35.480, Review: Terminology: Cabré (2023)

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Subject: 35.480, Review: Terminology: Cabré (2023)

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Date: 11-Feb-2024
From: Ramona Pistol [pistolramona at yahoo.com]
Subject: Translation: Cabré (2023)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/34.2778

AUTHOR: Teresa Cabré
TRANSLATED BY: Besharat Fathi
TRANSLATED BY: Steven Norris
TRANSLATED BY: Sheila Queralt
TITLE: Terminology
SUBTITLE: Cognition, language and communication
SERIES TITLE: IVITRA Research in Linguistics and Literature   36
PUBLISHER: John Benjamins
YEAR: 2023

REVIEWER: Ramona Pistol

SUMMARY
Teresa Cabré’s book “Terminology. Cognition, language and
communication” represents the culmination of an extensive scholarly
endeavour spanning over a decade, with its central focus on
formulating the Communicative Theory of Terminology (CTT). In her
comprehensive exploration of existing theories of terminology, the
methodologies of terminology and its relation to communication and
cognition, Cabré delves into the complex nature of the role played by
the notion ‘term’, concurrently establishing the foundational
framework for her innovative theory, positioning terminology as a
distinct discipline.
The book is divided into two parts, with the first part comprising 12
chapters that reevaluate existing views and definitions of terminology
to lay the groundwork for the development of the Communicative Theory
of Terminology (CTT). This new theory focuses on the ‘terminological
unit’ (TU), rather than terms, conceptualising TU as a polyhedron with
three viewpoints: the cognitive (the concept), the linguistic (the
term), and the communicative (the situation). Prior to introducing the
CTT, several articles in Part 1 critically examine Wüster’s General
Theory of Terminology (GTT), showing how the theoretical account is
overly reductionist and idealist, unable to accommodate the diversity
of real terminological data. The second and third chapters advance the
author's multidimensional theory, introducing the Door Model (Cabré
1999, 2003) which emphasises the multiple facets of ‘terminological
units’ from the three perspectives — linguistics, cognition, and
communication —rather than considering terminology to belong to the
linguistic field alone. Chapter 4 further delves into the theoretical
underpinnings of terminology, introducing Cabré's Principle of
Polyhendricity that refers to the multidisciplinary and
multidimensionality of terminological units, in order to explain the
relationships between different levels of analysis within terminology.
She uses this principle to explain denominative variation and partial
synonymy. The Door model and the Principle of Polyhendricity emerge as
recurrent themes throughout multiple chapters in the book.
The subsequent chapters in Part 1 highlight the need to recognise
terminology as a distinct area of knowledge. One key argument posited
is that viewing terminology as an approach to understanding terms
needs a foundation in linguistics but extends beyond being a mere
subset of it. In Chapter 7, Cabré asks if the proposals developed by
Wüster and advocates (e.g. Budin, 2001) are sufficiently extensive and
representative of terminological data and their overall functioning,
in order to determine the viability of considering a comprehensive
theory of terminology. The author cogently analyzes the shifts in
terminological methodology and how IT solutions and corpora have
enabled more empirical, data-driven approaches centered around
specialized language use. In Chapter 8 Cabré directs her attention to
translation, asserting that terminological units are not inherently
abstract, but rather acquire terminological value through practical
application within a specialised field, involving the activation of a
specific meaning established by experts in the field. Furthermore, she
points out that texts are dynamic, open, and multidimensional
structures that interactively help connect cognitive, grammatical, and
social aspects. Regarding translator training, Cabré advocates textual
analysis to build both topical competence and linguistic knowledge. By
representing a text's conceptual structure, she argues that students
acquire subject knowledge along with contextualized terminology and
phraseology, and she provides evidence that this pedagogical approach
proves useful. This linkage of content and form echoes Cabré's
communicative theory of terms.
In Chapter 9 Cabré extends her examination to textual and discursive
aspects, asserting that because any given phenomenon inherently
possesses complexity and polyhedrality, a singular discipline or
perspective is not enough to understand such phenomena. Discussing
mental representations in Chapter 10, Cabré argues that words and
terms should be perceived not as distinct units, but rather as diverse
manifestations within discourse of the same unit type. Furthermore,
the idea that words in a lexicon are predominantly polysemic while
terms are monosemic is challenged, and the author proposes a lexical
model that posits a unified approach treating both as lexical units,
suggesting that the activation of meaning is contingent upon pragmatic
conditions. Chapter 11 argues against Wüster’s stance that a term’s
meaning directly correlates with the concept it denotes. Instead,
Cabré asserts that concepts are culturally constructed, dynamic, and
consensually stabilized within expert communities, with the content of
a term extending beyond the cognitive to encompass the linguistic
level. The final chapter in Part 1 underscores the importance of the
universally applicable Principle of Polyhendricity, alongside
parameters such as the topic, the field of use, and the genre, for the
classification of specialised texts.
Part 2 has 9 chapters, primarily dedicated to linking terminology as a
field of knowledge to other fields that involve terms, such as
translation and documentation. The exploration of new contexts,
including translation in international organisations and language
promotion in Quebec, reveals gaps in standardised methodologies. A
reoccurring point in this part is the two main functions that
terminology systematically fulfils: representing and transferring
specialised knowledge. Chapter 13 introduces a distinction between
representational (standardised) terminology, serving purposes like
standardisation, documentation and engineering, and communicational
(spontaneous) terminology that serves translation and communication.
Cabré points out several noteworthy characteristics of terminology as
a discipline, as exemplified in Chapter 16, where she posits that
“terminology is, simultaneously, a need, a practice and a discipline.”
(p.266). In Chapter 17, she emphasises that standardisation seeks a
form of unification for a clearly functional objective, rather than
achieve unification. She contrasts her approach effectively with the
General Theory of Terminology to highlight differences. Chapter 19
advocates for studies on terminological implantation within language
planning contexts. Part 2 concludes by highlighting the importance of
considering the theoretical foundation of neology, drawing on the
works of Guilbert and Rey, and outlining the challenges posed by the
multifaceted nature of neologisms.


EVALUATION
All chapters are well-researched, with Cabré drawing on a strong
foundation of prior terminology theory and more recent research in
communication and cognition. Her critique of Wüster’s General Theory
of Terminology (GTT) is excellent in revealing its limitations, such
as restricting terminology to concepts by defining terms as linguistic
denominations of concepts, and its application only in science and
technology. She underscores the GTT’s treatment of terminology as an
independent domain, centered exclusively on static concepts, conceived
prior and preexisting to denomination. Thus, a major facet of
criticism directed at the GTT stems from two main reasons: the
idealisation of reality, knowledge, and communication and the theory’s
restricted applicability to standardisation. Cabré addresses a notable
gap by highlighting Wüster’s oversight of the crucial communicative
function. From the beginning of the book, Cabré introduces her
metaphorical idea of ‘the model of doors’, to discuss the
multidimensional characteristic of her novel theory, contending that
terminology, as an interdisciplinary field of knowledge, should
encompass cognitive, linguistic, semiotic, and communicative aspects
of terminological units, which serve as the doors to interdisciplinary
understanding. Furthermore, Cabré lays out their rationale clearly,
asserting from the beginning of the book that the ‘term’ object has
three aspects: semiotic and linguistic, cognitive, and communicative.
I concur with Cabré’s assertion that the exploration of terminology as
a subject necessitates an integration of linguistic theories with
consideration of knowledge, cognition, and communication (p. 9). The
proposed new theory of terms, encompassing a multidimensional
approach, is much needed for advancing the debate in regard to meaning
creation and transmission, and communication in general. Additionally,
the Principle of Polyhedricity, positing that terms function as
interdisciplinary units with distinct facets, aligned to various
levels of analysis, is an innovative way to capture the complexity of
terminology. Cabré adeptly applies this principle to both
terminological units and concepts, emphasizing their multifaceted
nature. In Chapter 7, Cabré critically examines how the three main
perspectives on communication challenge Wüster’s GTT. She introduces
the debate over what constitutes a ‘concept’ and rightly calls into
question the Wüsterian conception of ‘objective knowledge’ and of the
‘universal validity’ of concepts within specialised areas, which is
greatly challenged by cognitive sciences, including philosophy and
psychology of knowledge. The second perspective from social sciences
emphasises the cultural factors influencing specialised communication,
where specialised terms become identifiers of social groups,
distinguishing experts from non-experts. From a language perspective,
she points out that most terms can be analysed as lexical units of
natural languages because terms form the lexical basis of
specialities. Many chapters delve into critiques of the GTT,
occasionally exhibiting a sense of repetition. However, later chapters
provide more detail on both the extensions of the traditional theory
and its applications and offer valuable insights that contribute to
advancing the field of terminology theory.
In Chapter 8 Cabré uses translation as an illustrative domain to
examine the nature of ‘terms’ concerning their ‘settled’ or constant
meaning. She suggests that the use of terms should be controlled by
the conceptual consensus established by the expert community, but this
assertion can be scrutinised when considering Peirce’s (CB 2.104) view
that meaning is never ‘settled’. Emphasizing that ‘terminological
units’ are never abstract, Cabré contends that they acquire
terminological value in use within a specialised field, wherein this
value equates to the activation of a specific meaning pre-established
by experts in the field. However, the notion of ‘specific meaning’
raises complexities, as meaning is inherently subject to
interpretation, and discerning the author’s intent can be challenging.
In Chapter 13, Cabré describes a ‘term’ as a combination of form and
content, wherein content matches features in a conceptual structure
within a specialised context. Throughout, Cabré provides examples and
analysis from Spanish terminology to illustrate concepts. The
selection of chapters provides a coherent overview of the author's
perspective on key issues in terminology theory.
While Cabré argues for the influence of culture, social dynamics, and
psychological factors in shaping concepts as ‘mental constructs’
rather than being direct representations of real objects, a more
thorough incorporation of theories related to meaning and cognition
could have further enriched her perspective. It is notable that she
makes reference to Eleanor Rosch’s Prototype Theory and George
Lakoff’s contributions to the view that concepts are conceived as
encapsulated within a schema of features. Additionally, she uses
Levinson’s ‘situated cognition’ to posit ‘situated meaning’ as the
‘specialised value’ of lexical units or the specialised meaning in a
domain, suggesting a reference concept which is the same for all
experts in a certain field. However, such a view might be deemed
controversial, given alternative perspectives such as enactivism
theory that emphasizes dynamic interactions between an organism and
its environment (Varela, Thompson, and Rosch 2017; Shapiro, 2019).
Although Cabré acknowledges the semiotic nature of ‘terms’ and the
indispensable role of pragmatics in activating the terminological
value of a lexical unit, her focus primarily revolves around concepts
as part of a schema of characteristic features. An in-depth
exploration of the connotations and denotations of ‘terminological
units’ could have provided a more nuanced understanding of
standardised meaning. Nonetheless, Cabré’s final chapter underscores
the need for a theoretical foundation in the study of neologisms,
because of the perceived inability to explain neologisms through
grammar, and the lack of interest from linguistics in the past.
In conclusion, Cabré’s book adds to our understanding of stabilised
meaning, particularly through specialised knowledge, making it a
valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and educators
interested in the field. Drawing on principles from linguistics,
cognition, and communication theory, she argues for a multidimensional
view of terminology that integrates multiple essential facets,
including linguistic, cognitive, and social dimensions. She makes a
significant contribution to terminology, covering theoretical,
methodological, and applied aspects. All chapters showcase Cabré's
sophistication as a theorist seeking to strengthen terminology's
scientific foundations. Her contextual, multidimensional perspective
offers valuable counterbalance to past decontextualized models, and
she makes insightful connections between multiple disciplines while
maintaining the integrity of terminology as a field.

REFERENCES
Peirce, C. S. (1986) A Comprehensive Bibliography of the Published
Works of Charles Sanders Peirce. 2nd ed. Revised by K. L. Ketner and
B. Green, OH: Philosophy Documentation Center, Bowling Green State
University. [Reference to Peirce’s papers will be designated CB and
page number (in original source)].
Shapiro, L. (2019) “Matters of the Flesh: The Role(s) of Body in
Cognition,” in Matteo Colombo, Elizabeth Irvine and Mog Stapleton
(eds.), Andy Clark and His Critics, New York, NY: Oxford University
Press, pp. 69–80.
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E. and Rosch, E. (2017) The Embodied Mind,
Revised Edition: Cognitive Science and Human Experience, Cambridge,
Mass: MIT Press.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Ramona Pistol obtained her PhD in Communication, cognition, and
semiotics from Middlesex University. Her main research interest is in
the creation of new meaning, metaphorical thinking, imagination,
consciousness, and emotions. She is a lecturer in management at the
University of Bedfordshire.



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