REFORMING TERMINOLOGY: THE SYSTEMATIZATION OF TECHNOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC TERMS

With the explosion-like development of science and technology we can witness today, the growth of special vocabulary, just like nearly all economic or social processes, has accelerated greatly. Such progress has resulted in quite a new situation with respect to defining new concepts, proposing and systematizing new terms for them, that is, in the research and development of terminology. This paper surveys some major features of the renewal of scientific and technological terminology, followed by a detailed account of the development of terminology in a relatively new branch of physics. As a concrete example, the term 'lézer' (laser) and its integration in the Hungarian system of terminology is discussed. The reason why it is some characteristic aspects of the terminological development of laser physics that are presented here is that useful experience can be gained for terminological development in general from an area in which new terminology has been successfully created in a fast progressing field and has also been integrated in the overall system of terminology. Finally, the imminent tasks of reforming terminology are summarized, including reasons leading to terminological confusion and the ways of overcoming them.