Abstract:
This study analysed the term creation strategies that were used to develop Mathematics dictionaries from Grade R-6, which is the foundation phase and intermediate phase in South African education. Furthermore, the study sought to determine whether the strategies employed yielded term equivalents that are unambiguous, comprehensible and effective. Furthermore, the study also analysed spelling and orthography rules to ascertain whether they were not violated when the terms were created. The study is content analysis which makes it a qualitative study.
This study discussed term creation strategies such as borrowing (direct or indirect), paraphrasing, loan translation, compounding and coinage as appropriate for the term creation process. It further revealed that when strategies such as borrowing are used, there are spelling and orthographic inconsistencies, especially when translating borrowed words from English into Northern Sotho. Furthermore, the study found that there are types of paraphrasing used to create terms, namely paraphrasing using related words, paraphrasing using unrelated words, explicative paraphrasing, distributive paraphrasing, and paraphrasing characterised by borrowing. The study further revealed that in all the types of paraphrasing, the most used is the explicative paraphrase followed by paraphrasing using related words, and the least used is paraphrasing characterised by borrowing and paraphrasing using unrelated words. The study revealed that the distributive strategy creates lengthy terms that might not be understood by learners. The study found that there was a lack of harmonisation of translated equivalents, where one concept is translated differently and thus creates inconsistencies in the orthography of the borrowed concepts. The study further found that, translators and terminologists work in silos and do not consult previous work done in the same field. Lastly, the study recommends that, the National Language Body for Terminology Technical Committee should produce standardised spelling and orthography guidelines for technical domains. The guidelines should address the spelling and orthography of technical terminology in specific fields. This will ensure a harmonised standardised terminology in specific domains. It will further avoid the use ambiguous, confusing and multiple terms in one domain.
