A theoretical approach to making multilingual terminological dictionaries

Bajčić, Martina. (2014). A theoretical approach to making multilingual terminological dictionaries. PhD Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of Linguistics. [mentor Bratanić, Maja and Šarčević, Susan].

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Abstract

Assuming that terminological units are multidimensional, it follows that their terminographic description must be based on a multidimensional approach. Therefore, the cognitive, linguistic and communicative specificity of terms can best be described in the framework of a cognitive and functional linguistic theory. This doctoral thesis investigates which cognitive terminological principles can improve the level of precision of the terminographic processing of legal terms. Since most legal concepts are vague, dynamic and belong to a broader conceptual structure, a reliable dictionary representation must take account of the complex semantic relationships existing between legal concepts. This can be achieved by highlighting the conceptual structure of terms in an ontology-based terminological dictionary. Moreover, it is necessary to integrate linguistic theories, especially cognitive semantics, into a state-of-the art terminology theory and to link theory and practice when designing a sample model for an English-German-Croatian terminological dictionary of European law. In view of the fact that definitions play a vital role in the terminological description of legal concepts, focus is placed on the problem of defining legal concepts in a terminological dictionary. While specified, i.e. more exact legal concepts may be defined in terms of traditional terminological definitions, the latter are not adequate for vague concepts of European law as they fail to capture their dynamicity and flexibility. With this in mind, the author suggests defining vague legal concepts as prototypical structures drawing on the groundwork of prototype semantics and sociocognitive terminology (Temmerman 1997; 2000). Such defintions, in turn, render a more realistic terminographic picture of vague legal concepts and define them as parts of their wider conceptual structures in line with the proposed cognitive terminological model. Results gained from the sample dictionary model provide insight into the practical feasibility of the outlined theoretical framework and offer a point of departure for making multilingual terminological dictionaries. Likewise, the results may contribute to the development of both terminology and terminography, as well as to the establishment of terminology within Croatian linguistics.

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