AFRILEX
Newsletter 5 – December 2000
(aka Vol. 5, No. 1)
Compiler: M. Alberts
EDITORIAL
In this newsletter you, will find the
following:
·
News of the 5th
International Afrilex Conference that took place from 3 to 5 July 2000 in
Stellenbosch.
·
Information regarding an Inaugural
Address by one of the Afrilex members.
·
News of other events and
conferences regarding lexicography and machine translation, namely:
o The
1st International Conference on African
Languages
o DSNA
o Symposium on Teaching and Learning in the Mother Tongue
o Lexica
·
Dr. Helena Liebenberg supplies information on the
new Language Bureau, called the Taalsekretariaat,
that was recently established in Stellenbosch.
·
The etymology is given of English
idioms that originated in the 1500s due to strange habits.
·
Dr. Mariëtta Alberts describes her visit to Het Bildt in Friesland where a Friesian dialect, Bildts, is
spoken.
·
You will also find news regarding various terminology-related features, both internationally and
nationally, namely:
o 1st Terminology Summer Academy 2000
o 13th European Symposium on Language for Special
Purposes
o An article on Plain Legal Language
o Revision of Technical Dictionaries
— Ed.
&&
The Executive and Board of AFRILEX would
like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who attended the 5th
International Conference of the African Association for Lexicography (AFRILEX)
that was held from 3 to 5 July 2000 at the University of Stellenbosch. The
conference venue was: Ou Hoofgebou (Old Main Building), corner of Victoria and
Rhyneveld Street, University of Stellenbosch. The conference theme was ‘Dictionaries
for Special Purposes’ and therefore terminology-orientated. The first day of
the conference consisted of a workshop focussing on terminology aspects and on
dictionaries treating languages for special purposes. The second and third days
hosted the traditional conference programme. Although special focus was given
to terminological matters, a variety of other lexicographical topics also
received attention.
The organiser of the Conference, Prof.
Rufus Gouws, invited Prof. Sven Tarp from Aarhus in Denmark as the
international keynote speaker. Prof. Tarp is a renowned scholar on terminology
and terminography. Ms. Kathy Kavanagh, Director of the Dictionary Unit of South
African English (DSAE), was the national keynote speaker.
The Annual General Meeting took place at
14:00 on Tuesday 4th July 2000.
Registered participants and other guests
attended the traditional PHAROS Conference Dinner on the Tuesday evening.
( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( )
The welcoming address of the Chairperson at
the opening of the 5th International Conference...
"It has been my privilege to chair the
association as from July 1999. I have the advantage of serving an association
which is beginning to show signs of a well-established undertaking. I wish to
extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the Board and Executive Board who
carried Afrilex though the first 5 years in order to find its feet as an
established organisation.
So, although we are thankful for the
progress and stability in our association, one should keep in mind that without
continued effort even an "established" association can deteriorate
and even be discontinued. I have often joked about Afrilex in the past, saying
that Afrilex is like the ad of a famous car "obviously in a different
class". That Afrilex is indeed in a class of its own is true since the
goodwill and enthusiasm we encounter in the day to day running of the
association is heart-warming. However, one of the real reasons for Afrilex not
being just another association lies in the great task and responsibility we
have in South Africa in getting dictionary units for African languages off the
ground. A process which was initiated and currently being performed by the Pan
South African Language Board and to which Afrilex renders assistance on
different levels such as the planning of the lexicographic process, training,
etc.
I wish to reiterate that the aim of Afrilex
as stipulated in the constitution is the promotion and co-ordination of the
research, study and teaching of lexicography by means of:
(1) The
publication of a journal and other appropriate literature;
(2) The
organisation of regular conferences and seminars to provide an opportunity for
an exchange of ideas and for mutual stimulus to researchers and practitioners
in the field of lexicography.
Enjoy the conference!"
And his goodbye ...
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have come to
the end of the 5th International Conference of Afrilex. The general
feeling that I have picked up inside and outside the lecture halls is that
Afrilex is on the right track in terms of our mission and goals. There is so
much that has to be done in the fields of theory and practice in SA
lexicography. I wish to extend a sincere word of thanks to each and every one
who contributed in some way to the success of this conference. We have, however,
to single out firstly the name of Gerhard van Wyk and then also Rufus Gouws for
excellent conference organisation. I now call upon Rufus to come forward to
receive Afrilex's highest decoration for perseverance and perfect conference organisation
by a local conference organiser.
I wish you a safe journey home whether it
is back to Hong Kong, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho or
wherever.
Let me conclude by saying:
There is no -lex like
Afrilex! "
— Danie Prinsloo, Chairperson: AFRILEX
&&
The Executive and members of Afrilex would
like to take the opportunity to congratulate the Chairperson of Afrilex, Prof.
Danie Prinsloo, with his inaugural address (as the new Head of the Department
of African Languages) on 23 November 2000 in the Senate Room, University of
Pretoria.
True to form, Prof. Prinsloo kept the
audience captivated with a very interesting paper on the past, present and
future of lexicography work in the African languages.
&&
INFORMATION
REGARDING OTHER EVENTS AND CONFERENCES
1st
International Conference on African Languages
Ge ba dumediša ba re jambo!
Ge o le mo lebopong la Letsha la Victoria,
o rokametše lebatong la bohlano la hotele ya Sunset, mo profenseng ya Nyanza,
mo toropong ya Kisumu, ka bodikela bja naga ya Kenya, o kgona go bogela botse
bja tlhago ya Afrika.
Ka la 10-12 Mei 2000 ka fase, lebatong la
hotele ye go kgotlampana konferense ya go bitšwa "The 1st International
Conference on African Languages" yeo hlogopoledišano ya yona e lego: Tlhabologo
ya maleme a Babaso a mo Afrika mererong ya Thuto le Theknolotši mo
ngwagakgolong wa masomepeditee.
Dipotšišo di robegela malemeng ka dikarabo
tše di lebanego le boitsebišo, tlhathollo le bofetoledi bja maleme, bongwadi,
mongwalo, pukuntšu, bogatiši, merero ya tekanetšo ya dipolelo le ya thuto -
Afrika e bonegelwa ke seetša.
Batho ba Kenya ke batho ba khutšo, leago le
kamogelo. Ga ba fete motho fela ntle le "jambo!"
— Dr. M.J. Mojalefa
&&
Dictionary
Society of North America (DSNA)
The Dictionary Society of North America is
again offering the Laurence Urdang DSNA Award for the support of
lexicographical research. Funded by member Laurence Urdang, the Award will
support one or more lexicographic projects during 2001 with awards between $500
and $2,500.
Applicants must be current members of the
DSNA. The budget may include costs of travel, tuition, materials, subsistence,
and related expenses.
The proposal should include:
1) the
project name;
2) the
applicant's name and address;
3) a
statement of the immediate goals and expected long-range results of the project;
4) a
description of the methodology or procedures to be used;
5) a
summary budget of total expenses for the project;
6) an
identification of other sources of support available for the project; and
7) a
one-page biographical résumé for the applicant.
It should total no more than three pages
single-spaced, including the one-page résumé.
The proposal should be sent with a self-addressed,
stamped postcard for acknowledgement to Joan H. Hall, Dictionary of American
Regional English, 6125 Helen White Hall, 600 N. Park Street, Madison, WI 53706
or e-mailed to: jdhall@facstaff.wisc.edu.
It must be received by December 31, 2000.
Awards will be made and full payments sent early in 2001. The Society requests
that it be sent copies of any publications arising from the Award.
— Joan H. Hall, President: Dictionary
Society of North America
&&
Members of Afrilex attended the 9th
International Euralex Congress in Stuttgart, and contributed to an interesting
academic programme and discussions offered by Euralex 2000.
·
Willem Botha, "We all stand together,
don't we? – African Renaissance through dictionaries"
·
Willy Martin & Rufus Gouws, "A new
dictionary model for closely related languages: The Dutch-Afrikaans dictionary
project as a case-in-point"
·
Piet Swanepoel, "Providing lexicographic
support for SL vocabulary acquisition: What kind, under what conditions, for
whom, and why"
·
Maurice de Schryver from the University of Gent in
Belgium & Danie Prinsloo, "Dictionary-Making Process with
'Simultaneous Feedback' from the Target Users to the Compilers" (financial
assistance from the Division for Social Sciences and Humanities is acknowledged
for the latter). Maurice de Schryver spends so much time with
lexicographic research in South Africa he might as well become a SA citizen.
.
Symposium
on Teaching and Learning in the Mother Tongue
The symposium on teaching and learning in
the mother tongue was postponed due to inadequate submission of abstracts on
the main argument, i.e. the implications of teaching Shona and Ndebele
languages and literature through the medium of English. The symposium has been
postponed to 6 April 2001.
Abstracts and other inquiries can be sent
to:
The Coordinator
T. Matshakayile-Ndlovo
Teaching in Indigenous Language Committee
Department of African Languages and Literature
PO Box MP167
Mt Pleasant
Harare
Fax: (263) (4) 333407
E-mail: africanlang@compcentre.uz.ac.zw
Tel: (263) (4) 303211 ext. 1201
.
LEXICA
The machine translation software program Lexica
that was developed by the University of Pretoria in collaboration with the firm
Epi-Use is now further being developed and distributed under the auspices of
the Language Facilitation Programme of the University of the Free State. Lexica
is a very powerful machine translation software program especially designed to
accommodate the South African languages.
Anyone interested in obtaining more
information on this software product can contact Dr. Theo du Plessis or his
colleagues at the following e-mail addresses:
Landela Nyangintsimbi: nyanll.RD@mail.uovs.ac.za
or
Boetie Hattingh: hatting@majuba.ofs.gov.za
.
NEWS FROM ONE OF THE NATIONAL LEXICOGRAPHY
UNITS
SEPEDI DICTIONARY UNIT
Projeke ya pukuntšu ya Sepedi e thomile
mengwaga ye e ka bago ye lesome ya go feta Yunibesiting ya Pretoria. E gagabile
bjalo ka lebelo la leobu ka baka la tlhokego ya thekgo ya mašeleng go fihla ka
ngwaga wa 1999 ge mmušo o phatlalatša molao wa PANSALB wa go thekga diprojeke
tša mohuta wo ka mašeleng.
Go tloga ngwageng wa 1999 projeke ye e
hweditše lefelo le lefsa Yunibesithing ya Leboa. Go kgethilwe boto ya taola ya
maloko a lesometee. Maloko a ke banna le basadi ba go šoma ka mafolofolo. Ba thomile
ka go thala leanotshepedišo la projeke go akaretša le kakanyo ya mašeleng a go
thekga projeke.
Mo lebakeng le projeke ga e na bašomedi ba
moswarelaruri. E sa le e tloga e thekgilwe ke baithaopi ba lebakanyana fela.
Projeke ye e gatetše pele kudu ka ge e šetše e kgobokeditše mantšu a go feta dimilione
tše nne go ka thoma go ngwala pukuntšu.
Kholofelo ke gore mo lebakeng la dikgwedi
tše pedi tše di tlago re tla be re thwetše bašomi ba moswarelaruri go thoma go
ngwala pukuntšu. Re sa dira boipiletšo go badiriši ba polelo ya Sepedi go
kgatha tema projekeng ye ka go re romela mantšu le maele go nolofatša
tshepedišo ya projeke.
Thobela
— Kwena Mashamaite
( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( )
Die Taalsekretariaat
met Mnr. André van der Walt as uitvoerende hoof en Dr. Helena Liebenberg as
projek- en inligtingskoördineerder, het as missie die bevordering van Afrikaans
as toereikende kommunikasiemiddel van sowel moedertaal- as
niemoedertaalsprekers, asook samewerking tussen die taal en inheemse en/of
minderheidstale binne en buite Suid-Afrika.
Die volgende is van die belangrikste
doelstellings van die Taalsekretariaat:
·
Die inskerping van taaltrots by alle
Afrikaans-sprekers;
·
Die identifisering van bepaalde onderwerpe
vir projekte en navorsing;
·
Die ontwerp van 'n databasis volgens
bepaalde kriteria en die instandhouding van 'n Internet-tuisblad.
Sodoende word 'n verwysingsraamwerk geskep
waaruit daar by navraag inligting aangaande Afrikaans-verwante sake aan
individue, organisasies en verenigings verstrek kan word.
·
Die beskerming van die Afrikaanse taalregte soos gewaarborg
deur die grondwet van Suid-Afrika.
Deur die ad hoc-inkorporering van kundige
persone en instansies in 'n navorsingshoedanigheid, word brandpunte in die
stryd vir Afrikaans wetenskaplik ondersoek.
·
Die voorsiening van middele om Afrikaans as alternatiewe
taalmedium te verwerf.
Afrikaans word dus op grondvlak by al die
taalgebruikers bevorder, nie net as eerste taal nie, maar ook as tweede en soms
derde taal. (Daar word reeds finansiële bystand verleen aan Die lilwimi-sentrum
(UWK) vir die aanbieding van twee taalbemagtigings-kursusse en 'n skryfprojek.)
Die Taalsekretariaat is verbind tot
samewerking met alle individue, organisasies en instansies ter bevordering van
Afrikaans, asook van inheemse en minderheidstale.
— Dr. Helena Liebenberg
[Situated in Stellenbosch, the recently
established Taalsekretariaat is ideally suited to provide an
excellent service to the Afrikaans-speaking community as well as to the
speakers of the indigenous languages of South Africa. The following are some of
its main objectives:
·
To establish pride in the speakers of Afrikaans
for their home language
·
To identify language projects and to initiate
research programmes
·
To design a database according to particular
criteria
·
To design and maintain an Internet web site
·
To protect the language rights of speakers of
Afrikaans and other indigenous languages
·
To assist in teaching Afrikaans as an alternative
language.]
&&
ETYMOLOGY OF
ENGLISH IDIOMS THAT ORIGINATED IN THE 1500s DUE TO STRANGE HABITS
Life was strange in the 1500s. Most people
got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still
smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides
carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the bad odour. Baths equalled a big tub
filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean
water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the
children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could
actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby
out with the bathwater".
Houses had thatched roofs. Thick straw,
piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get
warm, so all the pets (dogs, cats and other small animals), mice, rats, bugs
lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals
would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, "It's raining cats
and dogs".
There was nothing to stop things from falling
into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other
droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed. So, they found if they made
beds with big posts and hung a sheet over the top, it addressed that problem.
Hence those beautiful big four-poster beds with canopies. I wonder if this is
where we got the saying, "Good night and don't let the bed bugs
bite...".
The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had
something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor". The
wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet. So
they spread thresh on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore
on they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all
start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed at the entry way, hence a "thresh
hold".
They cooked in the kitchen in a big kettle
that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to
the pot. They mostly ate vegetables and didn't get much meat. They would eat
the stew for dinner leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then
start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been in
there for a month. Hence the rhyme, "peas porridge hot, peas porridge
cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old".
Sometimes they could obtain pork and would
feel really special when that happened. When company came over, they would
bring out some bacon and hang it to show it off. It was a sign of wealth and
that a man "could really bring home the bacon". They would cut
off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew
the fat".
Those with money had plates made of pewter.
Food with a high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food.
This happened most often with tomatoes, so they stopped eating tomatoes for 400
years. Most people didn't have pewter plates, but had trenchers - a piece of
wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Trenchers were never washed and a
lot of times worms got into the wood. After eating off wormy trenchers, they
would get "trench mouth".
Bread was divided according to status.
Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests
got the top, or the "upper crust".
Lead cups were used to drink ale or
whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock them out for a couple of days.
Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for
burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the
family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would
wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake".
England is old and small, and they started
running out of places to bury people. So, they would dig up coffins and would
take their bones to a house and re-use the grave. In reopening these coffins,
one out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a
string on their wrist and lead it through the coffin and up through the ground
and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night
to listen for the bell. Hence on the "graveyard shift" they
would know that someone was "saved by the bell" or he was a "dead
ringer".
&&
DIE HERSIENING VAN DIE
BILDTSE WOORDEBOEK
Ek en my man Sarel Alberts was bevoorreg am
tydens ons afgelope besoek aan België, Noord-Holland en Friesland met
verskillende variasies van die Nederlandse taal te doene te kry. In België was
dit Vlaams en in Nederland het die meeste mense met ons die Algemeen Beskaaf
(Nederlands) gepraat, maar daar was verskillende uitsprake as gevolg van die
baie dialekte. In Friesland het ons weer te make gekry met Fries en Bildts. Dit
was baie moeilik om Fries te verstaan, maar die Bildts klink amper soos
Afrikaans. Die rede hiervoor is waarskynlik omdat dit in 'n mate 'n soortgelyke
ontstaansgeskiedenis het as Afrikaans.
Bildts is 'n dialek wat in die sewentiende
eeu in die westelike gedeelte van Friesland ontstaan het. Die Friese bevolking
het in daardie stadium oor die algemeen uit boere bestaan. Hulle wou graag 'n
gedeelte van die Noordsee inpolder, maar hulle het nie die kennis gehad wat
nodig was om land van die see te herwin en droog te lę nie. Die nodige kennis
is verkry deur mense vanuit Rotterdam, Zeeland en Amsterdam te versoek am hulle
met die inpoldering van die gebied te gaan help. Met die inpoldering van die
gebied het 'n dialek ontstaan wat bestaan het uit sewentiende eeuse Nederlands
en Fries. Die Rotterdamse, Amsterdamse en Zeelandse dialekte van Nederlands het
weer 'n invloed uitgeoefen op die uitspraak van die woorde.
Die gebied waar die taal ontstaan het,
staan bekend as Het Bildt. Die mense wat Bildts gebruik, is baie trots op hul
taal. Die taal het behoue gebly vanweë die taaltrots en ook omdat die gebied in
'n mate taamlik geďsoleer was.
Ons was bevoorreg om die Algemene
Jaarvergadering (AJV) van die Stichting Ons Bildt in Het Bildt by te woon, as
die gaste van 'n familielid, Dr. Thijs Balt, wat een van die lede van die
Stichting is. Dit was 'n baie interessante aand. Ons kon die Bildtse taal
makliker volg as Nederlands. Verder het ons interessante mense ontmoet,
sommiges was selfs verlangs familie van my en dan was daar ook mense wat reeds
in Suid-Afrika gereis het en baie beďndruk is met ons land.
Diplomas is tydens die AJV aan mense
uitgedeel wat kursusse deurloop het om hul kennis van die Bildtse taal te
verbreed en te verbeter. Dit het ook tydens die vergadering geblyk dat die
sprekers nie baie tevrede was met die Bildtse Woordeboek nie. Die Bildtse
Woordeboek is deur linguiste verbonde aan die Universiteit van Groningen
saamgestel. Een van die probleme is dan juis dat die moedertaalsprekers nie by
die saamstel van hierdie woordeboek betrek is nie. Bildts word in Friesland
gepraat en nie in Groningen nie (een van die ander provinsies van Nederland).
Ek het die aanwesiges vanuit 'n Afrikaanse
perspektief raad gegee oor hoe om die woordeboek te hersien. Hierdie raad is
met ope arms ontvang en hulle het my ook versoek om dit op skrif te stel. Dit
is reeds gedoen en na Friesland gepos.
Ek beskou hierdie as 'n unieke geleentheid
waar verworwe kennis vanuit een taal se perspektief insigte en hulp aan 'n
ander taal kon verleen. Dit was vir my 'n voorreg om in die posisie te wees
waar ek nie net as taalkenner nie, maar ook as woordeboekmaker vir hulle
hopelik sinvolle raad kon gee. Ek wil graag hierdie nuwe verbintenis vertroetel
en sal waarskynlik met die Stichting Ons Bildt in verbinding kan bly, omdat ons
alreeds pesoonlike skakeling het, en die korrespondensie ook sal voortgaan.
— Mariëtta Alberts-Balt
[Mariëtta Alberts and her husband Sarel
visited friends and family in Belgium and the Netherlands. Communication was
easy since Afrikaans, Dutch, Flemish and Friesian (to a lesser extent) are
mutually understandable. They attended an Annual General Meeting of a group of
people who speak a Friesian dialect called Bildts. The speakers of this dialect
are not satisfied with the dictionary that was compiled by scholars of the
University of Groningen without any participation from the speakers of the
dialect. Mariëtta gave the mother-tongue speakers some perspectives and
practical ideas regarding the revision of the dictionary. These ideas were
welcomed and she was requested to continue her input regarding the revision of
the Bildts dictionary by means of correspondence. She has already given this
input.]
&&
What the mind of man can conceive and
believe, the mind of man can achieve — Napoleon Hill
A kind word is like a spring day
— Russian proverb
&&
INTERNATIONAL
NEWS AND EVENTS REGARDING TERMINOLOGY
The Internationales Institüt for
Terminologieforschung (IITF) is an international institute for terminology
research. Various terminology institutions are affiliated with IITF. The Terminology
Division of the National Language Service is also a member of IITF.
The new president of the IITF is Prof. Christer Laurén of the Department of
Scandinavian Languages, University of Vaasa, Finland and a contact e-mail
address is: chl@uwasa.fi
Information regarding IITF publications on
Terminology Science and Research can be obtained from Bertha Toft (bertha@sitkom.sdu.dk).
Information on publications in the IITF
Series can be obtained from Margaret Rogers (m.rogers@MCS.Suuey.ac.uk).
Dr. Gerhard Budin can supply information
regarding Summer Schools, Training and Projects (gerhard.budin@univie.ac.at).
.
The 1st Terminology Summer
Academy 2000 took place from 7-12 August 2000 in Vienna, Austria.
Several Afrilex members attended this summer school.
Since this is an annual event interested
persons can obtain more information from http://www.univie.ac.at/transvienna/tsa2000
and Dr. Gerhard Budin, University of Vienna, Tel.: 43-1-4277 47623. His e-mail
address: gerhard.budin@univie.ac.at
.
The 13th European
Symposium on Language for Special Purposes, "Porta Scientiae"
will be held from 20-24 August 2001, in Vaasa, Finland.
Preliminary registration requires
information on the title of the presentation as well as a copy of the abstract.
One can also participate in various colloquia.
Notification of acceptance would be on 31
December 2000
Final registration for speakers and
participants: 31 March 2001
Preliminary registrations (name, academic
title, affiliation, postal address, e-mail address, preliminary title of paper
to be presented) can be sent to the following e-mail address: lsp200l@uwasa.fi
.
IOUTB, IFTB, WBIT
The Terminology Division, National Language
Service, assists with international projects such as the multilingual project
of the European Union as well as one for the International Organization for
Unification of Terminological Neologisms (IOUTN) that manages a World
Bank of International Terms (WBIT).
The terminology work of different member
organisations affiliated with the IOUTN and the International Federation of
Terminology Banks (IFTB) accumulates in the World Bank of International
Terms (WBIT) compiled by the IOUTN.
The IOUTN has been affiliated to the United
Nations as a non-governmental organisation since 1987. The IOUTN affiliates
philologists, linguists, terminologists and specialists in various fields of
science and technology who are interested in problems of transnationalisation
and dissemination of specialised terminology.
The main task of the IOUTN is to encourage
the borrowing of specialised terminology from the language of its creators
(origin; source language (SL)) and to stimulate consciousness in all countries
that this action is in every nation's interest. The IOUTN publishes glossaries
and vocabularies to facilitate the work of terminologists, translators,
interpreters, writers and workers in various domains. It aims to transfer all
the latest specialised terminology to less developed and developing countries.
The WBIT within IOUTN engages in accumulating and storing international
terminology and specialised neologisms using the materials supplied by more
than 200 members from 40 countries all over the world. Incidentally, it is the
first term bank in the world to hold a catalogue of multilingual international
terms.
Prof. Zygmunt Stoberski is the President of
the IOUTN, the IFTB and the WBIT. He can be contacted at the following address:
IOUTN, IFTB, WBIT
Poland 02-677 WARSAW
E-mail: stobersk@it.com.pl
&&
A slanderer kills three: himself, his
listener and the person who was slandered — Jewish proverb
&&
Try Reading This
Tongue-Twister!
Mr. See and Mr. Soar were old friends. See
owned a saw and Soar owned a seesaw. Now See's saw sawed Soar's seesaw before
Soar saw See, which made Soar sore. Had Soar seen See's saw before See saw
Soar's seesaw, then See's saw would not have sawed Soar's seesaw. But See saw
Soar and Soar's seesaw before Soar saw See's saw, so See's saw sawed Soar's
seesaw. It was a shame to let See see Soar so sore just because See's saw sawed
Soar's seesaw.
&&
If you are patient in one moment of anger,
you will escape a hundred days of sorrow — Chinese proverb
&&
An interesting development regarding
terminology is the decision by the School for Languages, University of
Pretoria, to introduce a terminology course for Honours students as from 2000.
This is a proper terminology course that
deals with the theory, principles and practice of terminology and
terminography.
It is the first terminology course to be
presented as such at a South African tertiary institution. In the past
Terminology was taught as a module of either Translation studies or
Lexicography courses.
Dr. Mariëtta Alberts, who has since 1992
been teaching Lexicography at the Department of African Languages, University
of Pretoria, is the presenter of the Terminology course.
&&
Johan Dorfling het in Februarie 2000 die
derde uitgawe van die Brugwoordelys bekendgestel. Dié uitgawe is
heelwat uitgebrei, aanvanklike leemtes is aangevul en foute is reggestel.
Die oogmerk met hierdie termlys is om die
groot leemte aan 'n eenvormige en volledige Afrikaanse woordeskat vir
brugspelers aan te vul. Eintlik bestaan daar wel 'n goeie Afrikaanse
woordeskat, maar betreklik min brugspelers is op die hoogte daarvan omdat dit nie
ęrens versamel is of maklik nageslaan kan word nie.
Daar is 'n toenemende belangstelling onder
Afrikaanssprekendes in brug. Veral tuisspelers en kantoorspelers het die
afgelope aantal jare talryker geword en aldus het die behoefte aan 'n
saamgestelde termlys al hoe sterker geword.
In die soeke na 'n meer volledige en
bruikbare woordeskat is daar onder meer by Vlaams, Nederlands en Duits kers
opgesteek om Afrikaans sodoende te verryk en die Germaanse inslag van Afrikaans
te behou. Versigtigheid is egter aan die dag gelę om woorde wat met die taaleie
bots, nie op te neem nie.
Die eerste paar bladsye bevat 'n termlys
met Engelse terme met die Afrikaanse vertaalekwivalente daarby en in die
opvolggedeelte is die Afrikaanse terme en uitdrukkings verklaar.
Navrae kan gerig word aan: Johan Dorfling,
Tel.: 012 804 2843
[The third revised edition of a terminology
list containing English and Afrikaans bridge terms was recently published. The
first part of this term list contains the English terms, with Afrikaans equivalents,
and the second part consists of definitions of the Afrikaans terms.]
&&
Article
on Plain Legal Language Published Abroad
An article on legal terminology by Dr.
Mariëtta Alberts titled Plain Language in a Multilingual Society was
recently published in Neoterm – World Specialized Terminology, No. 35/36.
Warszawa, 1999: 66-92. Neoterm is the journal of the International
Federation of Terminology Banks (IFTB) and of the International
Organization for the Unification of Terminological Neologisms (IOUTN),
affiliated with the United Nations, NGO, DPI.
&&
Let us be thankful for the fools. But for
them the rest of us could not succeed — Mark Twain
Proverbs are the wisdom of nations
— Polish proverb
Proverbs are the wisdom of the streets
— German proverb
Seek direction from one who's already there
— Old Zulu saying
Age gives good advice when it is no longer
able to give bad example — American proverb
A child's life is like a piece of paper on
which every person leaves a mark — Chinese proverb
&&
Revision
of Technical Dictionaries
ART TERMS / KUNSTERME
The present terminology list was published
in 1967. In 1999 the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns
(South African Academy for Science and Art) decided to revise the Art
Terms / Kunsterme. The revised edition will be a comprehensive
dictionary. All terms will be defined and it is planned to supply the term equivalents
in the eleven official languages. The art and cultures of the various language
groups will be incorporated. Information on this dictionary can be obtained
from the chairperson, Prof. Alex Duffey, University of Pretoria.
( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( )
BILINGUAL GLOSSARY OF PERSONNEL TERMS /
TWEETALIGE LYS VAN PERSONEELTERME
The South African Board For Personnel
Practice (SABPP) has decided to review the terminology list. The SABPP has
decided to compile an explanatory dictionary but has not yet decided on the
language combinations.
The present terminology list was published
in 1992 and proved to be a very worthwhile product. There was, however, such an
outburst of new terminology in the personnel and related fields that the
present terminology list does not contain all the relevant terms.
Anyone interested in this project can
obtain more information from Mrs. Huma van Rensburg, Registrar of the SABPP, sabpp@pixie.co.za
&&
TERMINOLOGY DIVISION, NATIONAL LANGUAGE
SERVICE, EDUCATION PROJECT
The National Language Service (NLS)
was requested by the National Department of Education to document existing
terminology, and to facilitate the development of terminology for new concepts
needed to introduce African languages as medium of instruction in Grade 5 by
2002 for the learning areas Mathematical Literacy, Mathematics and
Mathematical Sciences, Natural Sciences and Technology.
This should be done in cooperation with the
Department of Education and PANSALB, and their structures should be utilised to
enlist the support and assistance of teachers at classroom level.
The main objective of the project will be
to capture terms already in use and to standardise or officialise these terms
in each of the learning areas. If there are new concepts, proposals should be
obtained from teachers in the learning areas and these should be discussed as
widely as possible with the relevant collaborators and stakeholders and then
these terms should be standardised or officialised.
&&
AFRICAN MUSIC MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPAEDIA
At the start of 2000 work began on the
compilation of a multimedia encyclopaedic subject-field dictionary. The
dictionary will contain terms from African music cultures (source languages)
with explanations of the terms in English. The terms will be described to give
the meanings as well as the cultural circumstances in which they are used.
The main aim of this dictionary is the
preservation and documentation of marginalised musical cultures. The project
also aims to develop software by means of which students can study the music of
their own cultures. This would also stimulate interest in local music cultures
amongst the target group, namely high school learners and undergraduate
students and music lovers.
This project is a first of its kind in
Southern Africa as it is done on computer, utilising sound examples, video
clips and coloured illustrations. The idea is to disseminate the product by
means of CD-ROM or on the Internet.
The first phase deals with Xhosa musical
terms. The next phases will deal with musical terms from other musical cultures
in South Africa.
Although work on the project only commenced
at the beginning of this year, the completion of the first phase (Xhosa terms)
is planned for the end of 2001.
The compilers are Dr. Maria Smit and Ms.
Leonore Bredekamp. Experts within the different fields of African musics are
acting as consultants on the contents.
Persons interested in this project can
contact the compilers at
The Department of Music
University of Stellenbosch
Private Bag Xl, MATIELAND, 7602
or
Dr. Smit: (021) 808 2364
Ms. Bredekamp: (021) 808 2176
— The members of Afrilex wish you well with
this interesting project!
&&
Tomorrow, tomorrow, not today, all the lazy
people say — German proverb
A heavy burden does not kill on the day it
is carried — Kenyan proverb
There is no death, only a change of worlds
— Native American proverb
&&
NEW NEWS
The task of the editor of the newsletter is
to coordinate and distribute a newsletter. It is impossible to write a
newsletter without news. You are therefore cordially requested to supply the
editor with relevant lexicographical or terminographical information you would
like to see distributed to members of AFRILEX. With your help, we can publish
this newsletter at regular intervals. We would appreciate your ideas or
comments on the frequency and contents of the newsletter. Let us make it a team
effort! You can provide news in any of the official South African languages.
Please supply an abstract in English to assist our readers without a knowledge
of Afrikaans and the indigenous African languages to retrieve the relevant
information. You can e-mail, telephone, fax or post information to Mariëtta
Alberts at:
Tel.: (+27 12) 337-8105
Fax: (+27 12) 347-6197
Address:
National Language Service
Private Bag X894
PRETORIA 0001
( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ' ( ) ( )
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