| This study seeks to examine the specialized nature of certain verbs and adjectives in specialized discourse. It hypothesizes that certain verbs and adjectives, when used in specialized discourse, undergo semantic remodulation, which gives rise to new meanings and makes them exclusive to a specialized context. Since they are exclusive to a specialized discursive situation, this study holds that they are domain terminology.; Owing to a theoretical gap in the discipline of terminology, it has generally ignored verbs and adjectives. Here I examine both, using Meaning-Text theory's lexical analysis model of Explanatory and Combinatorial Lexicology (ECL) (Mel'cuk et al. 1995), presented in the Dictionnaire explicatif et combinatoire (Mel'cuk et al. 1984, 1988, 1992 and 1999).; This thesis comprises seven chapters, the first of which introduces its subject, objectives, hypothesis, theoretical framework and general structure.; The second chapter examines the problematic of the semantic remodulation of Brazilian Portuguese verbs and adjectives used in "micro-informatics". It also looks at questions of semantic borrowing, the influence of translations in the formation of specialized vocabularies and the linguistic knowledge necessary for translation and specialized writing. This study is located within specialized language and, for this reason, examines the notion of specialized language vis-a-vis general language. Since it uses a lexicological model for lexical analysis, it examines the notion of specialized lexicology.; The third chapter examines the notions of concept and signifie, on which this study is based, as well as a large number of notions used in traditional terminology. It also examines a new analytical perspective of "term", which gives rise to a descriptive terminology. The notion of "term" is examined from a prescriptive point of view (traditional terminology) as well as from a descriptive point of view (descriptive terminology). Finally, a number of the findings from the examination of terminology are compared with lexicology.; The fourth chapter sets out the theoretical framework, specifically the principles, criteria and rules for semantic decomposition according to the ECL.; The corpus and the methods used to compile it are presented in the fifth chapter. These include the methods used for text search, the criteria for selecting verbal and adjectival units as well as those used for distinguishing meanings. Lastly, this chapter looks at the procedure for semantic decomposition.; The sixth chapter treats the semantic decomposition of selected verbs and adjectives as well as the discussion (analysis) of decompositions performed. The chapter ends with the results of the semantic decompositions, which confirm my initial hypothesis.; Chapter seven is a summary of the salient points of this study as well as a presentation of the following conclusions: (1) Remodulation of the meaning of a lexical item in specialized discursive situations does in fact occur, giving rise to a new lexical item; (2) Remodulation may occur when (a) a peripheral semantic component is added to the main semantic component of the original lexical item; or (b) a peripheral semantic component is added to a peripheral semantic component of the original lexical item; or (c) there is a complete reformulation vis-a-vis the original lexical item [=metaphorical meaning]; (3) There is a typology of "terms": "conventional term", "remodulated term"; " GL term"; (4) The new terminology, descriptive terminology, must draw on models from lexicology, which will give it the status of specialised lexicology. |
