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LECTURE 2
TERM AS A MAIN UNIT

2.1 The definition of the term
2.2 The characteristics of the term
2.3 The functions of the term

Key terms: term, prescriptive, descriptive, sociocognitive,
communicative terminology theory, sign, definition, hyperonym
and hyponyms, function

2.1 The definition of the term
Terminology as a discipline began in the 1930’s with Eugen
Wüster. As Terminology struggled to acquire a semi-independent
status, a considerable amount of effort was invested in
distinguishing specialized language from general language, and in
distinguishing terms from words. This radical emphasis on
differences often seemed to convey the idea that terms were not
even language at all, but rather abstract symbols referring to
concepts in the real world. To conclude, we can say that traditional
terminology had a number of dogmatic principles, confused the
principles with facts and converted wishes into reality. It failed to
create a theoretical framework that would support its own
principles and methods.
A term as other linguistics phenomena is difficult to be
defined. That’s why there are many definitions of the term. In a
number of works the term is accepted to be a word or word
collocation of a natural language, – in other words, the language
nature of the term is maintained, and the differences in opinions
are reduced to the acceptance of greater or smaller specificity of
formal and functional structure of the term. So, D. Lotte held the
view that the term is a special word, but H. Vinokur considered
"the term to be not a special word/words, but only a word/words
with the specific function", and claimed that "any word could

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