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This book, which is aimed at researchers in specialised varieties of English, provides an illustration of how linguists can use terms, i.e. the expression of concepts in specialised fields, as entry points to explore any specialised domain, whether academic or professional, and to get acquainted with its history, its culture, and the evolution of the ideas that have nurtured it. Choosing the field of economics as an example, the author approaches terms from a diachronic, descriptive and contextual perspective, focusing on neonyms, metaphorical, ambiguous or indeterminate terms, as well as interface terms likely to underscore the evolving character of the domain. The analysis points out the role of terms as milestones highlighting key discoveries that have shaped scientific fields; terms can also be considered as barometers of the evolution of knowledge in a specific field and of a changing social environment. Whoever thought terms were only interesting for their definitions or for translation purposes will no doubt be surprised at the insights that can be gained from considering them from a different angle and for other purposes.
List of contents
Contents: Terminology, ESP and Specialised Varieties of English - The specificity of economics - Insights from economic neonyms - Insights from metaphorical terms - Insights from indeterminate terms with relation to discourse - Insights from interface terms.
About the author
Catherine Resche is a full-time Professor of English for economics at Panthéon-Assas-Paris 2 University. A member of CELTA (Centre de Linguistique théorique et appliquée) at the Sorbonne (Paris IV), she heads the «terminology and specialised discourse» research group in applied linguistics. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters on terminology, neology, metaphor and genre and discourse analysis.
Report
"[Catherine Resche's] book does very well in its avowed aim of opening many windows onto practices, beliefs and intentions in economics mirrored by terms, not to mention a few doors allowing readers to pursue for themselves the topics raised, thanks to various methodological innovations." (John Humbley, Terminology 20, 2014/1)
