o 30-35 housand while a he p esen ime i may come up o 250 housand. I happens because e e y 25 yea s he numbe o sciences and scien i ic disciplines g ows wice, and e e y new science needs i s own e minology. I we conside he ac ha acco d- 10 Se giusz G iniewicz I Te minology in he li a o Globalisa ion ing o he Encyclopaedia B i annica in he 20 h cen u y as much as 2,500 new sciences and scien i ic disciplines came in o being, hen he p oblem o e minology in he 21s cen u y akes i p ope shape' We should also pay a en ion o he ole e minologies o a ious b anches o science a e playinginshapingou knowledgeo hesu oundingwo ldandou sel es, hough his is usually unde es ima ed and neglec ed by he go e nmen s (G ine , 1999). one o he main p oblems, ha immedia ely a ises in connec ion wi h globalisa ion, and could be clea ly obse ed, is ha we ha e o ind ou some e ec i e linguis ic means o in e na ional communica ion' F om lin- guis ic poin o iew he e a e h ee possible solu ions o he p oblem o communica ing in new condi ions, namely: - es ablishing uni e sally accep ed a i icial language as a means o com- munica ion; - success ully sol ing he p oblem o machine ansla ion; o - choosing one o he exis ing languages as a uni e sally in e na ional o d as ically limi ing he numbe o in e na ional languages' The his o y o a emp s a in en in g a i icial languages is qui e imp es- si e, lis ing a ious p oiec s o c ea ing "ideal" languages, hough none o hem became widesp ead. Su ice i o say ha he mos widely used a i icial in e na ional language - Espe an o, ega dless o he ac o i s cen ena y exis ence, did no eally succeed in jus i ying g ea expec a ions o becoming he uni e sally known and p e ailing in use in e na ional language. I may be accoun ed o by he essen ial d awbacks o i s c ea- ion - deba able lexical inno a ions, lack o p elimina y es ima ion o he possible phone ic and g amma ical p oblems o he people wi h a ious iu. gnug" backg ound, e c. Bu hen, e en some mo e e icien a i icial languages, such as Occiden al - ha was p oposed by some qui e compe en and skil ul linguis s, and has many me i s, namely, i is easy o unde s and, e en wi hou ex ensi e linguis ic knowledge and skills, easy o lea n, hanks o less a i icial cons uc ions o memo ise - could no become su icien ly popula . Bu hisop ionis'pe haps,ou o heScopeo e minologyscience' hough some p inciples o cons uc ing new wo ds a e basically he same, whe eas he nex wo a e di ec ly connec ed wi h e minological p oblems. The nex solu ion is nachine unsla ion The main obs acle on he way o e ec i e machine ansla ion lies in he ac ha in he dic iona ies we Te minologiia 12006 | 13 11 ind mul i ude o equi alen s o he soll ce e m. As was men ioned in some publica ions (G ine , 1999), when he dic iona y gi es only one equi alen o he sou ce e m, he ask o ansla o is a he easy, hough he s ill has o make su e ha he sugges ed equi alen has he same meanings as he sou ce e m. Si ua ion becomes di icul i he e a e wo a ian s o ansla- ion o he sou ce e m. I becomes e en mo e complica ed wi h he g ow h o numbe o p obable a ian s o ansla ion. O en such lis s o equi alen s include synonyms, a ian s and qui e di e en e ms side-by-side, hus u e ly emba assing he use o he dic- iona y. E en when ansla ing in o he na i e language and pe ec ly well knowing he di e ence be ween he p oposed a ian s, ansla o does no necessa ily know which o he synonyms is s anda dized and, he e o e, p e e able. In cases o ansla ing om he na i e language ansla o has o sol e a e y di icul p oblem o disc imina ing be ween he absolu e equi a- len s, a ian s, pa ial and condi ional equi alen s o qui e di e en e ms which a e o en gi en in a dic iona y in a andom o de . In many cases he occasionally used e ms a e ca e ully bu wi hou c i ical assessmen egis- e ed by he au ho o e minological dic iona y and p esen ed as a ian s o ansla ion, wha I am usually e e ing o as "emba as de ichesses". I makes ansla o 's wo k eally ying. In he case o machine ansla ion i ge s e en mo e complica ed, because hen he choice o equi alen is qui e o mal - usually he i s one is supplied. Sys ema ic compa ison o he na ional e minologies in he p ocess o c ea ing a dic iona y makes i easie and wi h mo e eliable esul s. I gi es he oppo uni y o ge he clea pic u e o he exis ing synonymic and quasi-synonymic ela ions be ween e ms wi hin na ional e minologies, o choose he mos p e e able e ms ou o he g oup o synonyms and o es ablish eliable equi alen s o be used in ansla ing he co espond- ing g oup o synonyms and o ensu e e e sibili y. Bu mos impo an , i p esen s he oppo uni y o minimize he numbe o equi alen s o he sou ce e m, in many cases lea ing only one equi alen . Un o una ely, his p oblem is a om being sol ed and he p esen endencies in dic iona y making gi e eason o be scep ic. The las solu ion is he choice o one o he exis ing languages. Globalisa- ion o he indus y, economics, cul u e, e en he e e yday li e esul s in o ming o new condi ions o he exis ence and in e ac ion o he na ional languages. One o hem is domina ion o some languages, chosen as means o 72 Se giusz G inicwicz I Te minology in he E a o Globalisa ion in e na ional communica ion. In ou his o y he e we e imes o domina ion o one o he. p es igious languages: in Middle Ages La in was a uni e sal lan- guage o li e acy, he same ole . 'as playecl in he Eas by A abic; in he I B h and he 19 h cen u ies F ench was he language o ed . ca ed pe sons all o e Eu ope. Now, since he second hal o he 20 h cen u y English is g aclually becoming domina ing language all o e he wo ld. Simul aneously . 'e can iew lessening o he numbe o he ac i ely used languages. Acco ding o he UN calcula ions du ing he cu en cen u y app oxima ely 2,500 o he p esen ly unc ioning 3,000 languages will clisappea om ac i e usage. Yo may disag ee wi h me bu some languages ha e small chances o su i e. In many cases he e e ish a emp s o e i e' and sus ain he p ac ically ha dly exis en na ional languages a e in eaii y iogging dead ho ses. In eali y, howe e , only hose lang ages a e doomed o disappea , ha al eady ha e qui e limi ed usage (such as one- illage languages). In many cases disappea ance would only mean a change o s a us - om language o dialec , as, in all appea ances, i ecen ly happened wi h Molda ian ha was p oclaimed a dialec o Romanian. A he same ime we may obse e qui e he opposi e p ocess - some dialec s, as o example Ca alonian and Galician in Spain, P o encal in F ance gained he s a us o o icial languages, The e may be wo causes o disappea ance o na ional languages - he mos na u al one being he na owing o he sphe e o applica ion o a na ional language ans o ming i in o : local dialec and he nex one is he in luence o a closely ela ed language wi h he his o ically de e mined adi ionally wide spec e o unc ioning (such as he case o he Uk ainian and he Byelo ussian languages which a he end o he 1980s we e being almos comple ely ous ed by he Russian language). I ollows ha he su i ing languages will widen hei unc ional domain and a numbe o speake s will inc ease ou side he coun ies o hei o igin (i migh be men ioned as a cu ious ac ha a he p esen ime bo h he B i ish and he Russians cons i u e na ional mino i ies among he na i e speake s o he espec i e languages). Wi h he commencemen o in e - na ional applica ion o some o he exis ing languages we come ac oss he p oble n o hei e ec i e usage. And he e he ques ion o he na ional language policy a ises. A p esen we can obse e ha some o he poli ical decisions conce ning language in he eme ging new s a es ha e only momen a y poli ical easons wi h comple e igno ance o he na u al endencies o language de elop- IJ e n inologiia | 2006 | l3 men and canno he e o e be aken se iously. The e o e wo king ou sound impa ial ecommenda ions based on he analysis o na u al p ocesses o e olu ion and, in pa icula , in e na ional in e ac ion o languages becomes a necessi y. Such ecommenda ion i s o all should be conce ned wi h e minology because, i s ly, his pa o he wo d-s ock may be mos easi- ly egula ed (special lexis is qui e p obably he only pa o language ha migh be consciously manipula ed and con olled), and, secondly, because con olling special ocabula y may enhance g ea ly he p og ess o science and echnology. When we speak o he mino languages - and, acco ding o he opinion o p o . Pusz ay, exp essed a he Oc obe In e na ional Con e ence "Te- - minology o Na ional Languages and Globaliza ion" (Vilnius, 2006), e en languages wi h 10 mln. na i e speake s should be conside ed as such, a leas wo ac o s, in ou opinion, should be conside ed. Fi s ly, he numbe o people speaking s a e languages o mino s a es, such as he Bal ic ones, migh be subs an ially inc eased by he people o o he na ionali ies acqui ing hose languages. Secondly, one o he mos e ec i e means o p e en ing disappea ance o ela ed mino languages is hei conue gen deuelopmen , inc easing chances o hei su i al. I is in e es ing ha pu ely poli ical decisions o he 20s o he p e ious cen u y p oclaiming na ional languages wha was hen dialec s o he same lang age made i di icul , bu could no p e- en he possibili y o communica ion be ween he peoples o he Cen al Asia coun ies. Bu wha he un a ou able condi ions, na u al disas e s o disas ous poli ical decisions can no do, could be done by he people hemsel es - he hough less uncoo dina ed bo owing om di e en lan- guages - A abic, Russian, English, Ge man, Pe sian leads o inc ease o di e ences o o me dialec s, and, consequen ly, mu ual unde s anding. The con e gen policy implies ha he al eady exis ing p inciples o bo owing: - ansli e a ion is p e e able o ansc ip ion, because nowadays he ma- jo i y o bo owings is ca ied ou in w i en o m; - when bo owing pay a en ion o he o m a he han meaning, be- cause meaning is changing (wi h de elopmen o change o he co es- ponding concep ) much easie han he o m; - o ensu e he easies assimila ion o bo owings i is allowable o sim- pli y hei o ms, e ading consonan clus e ing and owel hia uses ha | 4 Se giusz (] iniewicz I Te minology in he E a o G[< balisa ion migh cause p oblems in p onouncing; adap ing he endings so ha hey would con o m wi h he accep ed g amma ical pa adigms; - wi h new e ms he al eady exis ing in e na ional o ms a e o be p e- e ed; - in many cases wide.ly known Old G eek and La in mo phemes could be used in o ming new na ional e ms (G ine , i987); wo new p inciples o co-o dina ed language policy should be aclded, namely: - he e should be he same sou ce languages o bo owing in o ela ed languages; - he o ms o he bo owings, i no iden ical, should be as close as pos- sible and in case o di e en na ional su ixes, he e sho ld be s ic co espondence o new wo ds wi h hose su ixes. The na ional languages p oblems o he newly independen s a es we e mos ho oughly discussed a he beginning o he 1990s a he numbe o con e ences in Uk aine (Che no sy 7990,1991; Kie 1992), whe e he possibili ies o con e gen de elopmen o ela ed languages and e ec- i e me hods and p inciples o ensu ing coo dina ion in ela ed languages de eiopmen we e analysed and e e ybody was qui e en husias ic. Un- o una ely la e hey we e no implemen ed in Uk aine which led o he p esen si ua ion whe e in some cases se e al na ional e minologies, based on a ious p inciples bu di e en om o ms in o he Sla onic languages a e sugges ed o he cons e na ion o specialis s. The pe spec i es o e minological esea ch and p ac ical ac i i ies o he commencing cen u y migh be qui e p omising unde he bene icial ci cums ances leading o he elabo a ion and applica ion o he se o ules o con olling he de elopmen o speciai languages. Unde he ad e se condi ions he end o he cen u y will wi ness he endless discussions o he mino p oblems o e minology science while he oppo uni y o con ol he e olu ion o he mainly used languages will be i e ie ably los . Un- o una ely he gene al expe ience o he human beha iou allows coun ing a he on he pessimis ic a ian o he o ecas . C O NC LUS IONS One o he opical linguis ic p oblems o globalisa ion is o e coming lan- guage ba ie s. The e a e h ee possible solu ions - accep ing an a i icial language as means o in e na ional communica ion, machine ansla ion l5 Te minologiia | 2006 | 13 o endowing one o he exis ing languages wi h sup eme in e na ional unc ions. Ano he opical p obie n is p ese ing small na ional languages which may be e ec i ely achie ed by con e gen de elopmen o ela ed languages. In any case he p esen si ua ion equi es well-conside ed s a e Ianguage policy. RT TREN(E5 G ine S.V. 987:'lc ninologi<al bo owings. N!'o e nl 7 /8,37 - 17. Ci inc' S.V. 1999: On lhc P incipl s o Imp ouing T anslu i g Ta minok gical Dic ionu i 's. Sl pskic I' ace lu anis czn '. l8a. Slupsk. 95 105. TTRMINOTOGIJA GI.OBAI.IZA(IJOS EROJE S aipsnyje g ildcnami u ini l kalbq e minologi os klausin ai daba ini'mis globali- zacijos sillygomis. Nag ine ami ys poZiu iai !kalbos ba ic q Salinimo p oblemos sp en- dimE - op i nalios di b ines a p au ines kalbos suku imas, maiininis c imas i ienos ii daZniausiai a ojamq kalbq pasi inkimas a p au ine. Analizuojamos adinamqjq maZqiq au iniq kalbq iSsaugojimo p oblemos. Ypa ingas demcsys ski ia nas giminingq kalbq c minijos kon e gencines ple os koo dina imo poli ikos galim bcn. s. TEPMilH0n0 il8 B PE illoEAn i3Aulill B c a' 'e o6cyx<4a o' c.s Bo pocb ep {xHonol 4 , Ha { 4oHa/ bHb x s3b KoB B coBpeMeH- HbIx yc./ oB l x nooanu:aqialI. Pacc "la pl4Ba o c { Tp { [oAxoAa K pe xe p c npo6le n ycTpaHeIIIlJl . I3bIKOBblx 6ap epOn - palpa6oT a O[TuManbHo o {CKycC 'BcHHo O Me)KAy- HapoAHo o J 3bIKa, uau u Huii [epeBo/I , n ' 6op oAHo o z: Ha . 6o ee no pe'6nl eu , x q3b KoB Me)KHa l?IoHaJ bHo o o6u1euua. Anan a: py o c npo6nenb coxpaHeH , aK Ha3b RaeMb x (Mal b x) Haq 4oHanbHb x 'I3bIKoB. Oco6oe BH . MaHlle yAel e c Bo3Mo)KHoc qM KoopA] H . ponanuoi oII . K 4 KOHRep e THo o pa3BuT 4 I TepMnHono .{u poncTRe H ,lx :J , KoB. Gau a 2006-10-24 Se giusz G iniewicz Uni e si y o Bialys ok Waska 4, m. 2O, Bialys ok, 15-481, Poland E-n ail: [email p o ec ed] I6 Se giusz G inieu'icz I' e minolog in he E e o Globalisa ion