Article In: Terminology: Online-First Articles
The terminological principle of economy
How long is still short enough?
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Abstract
The terminological principle of economy is a fundamental terminological principle. It specifies that a term
should be as short as possible, containing only as many words as necessary to still adequately designate a concept. It is
generally accepted that one-word terms are inherently economical, but the question is in which cases multiword terms can also
still be considered economical. This was examined in a study that looked at all 640 terminological questions and answers covered
by the Slovenian Terminology Consulting Service on the Terminologišče website from 2013, when it started operating, to the end of
2024. The study showed that terms consistent with the terminological principle of economy do not necessarily designate a concept
in an extremely short form, but they do always designate it in a concise form. Hence, they can effectively perform their primary
function: to facilitate effective communication among experts.
Article outline
- Introduction
- 1.Terminology consulting and terminological principles
- 2.The terminological principle of economy
- 3.Analysis of the principle of economy in terminological answers
- 3.1The principle of economy as the primary argument to select the term
- 3.1.1One-word terms
- 3.1.1.1Borrowed one-word terms
- 3.1.1.2Newly coined one-word terms
- 3.1.1.3Existing one-word terms
- 3.1.2Two-word terms
- 3.1.2.1Two-word terms replacing descriptive terms
- 3.1.2.2Two-word terms transformed from three-word terms
- 3.1.2.3Two-word terms formed by omitting a redundant word
- 3.1.3Three-word terms
- 3.1.3.1Three-word terms replacing descriptive terms
- 3.1.3.2Three-word terms replacing four-word terms
- 3.1.4Four-word terms
- 3.1.1One-word terms
- 3.2The terminological principle of economy rejected as an argument for selecting the term
- 3.2.1The principle of conceptual adequacy takes priority
- 3.2.2Other terminological principles take priority
- 3.1The principle of economy as the primary argument to select the term
- 4.Conclusion
- Author queries
References
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