ŞCOALA ARDELEANĂ. ASPECTS OF MATHEMATICAL TERMINOLOGY
ŞCOALA ARDELEANĂ. ASPECTS OF MATHEMATICAL TERMINOLOGY

Summary/Abstract: The Transylvanian scholars paid a special attention to translating and adapting mathematical textbooks for the numerous schools newly founded, which disseminate a large number of specialized terms. However, many of their texts of science popularization in other areas make use of mathematical terms. The present paper attempts at offering an overall image of the specialized vocabulary in the field of mathematics. The terminological corpus presents a heterogeneous structure which is organized on four levels: lexical borrowings, loan-translations, translations and old, traditional terms. In our study we differentiate between borrowings and old, traditional terms, because, as we are about to see, the old, traditional terminology is well represented. Within borrowings, we differentiate between lexical borrowings and calques or loan-translations, in order to emphasize the weight each category presents on the whole of scientific terminology. Besides lexical borrowings and loan-translations, we have established another lexical category, translations (compound words, syntagms, periphrases), illustrative linguistic mechanisms for the scientific literature of the period, placed under the sign of the Enlightenment. The mathematical terminology of the period is characterized by a lexical and stylistic dichotomy: old terms vs. neologic terms. Therefore, the mathematical terminology presents an old, traditional terminology, consisting of words from the common vocabulary, as well as a neologic one, which represents the erudite, cult terminology. The words borrowed from the common language, specific of elementary arithmetical operations: adunarea, număra, numerare, scoaterea, socoteli, unişoare, zecişoare etc., are doubled by a high number of lexical borrowings of a Latin origin and loan-translations, molded especially after the pattern of the German language (German mathematical terminology is, in its turn, created by lexical borrowing from Latin or loan-translations following a Latin pattern). Translating and adapting German mathematical textbooks, the Transylvanian scholars disseminate an erudite terminology which represents an adaptation, through a German channel, of the international mathematical terminology, of a Latin origin. The neologic mathematical terminology of their texts is rather rich, with terms belonging to various sub-areas. The lexical borrowings refer to: the discipline and specialists: aritmetică, computista, geometria, matematică, matematic; the names of numbers and number classes: billion, clasă, million, număr, trillion, ţifră; mathematical notions: cvoţient, dividend, divizor, factor, minuend, minus, multiplicandus, multiplicator, plus, proţent, produs, pun(c)t, rest, subtrahendus/subtraend, sumă; mathematical operations: addirui, adiţia, comput, divizia, multiplicaţia, multiplicaţirui/multipliţirui, reducţie, redu(c)ţirui, rezoluţia, subtracţia, subtrahirui etc.; geometrical terminology: angulus, centru, cerc, con, cvadrat a.s.o.

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