Variable scope for popularization of specialized terminology: The case of medico-pharmaceutical terms

Abstract

Taking issue with the assumption that specialized terms represent an esoteric and unnecessary ‘code’ that may unproblematically be replaced by core-vocabulary items or circumlocutions, this article explores whether popularization is equally possible within different subcategories of a specific field of LSP terminology, viz. medico-pharmaceutical terms. In a corpus of two derivationally related text types (a specialized pharmaceutical genre and its lay-oriented counterpart), we identified four relevant subcategories of terms and charted the actual popularization strategies employed within each category. Having observed systematic differences in the way specialized terms are reformulated in the four terminological subcategories, we argue that the popularization strategies identified diverge not only in kind but also in degree. The empirical results lead us to assume that the actual divergences observed can be taken as a clear indication that some of the terminological categories represent a markedly higher popularization potential than others.