Specialized vocabulary across languages: The case of traditional Chinese medicine

IF 3.7 1区文学 Q1 LINGUISTICS

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching Pub Date : 2023-03-31 DOI:10.14746/ssllt.31677

Cailing Lu, Averil Coxhead

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Abstract

This paper reports on the creation of specialized word lists in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which is a discipline using vocabulary across languages (i.e., Chinese and English) and involves learners with different L1 backgrounds. First, a TCM Word List of 2,778 specialized words was established from corpora of TCM textbooks and journal articles. Selection criteria included specialized meaning, keyness in a corpus of general written English compared to the TCM Corpora, and frequency. The resulting TCM list covered 36.65% of the TCM Corpora but had low coverage over corpora of general written English and medical English. The TCM Word List was then divided into three sub-lists based on frequency, and graded into three levels. Level 1 contains high-frequency lexical items in English (e.g., organ, coating); Level 2 contains items that are mid-, low-frequency, or beyond any frequency levels (e.g., pericarpium, metabolism); and Level 3 contains Chinese loan words (e.g., qi, yang). Last, there is an overlap of 309 word families between this list and an earlier TCM list by Hsu (2018), which excludes words from the 1st-3rd 1,000 word families in English. Suggestions for teachers and future research are provided.

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跨语言专业词汇:以中医为例

中医是一门跨语言(即汉语和英语)使用词汇的学科，涉及不同母语背景的学习者，本文报道了中医专业词汇表的创建。首先，从中医教科书和期刊文章的语料库中建立了包含2778个中医专业词汇的中医词表。选择标准包括专业意义、普通书面英语语料库与中医语料库相比的关键程度以及频率。所得到的中药目录覆盖了36.65%的中药语料库，但对普通书面英语语料库和医学英语语料库的覆盖率较低。然后根据词频将中医词表划分为三个子表，并分为三个等级。1级包含英语高频词汇项目(如器官、涂层);2级包含中、低频或超过任何频率水平的项目(例如，心包、代谢);第三级包含汉语外来词(如“气”、“阳”)。最后，该列表与Hsu(2018)的早期中医列表之间有309个词族重叠，该列表排除了英语中第1 -3个1000个词族的单词。对教师和今后的研究提出了建议。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching LINGUISTICS-

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

2.90%

发文量

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching (ISSN 2083-5205) is a refereed journal published four times a year by the Department of English Studies, Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts, Adam Mickiewicz University, Kalisz, Poland. The language of publication is English. The journal is devoted to reporting previously unpublished highest quality theoretical and empirical research on learning and teaching second and foreign languages. It deals with the learning and teaching of any language, not only English, and focuses on a variety of topics ranging from the processes underlying second language acquisition, various aspects of language learning in instructed and non-instructed settings, as well as different facets of the teaching process, including syllabus choice, materials design, classroom practices and evaluation. Each issue carries about 6 papers, 6000-8000 words in length, as well as reply articles and reviews. At least one of the four issues per year is a special focus issue devoted to a particular area of second language learning and teaching, sometimes with a guest editor who is an expert on a specific topic.