Biografia termenului «academie» în limba română: de la procese denominative la practici sociale
The Biography of the Term Academy in Romanian: From Denominative Processes to Social Practices

Summary/Abstract: The current paper explores the semantic evolution of the Romanian term academie (academy), considering the denominative processes involving it since its first documentary and lexicographic attestations to the present. Our approach expands from the identification and classification of the semantic areas to which the term belongs, to the investigation of the potential causes (e.g. cultural contamination) for the changes in the original meaning, under the influence of linguistic and extralinguistic factors. In a sociolinguistic perspective, this denominative unit both fulfils the function of identifying and classifying particular referents and represents an index to the social dynamics specific to a community. Thus, current social practices indicate that, in addition to the usage of the term Academie in the title of the highest cultural and scientific “forum” in Romania (Romanian Academy), in the designation of some higher education institutions and specialised colleges, we witness its proliferative usage as an identification label for some associations and organisations in charge with maintaining and improving professional standards. Moreover, a whole of range of company names employ the term for marketing purposes, as a guarantee to outstanding quality and scientific rigour of varied products and services. Another aspect of social practices involving the term under discussion refers to the ironic usage and deprecating value attributed to it in media headlines to the purpose of drawing public attention to the negative image of some so-called “academies”, whose ownership or corporate image is associated with some Romanian public figures of doubtful reputation. Nevertheless, we trust that these onomastic fashions are not liable to prejudice the social validity of the positive connotations of the term.

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