CONCEPTUALIZATION.

CLASSES AND CATEGORIES

PhD Jr. lecturer Izabela Oprea,
University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine-Bucharest
1. Introduction
Our work tries to comprise the main ideas which represent the basis of
conceptualization in terminology.
According to ISO 704, conceptualization represents the observation and
abstraction of the objects that are classified into categories that correspond to
units of knowledge called concepts.
The concept, according to its linguistic nature isnt given, it is thought and built.
We deduce its definition from the one of the term.
To conceptualize a field represents a complex task because it doesnt concern
only a terminological work but also an ontological one. To achieve a result means
to perceive all relations which establish inside a field of research. Having in mind
this goal, we can guide ourselves according some stages established by Maria
Teresa Cabr (1998), such as:
- The way an individual conceptualizes ones reality and structures ones
knowledge;
- The nature of concepts, the way they are established , the reciprocity nature of
relations and the way they are classified inside a structure of knowledge;
- The way concepts are related to terms.
Consequently, we will guide ourselves according to these stages in the
elaboration of the present work.
2. Classification. General notions
For human beings, classification is very important in terms of understanding;
everybody needs labels, categories, classes in order to denominate the
surroundings.
Since the oldest times, people felt the need to live in an organized world, ruled
by principles, laws, rules and categories. Along the time, we observe the
lastingness of the category or class notion, within society but also in different
fields of study.
Nowadays, we remark the deep necessity of classification in every work field, no
matter its nature, namely linguistics, literature, history, philosophy and
especially in terminology.
According to us, classification guides terminologists steps, helping oneself to
determine the categories and the classes one needs during a certain work.
Searching the Internet in order to find articles based on different terminologies,
we discover the classification importance (however, we observe the
nomenclatures which are abundant , namely classifications for chemical
substances, for drugs, for food, for diseases, for metals, etc..). 245

The classification operation has its roots in the most ancient times, its founding
father being Aristotle. He establishes ten categories as kinds of the Ego and he
denominates the objects of the human thinking as logical categories, these ones
being classified according to: substance, quantity, quality, relation, place, time,
position, possession, action and passion.
Kleiber ( 1991) considers the Aristotle model as basis of every categorization.
Thus,
la catgorisation se fait sur la base de proprits communes. Le
rassemblement dans une mme catgorie d'objets diffrents ne fait en effet plus
de difficults si l'on admet que les lments runis prsentent un certain
nombre d'attributs en commun. Pour dcider de l'appartenance d'un x a la
catgorie des chiens, il suffit de vrifier si le x en question possde les attributs
qui constituent le dnominateur commun de la catgorie, autrement dit, s'il est
un animal, un mammifre, etc. S'il vrifie ces proprits, ce sera un chien (...) La
catgorisation ainsi conue rpond a un modle de conditions ncessaires et
suffisantes (CNS) ( quoted by le Glossaire de Linguistique)
However, barely during the 18th century the Swedish physician and naturalist
Carl von Linn (1707-1778) sets up a modern system of classification, namely
the binomial system, system which works nowadays too.
In 1978, Rosch and Loyd consider the goal of classification as
la tche fondamentale de tout organisme [] de segmenter lenvironnement
en classifications par lesquelles des stimuli non-identiques puissent tre traits
comme quivalents (quoted by Rastier 1991 : 180 ).
In terminology, classification represents an essential operation for the
understanding but also for the terms translation. We continue with different kinds
of definitions which well underline the operating principles of classification and
categorization, namely class and category.
3 . Class and category in terminology
Manuel Sevilla Munoz gives the following definition of terminology :
Terminology is a science whose aim is to study terms, which are lexical
elements used in specialised fields (subjects or their branches) and generated in
such fields or modified from elements already existing in other fields.
Terminology allows the compilation, description and presentation of terms.
Compilation of terms: preparation of lists with terms belonging to a certain
subject, according to a previously established methodology. Description of
terms: definition or definitions of each term (semantic focus) and description of
the elements composing the term and its generation process (morphological
focus).
Presentation of terms: preparation of dictionaries.( 2014: 3)
This definition, belonging to a well-known Spanish terminologist shows us, once
more that terminology has an operational side, it compiles, describes and
presents terms. These operations help us to discover the classificatory side of
terminology.
Alain Rey defines terminology as ltude systmatique des termes qui soccupe
densembles structurs de noms, dnotant des ensembles dobjets groups en
classes par des critres quexpriment 246

leurs dfinitions (1979 : 24).This definition introduces in an explanatory way

the notion of class and category - ensemble structur des noms ; the author
unveils the importance of classification but also its reason to exist, thus we cope
with notions classification in classes and categories.Finding and giving a
definition for these notions represents a wide research work in linguistics and in
terminology, thus we consider to be useful for the present work only to quote
and comment some definitions we consider to be important for our field of study:
Une classe est un ensemble dobjets dfinis par le fait quils possdent tous et
possdent seuls un ou plusieurs caractres communs (Picoche 1977 : 96) ;
Une catgorie nest pas une classe lexicale, mais une classe des
concepts( Rastier 1991 : 184)
We may add that category involves a certain number of elements, considered as
equals. Most of the times, the categories are generally designated by nouns.
A category defines the extension of a subclass of a given object set (class).
When the defined subclass has an intensional concept beside its extensional
definition, the category refers to the corresponding class concept. When the sub
class has one or more divisions into subclasses again, it may refer to one or
more classifications.( http://www.odbms.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/
P2_TerminologyModel_v1.pdf)
Analysing the definitions we have given above, one reaches the conclusion that
we have to make the difference between class - assembly of objects which
possesses at least one common characteristics- and category - objects class
designed by lexical units, generally by nouns.
4. Classification functions
The classification as terminological operation is achieved due to two axes, firstly
we speak about a knowledge delimitation, determining domains and subdomains or application domains and afterwards as a second operation we have
terms regrouping by means of the pre-established relations which exist within a
pre-established domain: logical relations ( generic relations, specific relations,
coordination relations) , ontological relations ( part relation and associative
relations) etc..
We continue our work by emphasizing the fact that classification is mainly
presented by a terminologist according to its extensional definition, namely the
objects which are described within a classification are categories and not classes,
as most of people tend to believe. Thus, classification is the process which
describes the properties of its categories.
The purpose of classification is to divide a given set of elements into different
subsets, thus category may be defined as a partitive concept.
The concept for each sub class is defined as category, which define the
meaning of each sub class (associating categories with codes is more a technical
issue). A category can be linked to a number of object types for three purposes:
a) defining one or more divisions for the subclass, in which case the category
refers to one or more subordinated classifications.
b) referring to an applied category, which refers to an object type that describes
the objects in the subclass. 247

c) Referring to an object type, which describes the properties of a

category( http://www.odbms.org/wpcontent/uploads/2013/11/P2_TerminologyModel_v1.pdf)
In order to better exemplify what we have mentioned above, well give an
example from our study field, namely the field of animal science.
Speaking about animals, we have to divide a group of animals in order to set up
the breeding principles. Firstly, we will have to divide them according to sex and
we obtain two categories, namely males and females. In terms of reproduction,
we may divide males and females into livingstock used for reproduction and
livingstock used for slaughtering. In case of females, well obtain three different
subclasses: those which give birth, those which are used for their produces and
the ones which are used in the slaughter houses.
According to Besss les classifications rpondent un besoin dordonner les
connaissances. Mais lordre ainsi cr est souvent relatif, arbitraire et subjectif. Il
reflte une interprtation du rel (2000 : 187).
Consequently, the same author insists on the importance of cognitif systems
which reflect lorganisation des connaissances dun groupe de spcialistes dans
telle ou telle discipline, un moment donn, dans une aire gographique
determine (ibid.).
Thus, we reach to the conclusion that we really need the specialists help in order
to achieve proper classifications in terms of the science we deal with but also in
terms of terminology.
Within the same work, Bess proposes another classification which helps us to
discover the nature of the term but also the field/ the domain to which this one
belongs, in order to better perceive the connection of the field to the conceptual
system. Thus, inside a terminology. He distinguishes the following types of
classification:
- Free classification: the terminographer may indicate the field according to one;s
research and needs. However Bess doesnt recommend this classification on
account of the risks connected to incoherence and creation of a parallel
terminology;
- Scientific classification: this one reproduces the classifications presented in
scientific works , being adopted in terminology and terminography.
- Documentary classification: Bess doesnt consider it important due to the
descriptive characteristics of the papers and due to the shortage of an own
proper terminology.
- Semantic classification: it is base on the important semantic categories which
dont have a proper connection with the conceptual systems.
- Functional classification: it represents the proper classification proper for
documentation.
- Conceptual classification: it sets up the conceptual structures and constitutes
the domains.
5. The Domain
In terminology, the domain represents the basis of an imaginary terminological
triangle which is made also of a concept and of a definition. The domain is the
equivalent for the conceptual field to which an assembly of terms belongs. 248

It is already established that the domain shows that a concept belongs to a

conceptual system , while the definition makes the difference among concepts
inside the same system. Thus, the domain represents a cognitive system, a
conceptual organization , being the only way to indentify, to delimitate and to
denominate a cognitive structure.
We consider necessary to mention the existence of the three important
categories of domains, such as: the knowledge domain, the activity domain and
the speech domain (according to Bess 2000).
In our case, we may consider animal science as an activity domain, thus
following an onomasiological approach we may divide animal science into more
sub-domains, such as: animals nutrition, animals reproduction, animal
production, farming systems , animals health and environmental protection. All
these sub-domains show us the importance of class and category not only in
terminology but in the animal science itself.
6. Conclusions
We consider that our work has succeeded, at least, partly in clearing out the
difference between class and category. Thus, in terms of semantics, we may
conclude that category is a hypernym while class is a hyponym.
We consider important for each science to do a classification of its own domains
and sub-domains, thus, we tried to do a classification of animal science subdomains, framing animal science within the activity domain. We havent
neglected the fact that animal science may constitute also a knowledge domain,
but this issue will be treated in a further work
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