Research On Terminological Variation From Functional Aspect In Shell's Sustainability Report In 2014

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the functional variation of terminology in non-specialized discourse in order to reveal how terms are used in non-specialized discourse compared with them in specialized discourse.Terminology theory has evolved from “prescriptivism”,“descriptivism” to “cognitive terminology” and “text terminology”,which focuses on the mental process of learning and creating terms and on the usage of terminology in texts as well.Terminology is scientific language used as a tool to communicate in the professional field,so it is important to study its communicative function.Terminology,as the language unit and knowledge unit,performs its own functions in scientific communication such as cognitive function,instrument function,and heuristic function and so on.However when terminology is used in non-specialized discourse,there will be three types of variation: morphological variation,syntactic variation and semantic variation.From the perspective of functionalism,the change of communicative intention may lead to the functional variation of terminology.This thesis analyzes the functional variation of terminology in Shell's Sustainability Report of 2014 based on the Linguistic Adaptation Theory and will answer three questions:(1)What performing functions do terms perform in Shell's Sustainability Report in 2014?(2)How does this functional variation occur in Shell's Sustainability Report in 2014?(3)What's the reason for functional variation of terminology in Shell's Sustainability Report in 2014 based on the Linguistic Adaptation Theory?The result shows that(1)Shell Company mainly used terms as doublespeak to conceal negative information and mislead the public in order to construct an image of ethical business and make a commitment to stakeholders of fulfilling the target of carbon-emission cutting;(2)Shell Company used terms as doublespeak to conceal negative information and mislead the public in three ways: 1)Consciously to avoid describing disadvantages of technical terms to conceal the negative impact of related technologies on climate change,2)To make full use of these kinds of terms that are so poorly defined or broad that their real meanings are likely to be misunderstood by the stakeholders,3)Consciously to choose appropriate words in the interest of companies to collocate with harmful gases to distract stakeholders from the harm of harmful gases to the companies' behavior of reducing the emission of these harmful gases;(3)The reason for functional variation of terminology based on the Linguistic Adaptation Theory is due to the change of communicative intension,communicators and the gap of the level of familiarity with the terms between the speakers and the hearers.In addition,these terms are used unconsciously or purposely.This research on the one hand helps us realize the meaning and significance given to the terms by Shell Company in order for us not to be misled and also helps enhance people's sensitivity and awareness of the usage norm of terminology.On the other hand,it promotes the transparency of information disclosure in Sustainability Reports.