Onomasiological and Semasiological Approaches to Term/Concept Relationship: Proposition for Systematic Terminology
Terminological study of the relationship between term and concept has traditionally adopted an onomasiological approach thereby paying little attention to semasiological approach which is claimed to be lexicological in nature. This, as has been postulated by the founding fathers of terminology as a discipline, has been due to the fundamental objective of the discipline which is "assigning terms to both old and new concepts". However, some new trends in the theoretical aspect of terminology have allowed for a multidimensional approach to terminological issues. In this descriptive study, we are juxtaposing onomasiology and semasiology with the intention of emphasizing their individual characteristics. This will result in tracing the point of convergence between them, which in turn, will be the bedrock of proposing a mixed onomasiological and semasiological approach to the relationship between term and concept in systematic terminology.
Keywords: Terminology, Lexicology, Onomasiology, Semasiology, Term, Concept
Mr Chidi Nnamdi Igwe
Ph.D Student/Researcher, Department of French, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Ref: H05P0078