| Terminology serves as the symbolic representation of concepts in specific subject fields,and the essential attributes and pragmatic features of terms are reflected in their actual use.In recent decades,scholars working in the field of terminology worldwide have gradually attached importance to the study of terminology use.The horizon of contemporary terminology has been greatly expanded from the study of the naming process to the research on terminology use.However,few studies are conducted in the cross-lingual context,and there is also a lack of insights into the diachronic dimension of terminology use.Through a case study into the diachronic features of the use of zibenhua(资本化),the author of the present study attempts to investigate the evolution of the use of a translational term and its interaction with the historical context of the target culture.This research will shed some light on terminology translation studies both theoretically and practically.Under the multidimensional model of the Communicative Theory of Terminology,the author describes the diachronic features of the use of zibenhua,analyzes the diachronic changes of its use in the linguistic,conceptual,and communicative dimensions and explains the interactive mechanism between the use of zibenhua and its historical contexts.The multidimensional model of terminology originates from the reflection on the priority that traditional terminology puts on concepts.The model emphasizes the multiple dimensions of the terminological unit,namely the linguistic,cognitive,and communicative dimensions,an integrated study of which can thoroughly describe and explain terminological data.The translational term zibenhua has undergone a long process from encountering resistance to gaining acceptance after it entered the Chinese language and changed considerably in these three dimensions,which justifies the feasibility of the multidimensional model of terminology for analyzing its use thoroughly.Taking this model as the theoretical framework,corpus-based research on the multiple dimensions of zibenhua in People’s Daily(1949–2019)is conducted.The corpus data on the time of use,background information,conceptual features of,and people’s attitudes towards zibenhua are collected to examine the diachronic features of the use of zibenhua.Three specific research questions are to be answered.They are respectively: 1)What are the major features of the use of zibenhua in different periods? 2)What are diachronic changes in the use of zibenhua,from respectively the linguistic,conceptual,and communicative dimensions? 3)How does the use of zibenhua interact with its historical contexts? Through data analysis and comparative research,the major findings are made as follows:Firstly,the use of the translational term zibenhua displays staged features from 1949 to 2019.To be specific,the data reveal a significant difference in the collocation and concept of and people’s attitudes towards zibenhua in five different periods(i.e.,1949–1978,1979–1992,1993–2003,2004–2013,and 2014–2019).Secondly,the use of the translational term zibenhua has also gone through diachronic changes in linguistic,conceptual,and communicative dimensions.Linguistically,its collocation is monotonous at the beginning of its use,then falls into the competition between negative and positive collocates.Later,the list of collocates are enriched and finally becomes diversified.As to its concept,it develops from being taken with prejudice to a deepening understanding,and ultimately,to reproduction and variation.At the communicative level,people’s attitudes toward zibenhua change from exclusion,distant observation to gradual acceptance.Then people actively use the term,and such a positive attitude remains steady later.Thirdly,the use of zibenhua and its historical contexts exhibit intimate relationship and interact with each other.Specifically,the political,economic,and cultural conditions in China that constitute the historical context influence the evolution of its linguistic manifestation,the understanding of its concept,and people’s acceptance of it.Moreover,such influence is mutual,and the use of zibenhua also feeds into its historical contexts through target users’ interpretation and reflection,practical and institutional involvement,and ideological alteration.Furthermore,the interaction between the use of zibenhua and its historical contexts forms an infinite cycle,continuously influencing each other.The author of the present thesis conducts a diachronic study of the translational Chinese term zibenhua and analyzes the interactive mechanism between the use of zibenhua and its historical contexts,which provides a reference for future studies of cross-lingual terminology use as well as terminology translation practice.Nevertheless,the mechanism in each specific dimension remains to be further explored with more additional data,and other terms related to zibenhua need to be investigated systematically in future research. |
