From Virtual Sex to Virtual Dictionaries: On the Analysis and Description of a De-terminologized Word

By November 17, 2016,
Page 645-654
Author Ingrid Meyer, Krista Varantola, Kristen Mackintosh
Title From Virtual Sex to Virtual Dictionaries: On the Analysis and Description of a De-terminologized Word
Abstract This paper deals with de-terminologized words, i.e. words that originated in a specialized field of expertise (e.g. computing, medicine), but that have migrated into the vocabulary of the general, educated public. A striking example is virtual, the focus of this paper. First, we analyze the de-terminologized uses of virtual using a framework based on semantic features and influenced by prototype theory. Second, we examine the issues of lexical description that virtual raises for general-language dictionaries. We identify some of the weaknesses of current dictionaries with regard to this word, and make suggestions for improvements.
Session PART 9 - Miscellaneous
Keywords Lexicology, terminology, lexicography, lexical semantics, semantic features
BibTex
@InProceedings{ELX98_2-042,
author = {Ingrid Meyer, Krista Varantola, Kristen Mackintosh},
title = {From Virtual Sex to Virtual Dictionaries: On the Analysis and Description of a De-terminologized Word},
pages = {645-654},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 8th EURALEX International Congress},
year = {1998},
month = {aug},
date = {4-8},
address = {Liège, Belgium},
editor = {Thierry Fontenelle, Philippe Hiligsmann, Archibald Michiels, André Moulin, Siegfried Theissen},
publisher = {Euralex},
isbn = {2-87233-091-7},
}
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