French Literature Reviews - 2026
(Linguistics) Scientific and Technical Lexicons: Formation and Historical Approach
Literary Theory, Linguistics and Stylistics
Scientific and Technical Lexicons: Formation and Historical Approach
Hiltrud Gerner, Béatrice Stumpf, and Olivier Bertrand (eds.)
Editions de l'Ecole Polytechnique
July 2007
ISBN: 978-2-7302-1397-4
272 pages
€29.00
Publisher's overview:
Over the past several years, research in the field of translation has expanded significantly regarding the medieval period and the Old French linguistic domain (*domaine d'oïl*); scientific and technical texts, whether written in Latin or directly in the vernacular, have been the subject of numerous studies.
The authors of the papers collected in this volume aim to describe, define, and highlight the emergence, functioning, and evolution of languages for specific purposes. From a linguistic perspective, they address such diverse subjects as astronomy, medicine, the animal and plant kingdoms, the equestrian arts, politics, architecture, accounting terminology, and mathematics.
All of these approaches lead to the conclusion that "language remains at the center of the process of knowledge appropriation and is the result of an enunciative or linguistic choice. The history of science must therefore be examined in parallel with the history of scientific terminology, whose choices are simultaneously linguistic, enunciative, cultural, and social." (J. Ducos)
Table of Contents:
FROM LEXICOLOGY TO LEXICOGRAPHY
The lexicographical treatment of scientific and technical terms; The naming of knowledge in pre-classical French (1500–1650): Proceedings of the conference held in Lyon, June 2005; The translator as a creator of neologisms: The case of Nicole Oresme
THE MEDICAL DOMAIN
The formation of an anatomical lexicon in French during the 15th and 16th centuries: The example of intestinal and bone terminology in French translations of Guy de Chauliac's *Chirurgia Magna* Hippocratic and pseudo-Hippocratic tradition in the 13th and 14th centuries On the movements and passions of the soul: An analysis of the semantic field of emotions in the Middle French translation of Aristotle's *Problems*
AROUND PLANTS: PROCESSES OF TRANSFORMATION
The pharmaceutical lexicon in Baptiste Cavigioles's *Livre des propriétés du vinaigre* (1541) Sort, manner, genus, species, and difference: The expression of plant diversity in the Renaissance Technical vocabulary of viticulture and winemaking in Old French
ARTICULATING SCIENCE: FROM VOCABULARY TO LEXICON
The creation of the astronomical and astrological lexicon in Old French: Methodological and practical observations The accounting terms *balance*, *bilan* (balance sheet), and *inventaire* in the 16th and 17th centuries *Lexicon Algorismi*: Towards a comparative study of medieval mathematical vocabulary "Sick falcons": Terms denoting disease in veterinary medicine texts Bridging France and Italy: Equestrian terminology in French Renaissance treatises on horsemanship (late 16th to early 17th century) Vernacular language, architectural lexicon, and literary language in *Le Songe de Poliphile* (1546)
The study of specialized languages in the medieval and early modern periods is a significant area of research within the broader field of historical linguistics and translation studies. Research in the field of translation has expanded significantly regarding the medieval period and the Old French linguistic domain (*domaine d'oïl*), where scientific and technical texts have been the subject of numerous studies. This volume examines these developments across diverse disciplines, including medicine, astronomy, and mathematics, illustrating how vocabulary formation is linked to the history of scientific thought.
The contributions in Scientific and Technical Lexicons: Formation and Historical Approach explore how technical terminology evolved through translation and the naming of knowledge in pre-classical French. By analyzing specific domains such as architecture, accounting, and the natural sciences, the authors describe the emergence, functioning, and evolution of languages for specific purposes. Readers interested in the history of scientific communication and the evolution of specialized French terminology may find the collection relevant to their research.