Linguistic features of pharmaceutical terms in english and their vietnamese equivalents

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A. THESIS

LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF
PHARMACEUTICAL TERMS IN ENGLISH
AND THEIR VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(ĐẶC ĐIỂM NGÔN NGỮ CỦA THUẬT NGỮ TIẾNG ANH
CHUYÊN NGÀNH DƯỢC VÀ NHỮNG
TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT)
NGUYEN THI MAI LUONG

Field: English Language
Code: 60220201

Hanoi, 2017


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY

M.A. THESIS

LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF
PHARMACEUTICAL TERMS IN ENGLISH
AND THEIR VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
(ĐẶC ĐIỂM NGÔN NGỮ CỦA THUẬT NGỮ TIẾNG ANH
CHUYÊN NGÀNH DƯỢC VÀ NHỮNG
TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT)

NGUYEN THI MAI LUONG

Field: English Language
Code: 60220201

Supervisor: Tran Thi Thu Hien, Ph.D

Hanoi, 2017


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled
LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF PHARMACEUTICAL TERMS IN
ENGLISH AND THEIR VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS (ĐẶC ĐIỂM NGÔN
NGỮ CỦA THUẬT NGỮ TIẾNG ANH CHUYÊN NGÀNH DƯỢC VÀ NHỮNG
TƯƠNG ĐƯƠNG TRONG TIẾNG VIỆT) submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master in English Language. Except where the
reference is indicated, no other person’s work has been used without due
acknowledgement in the text of the thesis.
Hanoi, 2017

Nguyen Thi Mai Luong
Approved by
SUPERVISOR

Tran Thi Thu Hien, Ph.D
Date:……………………

i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This thesis could not have been completed without the help and support from a
number of people.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Tran Thi
Thu Hien Ph.D, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me
through the stages of the study, and whose stimulating ideas, expertise, and
suggestions have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher.
A special word of thanks goes to all the lectures of the M.A course at Hanoi
Open University for providing me foundation knowledge through their invaluable
lessons.
Last but not least. I am greatly indebted to my family, my friends for the
sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work.

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ABSTRACT
The writer of the study attempts to figure out features of English
pharmaceutical in terms of morphology and semantics. After data are collected from
the chosen materials, the writer uses descriptive method to describe and analyze
these data before classifying them into groups of features. The write also conducts a
qualitative research as a description of the data from the source. Data analysis
techniques used are collecting, analyzing and classifying. Linguistic features are
presented through ways of creating terms and types of English pharmaceutical
terms. In terms of semantics, collected terms are divided into six main groups
according to their meanings. The study will be conducted through four steps: first,
data are collected from the two main chosen materials and the other reference; the
next, the data are analyzed qualitatively quantitatively to figure out the linguistics

features of English pharmaceutical terms, and then the results are classified and
presented in forms of tables; finally, the write also finds out their Vietnamese
equivalents and common errors by learners of English when using pharmaceutical
terms. The results of the study help to contribute suggestion to approaching the
teaching and learning English pharmaceutical terms basing on linguistics aspects.

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LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: The borrowing pharmaceutical terms .................................................... 23
Table 3.2: The prefixes in pharmaceutical terms in English and Vietnamese ......... 24
Table 3.3: Noun and adjective suffixes in pharmaceutical terms in English ........... 25
Table 3.4: Suffixes describe procedures used in patient care .................................. 26
Table 3.5: The statistics of prefixes and suffixes in English pharmaceutical terms ...... 27
Table 3.6: Types of compounding and number of terms for each type ................... 28
Table 3.7: Types of clipping and their proportion .................................................. 30
Table 3.8: The statistic about initialism and acronym among English pharmaceutical
terms ..................................................................................................................... 31
Table 3.9: Terminologisation terms ....................................................................... 32
Table 3.10: Summary of ways of creating English pharmaceutical terms ............... 33
Table 3.11: Summary of ways of creating Vietnamese pharmaceutical terms ........ 33
Table 3.12: Part of speech and the proportion of one-element terms ...................... 35
Table 3.13: The proportion of two-element terms .................................................. 35
Table 3.14: The proportion of three-element terms ................................................ 36
Table 3.15: The proportion of four-element terms ................................................. 36
Table 3.16: Types of English pharmaceutical terms ............................................... 36
Table 3.17: Types of Vietnamese pharmaceutical terms ........................................ 37
Table 3.18: The proportion of groups of English pharmaceutical terms in terms of
semantic features ................................................................................................... 48

Table 3.19: The proportion of groups of Vietnamese pharmaceutical terms in terms
of semantic features ............................................................................................... 48
Table 4.1: The proportion of errors made by students at Thai Nguyen Medical
College in using English pharmaceutical terms ...................................................... 55
Table 4.2: The proportion of errors in matching each term with its correct
definition .............................................................................................................. 56
Table 4.3: The proportion of errors in word formation ........................................... 57
Table 4.4: The proportion of errors in finding mistake and correct it ..................... 58

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Certificate of originality ........................................................................................ i
Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................ii
Abstract ...............................................................................................................iii
List of abbreviations ............................................................................................ iv
List of tables ......................................................................................................... v
Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale ........................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Aims and objectives of the study ...................................................................... 2
1.3 Research questions ............................................................................................ 2
1.4 Methods of the study ......................................................................................... 2
1.5 Scope of the study ............................................................................................. 3
1.6 Significance of the study ................................................................................... 3
1.7 Design of the study ........................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Previous studies ................................................................................................. 5
2.2 Terms and terminology ..................................................................................... 7
2.2.1 Definitions and distinction .............................................................................. 7

2.2.1.1 Definition of terms in English and Vietnamese ........................................... 7
2.2.1.2 Definition of terminology in English ........................................................... 8
2.2.1.3 Distinction between terms and terminology ................................................. 8
2.2.1.4 Distinction between terms and words ........................................................... 9
2.2.2 Characteristics of terms in English and Vietnamese ...................................... 10
2.2.2.1 Accuracy .................................................................................................. 10
2.2.2.2 Systemization ............................................................................................ 11
2.2.2.3 Internationality........................................................................................... 12
2.3 Pharmaceutical terms ....................................................................................... 13
2.3.1 Definition and origins ................................................................................... 13
2.3.2 Linguistic features of pharmaceutical terms .................................................. 14
2.3.2.1 Lexical features of pharmaceutical terms ................................................... 16
2.3.2.2 Morphological features of pharmaceutical terms ........................................ 17


2.3.2.3 Affixation in Vietnamese........................................................................... 18
2.3.2.4 Semantic features of pharmaceutical terms ................................................ 20
2.4. Summary ........................................................................................................ 21
Chapter 3
LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF PHARMACEUTICAL TERMS IN ENGLISH
AND THEIR VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
3.1 Lexical features of pharmaceutical terms in English and Vietnamese .............. 22
3.1.1. Borrowing.................................................................................................... 22
3.1.2 Adding .......................................................................................................... 23
3.1.2.1 Prefixes ..................................................................................................... 23
3.1.2.2 Suffixes ..................................................................................................... 25
3.1.3. Compounding ............................................................................................. 28
3.1.4 Shortening .................................................................................................... 29
3.1.4.1 Clipping .................................................................................................... 29
3.1.4.2 Abbreviation ............................................................................................. 30

3.1.5 Changing general meaning ............................................................................ 31
3.1.6 Elements of pharmaceutical terms................................................................. 34
3.1.6.1. One-element terms .................................................................................... 34
3.1.6.2 Two-elements terms ................................................................................... 35
3.1.6.3 Three-element terms .................................................................................. 35
3.1.6.4 Four-element terms .................................................................................... 36
3.2 In terms of morphological features .............................................................................. 37
3.3 Semantic features of pharmaceutical terms in English and Vietnamese ............ 38
3.3.1 Drug terms ................................................................................................... 38
3.3.1.1 Forms of drug terms .................................................................................. 38
3.3.1.2 Modern drug terms .................................................................................... 39
3.3.1.2.1 Generic and Brand Name Drugs terms .................................................... 39
3.3.1.2.2 Antibiotic terms ...................................................................................... 41
3.3.1.2.3 Vitamin and mineral terms ...................................................................... 42
3.3.1.3 Traditional medicine terms (herbal medicine) ............................................ 44
3.3.2 Pharmacognosy terms ................................................................................... 44
3.3.3 Prescription terms ........................................................................................ 45


3.3.4 Equipment terms ........................................................................................... 46
3.4 In terms of semantic features ........................................................................... 49
3.5 Summary ........................................................................................................ 49
Chapter 4
COMMON ERRORS MADE BY LEARNERS OF ENGLISH IN USING
PHARMACEUTICAL TERMS AND SOLUTIONS
4.1 Setting ............................................................................................................. 50
4.2 The subjects ..................................................................................................... 50
4.3 Test ................................................................................................................. 51
4.3.1 Sample exercises of English pharmaceutical terms ...................................... 52
4.3.1.1 Multiple choices ........................................................................................ 52

4.3.1.2 Gap-filling ................................................................................................. 52
4.3.1.3 Matching.................................................................................................... 53
4.3.1.4 Mistake and finding and correction ............................................................ 53
4.3.1.5. Reading comprehension ............................................................................ 53
4.3.1.6 Word formation ......................................................................................... 53
4.3.1.7 Translation ................................................................................................. 53
4.3.2 Procedure and preliminary results ................................................................. 54
4.3.2.1 Procedure ................................................................................................... 54
4.3.2.2 Preliminary results .................................................................................... 54
4.4 Common errors made by pharmacy students at Thai Nguyen Medical College in
learning pharmaceutical terms ............................................................................... 58
4.4.1 Errors in prefixes and suffixes terms ............................................................. 58
4.4.2 Errors in borrowing terms ............................................................................. 59
4.4.3 Errors in changing general meaning (Terminologisation) .............................. 59
4.4.4 Errors in misunderstanding abbreviated terms............................................... 59
4.4.5 Pharmacology misinterpretation.................................................................... 60
4.4.6 Errors in mispresenting word order .............................................................. 61
4.5 Causes of committing errors ......................................................................... 61
4.6 Suggestions to overcome ................................................................................ 62
4.6.1 Suggestions for teaching English pharmaceutical terms ............................... 62
4.6.2 Suggestions for learning English pharmaceutical terms ................................ 64
4.7 Summary ......................................................................................................... 66


Chapter 5: CONCLUSION
5.1 Concluding remarks ......................................................................................... 67
5.2 Limitations of the study ................................................................................... 68
5.3 Recommendations for further study ................................................................. 68
REFERENCES
APPENDICES

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Rationale
Theoretically, it is noticeable that many researches on linguistic features have
been carried out in many discourses and genres. Also, many studies of terms have
focused on the language used in medication. However, none of those has been done
to pharmaceutical terms. In the light of linguistic features, morphological features,
and word formation and semantic of pharmaceutical terms among major aspects
studied. Basing on the theory of these two terms, the linguistic features in
pharmaceutical terms will be analyzed. In the study, the frequency of occurrence of
linguistic features will be explored and some noticeable findings will be drawn.
Practically, medicines are an emerging field in pharmacy science due to their
increasing popularity with health-conscious consumers. With its easy use, ability to
support good health with treatment disease and improve the take care the health,
medication is winning the hoping of more and more patients. As a matter of fact,
medications seem to be sort of new to a large number of Vietnamese people. There
exist different ideas, even new findings on this new kind of field. In the view of the
student of English linguistics, the author sees that studying English for pharmacy is
not at ease. There has been an increase in the amount of studies on English for
pharmacy; many of which have considerable contribution to the improvement of
medicine field of science and explored the terms used in metaphor, translation.
However, studies on linguistics features of English pharmaceutical terms seem
excessively rare, and thus have not fulfilled the need of this area. As a matter of
fact, not only pharmaceutical students but pharmacists, health workers working in
the field of medicine have difficulty in thoroughly understanding English
pharmaceutical terms. The meaning of a pharmaceutical term can be inferred from
the direct meaning of the word, but in some cases, this meaning should be based on
other features of the word.
In context of Thai Nguyen medical college, No2 students are supposed to

learn technical pharmacy English in the second semester of the course. Being a
teacher of English here, the researcher finds that the situation may result from not
only the method of approaching the subject, complication of technical pharmacy
English itself, but the inappropriate materials used. Therefore, a study on linguistics

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features of English pharmaceutical and their Vietnamese equivalents is expected to
have a small contribution on better the situation.
1.2 Aims and objectives of the study
This study aims at investigating linguistic features of English pharmaceutical
terms and their Vietnamese equivalents.
To help Vietnamese learners, academics and non-academics, have tools to
approach pharmaceutical terms. To realize the above aim, this paper works for three
following objectives:
- To identify typical linguistic features of English and Vietnamese
pharmaceutical terms.
- To make a comparison between the linguistic features of pharmaceutical
terms in English and their Vietnamese equivalents.
- To provide suggestions to avoid errors made by Vietnamese learners of
English in using pharmaceutical terms.
1.3 Research questions
The study is carried out to find out the answers to the following questions:
(1) What are typical features of English and Vietnamese pharmaceutical terms?
(2) How are English and Vietnamese pharmaceutical terms similarity and
difference?
(3) What are possible suggestions for overcoming errors in using pharmaceutical
terms?
1.4 Methods of the study

So as to acquire the aims and objectives of the research, the writer uses the
descriptive, method to carry out the study. This method is suitable for the study
because it is used to describe characteristics features, the main procedure
throughout the study. The writer also conducts a qualitative research as an analysis
of the document collected. In this one, the documentary analysis focused on the list
of terms from the chosen materials. The major data collection technique is
collecting the pharmaceutical terms in the materials. Data analysis techniques used
are collecting, analyzing and classifying. The study will be conducted through the
following steps:

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First, data are collected from two main chosen materials and other reference;
after that the data are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to figure out the
linguistic features of pharmaceutical terms.
Second, the result are classified and presented in forms of tables.
Finally, the comparative analysis method is used to analyze the linguistic
features of pharmaceutical in English and their Vietnamese equivalents, hence
suggesting some implications for mastering these particular terms.

1.5 Scope of the study
Because of the limitation of resource and conditions, this study only focuses
on linguistic features of pharmaceutical terms in English. The data includes 324
English pharmaceutical terms collected from two materials: English in
Pharmacy, Publisher, Esculapio in 2008, a book written by Luisa Benigni, and
Dictionary of English – Vietnamese pharmaceutical terminology, republished in
Science and Technics Publishing House in 2014 by Lê Văn Truyền, 110
Vietnamese pharmaceutical terms collected from Dược Thư Quốc Gia Việt Nam Vietnam National Drug Formulary (Nhà xuất bản Y học – 2012). It is necessary to
note that the number of terms chosen is not all the terms, but the most frequently

used in the materials.

1.6 Significance of the study
This research is conducted to some extent to contribute to theoretical
foundation of terminology, in terms of systemizing general theories as well as
theory of linguistic features of pharmaceutical terms in English and their
Vietnamese equivalents.
In practice, the findings can be used as a referential material in teaching and
learning English pharmaceutical terms at Thai Nguyen Medical College. Compilers
also find this paper useful when they design materials related to the English
pharmaceutical terms.

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1.7 Design of the study
The thesis starts out with Introduction chapter where rationale, aims and
objectives, research questions, methods, scope, significance, and design of the study
are presented.
The literature review chapter is the place to summarize the results of the
researchers who worked on the problem, and give an overview on
pharmaceutical terms.
The Findings and Discussions chapter is the part analyzing data and
interpreting the results, as well as stating some pedagogical implications of the
findings.
The Application of the research findings chapter is the part common errors by
learners of English in using pharmaceutical terms and solutions.
The last chapter is Conclusion which summarizes the issue and results of the
study, as well as offers some recommendations for the further study.

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Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Previous studies
* Previous studies oversea
No sooner did terminology acquire a scientific orientation than it was
recognized acquire a scientific orientation than it was recognized as a socially
important activity only in the 20th century. Since then, terminology has been
discussed variously by many different foreign and Vietnamese linguists.
A theoretically oriented approach towards terminology began no earlier than
in the 20th century. This development was triggered by the Austrian E. Wüster, who
originally came from the field of engineering and is seen as the founder of the
founder of the general theory of terminology. He talked about terminology in the
book Introduction to the general theory of terminology and terminology
lexicography (1979). His new perception was that terminology was two-folded: one
side was occupied by systematized concepts of a specific subject area, whereas the
other belonged to the designations. However, Wüster’s work has been criticized by
many specialists in the area as it did not succeed in representing terminology as an
independent discipline.
Studying terminology processing, Sager (1990) contributed the theory of
terminology which can be identified as having three different dimensions i.e. the
cognitive, the linguistic, and the communicate dimensions. The communicate
dimensions of the theory of terminology can be detected mainly in the linguistic
mechanisms that set that patterns for term formation and term forms. The book
provided the key to methods of terminology management for the English language,
for general and specific purposes. It was particularly suitable for translation courses,
technical writers, as well as for non-linguists who are confronted with terminology
processing as part of their profession.
Rey (1995) indicated that the cognitive dimension of terminology resulted

from the cognitive nature of its own subject of study, and was thus not a
particularity of its theory. What was interesting about terminology was that it
succeeded in linking the cognitive dimension with social needs via linguistic forms;
thus it contributed to the optimization of the communication between experts and
mediator who transfer knowledge, such as terminologists, translators, etc, and the
general public.

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Hutcheson and Michaud (1995) concerned about another sense of terms that
“the language discipline dedicated to the scientific study of concepts and terms used
in specialized language”. Beside, Rojatti and Jones (2000:16) indicated that
specialized language is used by subjected- matter specialist to simplify ambiguous
communication in a particular field of knowledge.
Packeiser (2009) presents the general theory of terminology, the nature of
concepts, conceptual relations, the relationship between terms and concepts. The
sphere of concepts is seen as independent from the sphere of terms.
* Previous studies in Vietnam
In respect of terms, many Vietnamese authors have contributed their views in
such aspects as general concepts, classification, characteristics, formations and
creation. Đỗ Hữu Châu (1981:221), meanwhile, stated that terms not only indicate
scientific concepts but name certain scientific phenomena. Besides, he stressed that
one characteristic of terms was that a term was intended to indicate one meaning,
denote one concept or name a certain scientific or technical object or event.
In her PhD thesis, Nguyễn Thị Bích Hà (2000:1) clarified the constructional
features of trade terms by analyzing and contrasting these terms in Japanese and
Vietnamese. This thesis discussed specifically about identification characteristics in
terms of ways of creation and semantic field of the trade terms.
Studying and compared the original and the translated versions by different

translators, in her M.A. thesis, Vũ Thị Thanh Yến (2005: 7), has come up with an
idea of making an investigation into how health insurance terms in the US health
insurance plans are currently dealt with.
Studying on terms of intellectual property laws, Mai Thị Loan (2015)
investigated the morphological and semantic features of these terms in English. She
also proposed equivalence relationship between terms of intellectual property laws
and their Vietnamese equivalents.
In conclusion, linguists have attempted to contribute to the theory of terms and
terminology as a branch of linguistics. These theories are supposed to be the
orientation of this study.

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2.2 Terms and terminology
2.2.1 Definitions and distinction
2.2.1.1 Definition of terms in English and Vietnamese
According to Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary (2011:475), a term is “a
word or phrase used to describe a thing or to express a concept, especially in a
particular kind of language of branch of study”.
Dubuc (1997:09) claimed that a term (or a terminology unit) is the name or
designation of a concept in a particular subject field. In specialized languages, a
term is made of a singer word or words combination and is usually associated with
the same conventional definition used by speakers of given language. A term can be
a word, an expression, a symbol, a mathematical or chemical formula, a scientific
name in Latin or an acronym.
Valeontis and Mantzari (2001:4) claimed that terms are the linguistic
representation of concepts. However, contrary to the situation prevailing in general
language, where the arbitrariness of the linguistic sign is fully acceptable, special
languages endeavor to make the process of designation systematic. This process

based on certain specified linguistic rules, so that terms reflect the concept
characteristics they refer to as precisely as possible.
According to Muñoz (2011:4), a term should be understood as a specialized
word in relation to its meaning and the field in which it is used. It is considered in
that way when used in a certain context in which it takes the function of a term.
Meanwhile, Đỗ Hữu Châu (1981: 221) considered terms as specialized words
used within a specific field, a profession or any technological field. Identifying
technical terms, he said: “Scientific and technical terminology consists of lexical
units used to denote phenomenal objects, activities, etc.in industrial technologies
and natural or social sciences”.
Đái Xuân Ninh et al. in Linguistics: Tendency – Field – Concept (1986: 64)
claimed that terms are words or phrases denoting accurately a concept of a certain
specialized science. They also stated that a term belongs to the general lexical
system of a language, but it only exits in a particular terminology systems, or in
other words it can only be used in a certain specialized language system.
Nguyễn Thiện Giáp (1999:270) proposed a more informative perspective on
terms is understood as special linguistic units of language. They include single or

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complex units that provide precise definitions and objectives belonging to particular
scientific area.
According to Hoàng Văn Hành (2010), defines term in Vietnamese is a word
or a group of words used to denote a systematic definition of the concepts of a
particular discipline. The whole system of terminology of the sciences completes
the terminology of language.
In short, although the authors expressed different views about terms, they still
share the common points. The above definitions raised by. Dubuc may be the most
concise and compact one that covers the common points among the linguistics’

definitions.
2.2.1.2 Definition of terminology in English
Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary (2011:476) defines terminology as “a
set of technical words or expressions used in a particular subject”.
According to Wüster (1979) terminology has a two-fold meaning:
a) It is the discipline concerned with the principles and methods governing the
study of concepts and their designations (terms, names, symbols) in any subject
field, and the job of collecting, processing, and managing relevant data.
b) The set of terms belonging to the special language of an individual subject field.
Accordingly, the theory of terminology can be identified as having three
different dimensions: the cognitive, the linguistic, and the communicative
dimensions (Sager, 1990:4). The linguistic dimension of the theory of terminology
can be detected mainly in the linguistic mechanisms. Under modern approaches,
terminologists mainly concern about another sense of terminology that is the
language discipline. It dedicated to the scientific study of the concepts and terms
used in specialized languages (Hucheeson & Michaud), 1995:37).
It can be seen that the mentioned perceptions mainly focus on terminology in
the theory of linguistic dimension. Although these perceptions are various, they
share common aspects. In this study, the writer prioritizes the perception that
terminology is the study of terms.
2.2.1.3 Distinction between terms and terminology
A question will then arise thereby: Do the word “term” and terminology”
mean the same thing? It is necessary to bring these questions to light within the
limited scope of the study. Đỗ Hữu Châu (1981:221) stated that “Unlike ordinary
words, terms have referential meaning which completely coincide with the objects,

8


events, etc. in reality. Conceptual meanings of terms are exactly concepts of these

objects and events as they exist in our thought”.
As such, terminology is board in meaning compared with terms. Terms
separately refer to discrete to conceptual entities, properties that constitute the
knowledge of a particular field; terminology refers to the system of all concepts and
definitions concerning a specific technical area.
2.2.1.4 Distinction between terms and words
Usually words are assigned to the vocabulary of general language while
terms form the vocabulary of special languages. “The items which are characterized
by special reference within a discipline are the terms of that discipline, and
collectively they from its terminology; those which function in general reference
over a variety of sublanguage are simply called words”. (Sager ET al.1990:19).
It is worth mentioning Baker’s opinion as he considered terms in relation
with words. He suggested “Terms are endowed with a special form of reference,
namely that refer to discrete conceptual entities, properties, activities or relations
which constitute the knowledge space of a particular subject field” (1998:56).
According to Gutiérrez Rodilla (1998: 88-94), a word was a meaningful
element in a language. A term, on the other hand, was a word but has a particular
meaning a situation. Hence, these two cannot be used interchangeably. The
relationship between a word and a term can simply be understood in the following
manner. All terms are words, but not all words are terms. This highlights that
words, but not all words are items. This highlights that words have a general
meaning, which applies to our day to day understanding. However, a term acquires
a special meaning in a special situation.
From a linguistic point of view, a word is a unit characterized by having a
phonetic from, a simple or complex morphological structure, grammatical features,
and a meaning that describes the class to which a specific object belongs (Cabré,
1999:35).
Concerning the basic units, (Cabré, 1999:80) pointed out terms, like words in
the general language lexicon, are distinctive and meaningful signs which occur in
special language discourse. A word was a unit described by a set of systematic

linguistic characteristics that had the property of referring to an element in reality. A
term on the other hand, was a unit with similar linguistic characteristics used in a
special domain. If a term presented the same linguistic characteristics as a word, the

9


consequence was that the rules of phonetics, morphology as well, and that they must
form a part of the terminology theory as terms are the basic unit of terminology.
The term or terminology unit was the meaning unit made up of one single
word or several words and represented a concept in a univocal way on a special
semantic field (Muñoz, 2011:4). The border line between word and term is draw by
the use of the lexical unit in a specialized field of knowledge with a specialized
meaning or not. That is why a certain level of specialized knowledge is needed to
recognize a term (we will only know that mouse is term if we know the computing
terminology). The characteristics of a text – communicative purpose, subject,
specialization grade - are also helpful to recognize the presence of terms.
In brief, terms and words constitute the general class of lexical items, and the
boundary between them is not always clear. Many terms become ordinary words
when they are closed to daily life and used with high frequency, and many words
become terms when they are used frequently in a specialized field. In order to
establish the limit between term and word, it is important to know the
characteristics of terms in a specialized language.
2.2.2 Characteristics of terms in English and Vietnamese
Lotte (1978) and Dafy Cribbon (1999) agreed that features of terms should be
accuracy, systematical, conciseness, nationality and popularity. Đỗ Hữu Châu
(1981) assumed three basic features of terms, namely accuracy, systematical and
internationality. Lưu Văn Lang (1977:2) added that terms are to be “systematical,
linguistically native, accurate, concise, popular and of great utility”. Basing on the
agreement among linguists about standardizing scientific terms, the writer assumes

that standards of terms include accuracy, systemization and internationality.
Hereafter, the writer attempts to emphasize three main characteristics which are
ranked in the order of importance.
2.2.2.1 Accuracy
According to Gutiérrez Rodilla (1998:88), terms have to submit three
conditions to be really precise: First, its meaning has to be previously demitted.
Second, this meaning has to be monogenic and there has not to be any synonym.
Third, the relation established among the terms of a system has to be the same as the
one among the concepts. If a term is precise, then its communicative dimension is
unchanging, which means, its meaning does not depend on the context, the

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discourse in which it is inserted nor the sender of the message nor any other factors
of a communicative event. This does happen in the standard communication.
Accuracy is considered to be the most significant feature of terms. A term is
used to denote a defined perception belong to the concept system of a particular
science; thus, it must be accurate and clear to help avoid confusion and
misunderstanding (Nguyễn Thiện Giáp, 2002:217). If a term is of absolute
accuracy, people never mistake one concept for another. One word has become a
term, it no longer has connotation, emotional meaning; it also loses its polysemy,
synonym, and antonym. Nguyễn Văn Tú (1968: 114) firm asserted that one
characteristic of term is that a term serves in a particular science with its only one
meaning and no emotional aspects.
In short, a term needs to be accurate and clear because it basically reflects an
exact concept of a science. Terminology necessarily works on the principle that
only one term for it, and one term indicate only one concept. This relationship is
called the one-to-one equivalence between a concept and a term.
2.2.2.2 Systemization

This characteristic of terms is revealed in its definition that it is a lexical unit
used to name or designate a specific concept of a particular field that means it only
exists in a particular terminology system. “The value of a term loses when it is
recognized and examined outside the system it belongs to and without its
relationship with other terms in the same system” (Nguyễn Thiện Giáp, 2002:272).
Concerning this issues, Đỗ Hữu Châu (1981:222) affirmed that a term,
together with its concept constitute its content. The systematic characteristic in
terms of semantics is determined by the systematic characteristic in terms of
semantics is determined by the systematic characteristics of the object itself and by
the concept in this particular subject field. It is the systematicity that can help
people to understand the concept with ease.
A system of terms not only meets general requirements but also satisfy
particular ones posed by certain specialized it reflects. As a matter of fact, each field
of science has its own systems of solid and finite concept expressed by its own
terms. The semantic value of a term is determined by its relation to others in the
same field. Therefore, once isolated, the term may have no or ambiguous meaning.
However, there exist homophones and synonyms among term systems of different

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fields. The systematicity also requires a term itself to be systematic in its own
meaning. To this end, terms are usually short in form.
Any field of sciences has its own limited system of concepts, which are named
by s system of terms. Therefore, each item has its own position in the system of
concepts and belongs to a terminological system. The value of each term is
determined by its relationships with other terms in the same system. As a result, a
term loses its value when isolated form its system. It has to be a dependent member
of its system.
2.2.2.3 Internationality

Another property of terminology is internationality which is shown in both
form and meaning. With regard to form it is of great interest to discover that many
terms are entirely borrowed form one language to another. In terms of meaning,
terminology figures out common scientific concepts recognized and equally
understood by speakers of different cultures. Terms are used internationally because
they are special words expressing common scientific concept to people of different
languages (In PhD thesis of Nguyễn Thị Bích Hà, 2000).
Nguyễn Thiện Giáp (2001:274) asserts that “international characteristic of
terms is a very important feature that helps distinguish terms form other linguistic
units”. The factors that constitute terms in different languages are relatively unified.
Thus, it is essential to internationalize scientific terms among language in order to
enhance the science development, economy integration and culture exchange.
Accordingly, internationality is expressed through form and meaning, in
which form is more noticeable. It is useful to agree on terms to be used among
language in order to push up the development of science. The international links in
science result in a number of terms presented in many different languages.
In general terms in Vietnamese, it is possible to see the terminology in
Vietnamese, as in other developed languages, formed by three basic paths: (1)
common word terminology; (2) terms created correspondingly to foreign terms by
means of simulation and (3) borrowed terms from foreign languages often
international terms (in Sự hình thành và phát triển ngôn ngữ – Hoàng Văn Hành).
In the final analysis, the conference on terminology held in Ha Noi, 1967 by
the State Committee of Science came to a unanimous conclusion that the
Vietnamese terminology is to be:

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(1) Systematical (2) linguistically native (3) Accurate (4) Concise (5) Popular and
of great utility (comprehensible, memorable, easy to speak, write and edit).

Generally speaking, Vietnamese terminology bears the same features to
English ones. It expresses exactly one concept; rarely has synonyms or polysemy;
and is popular among its users.
In terms of the origin of Vietnamese terminology, Vietnamese terminology is
made up of four components namely Pure-Vietnamese words, Sino-Vietnamese
words and Indo-European words. From characteristics of terms in English and
Vietnamese above, there are the same characteristics.
2.3 Pharmaceutical terms
2.3.1 Definition and origins
Pharmacy is the generic name for a medical profession that specializes in the
manufacture, manufacture of medicines (pharmaceuticals) as well as medical
examination and treatment and distribution of medicines.
The term in many European languages comes from Greek: φάρµακον
(pharmakon), meaning "medicine" or "medicine" (the earliest form of this word is
Greek Mycenaean pa-ma-ko). Then the term was used since the 17th century.
Davies (1985: 13) defines medical terminology as “the study of words used to
communicate facts and ideas particular to medicine; it is chiefly concerned with the
present use and meaning of such words.” Medical terms refer to words, compounds,
abbreviations and acronyms that are related to medicine.
The 21st century pharmaceutical and biotech sector has come a long way from
its roots in 19th century pharmacy – Robin Walsh looks at its evolution over the
centuries. The roots of the pharmaceutical industry lie back with the apothecaries
and pharmacies that offered traditional remedies as far back as the middle ages,
offering a hit-and-miss range of treatments based on centuries of folk knowledge.
But the industry as we understand it today really has its origins in the second
half of the 19th century. The history of pharmacy as an independent science dates
back to the first third of the 19th century.
According to the World Health Organization WHO general pharmaceutical is
known as medicine drug called consist of two basic components, western
pharmaceuticals and Traditional Medicine. Drugs must preserve safely, effectively

and of well-quality specified shelf and using proper doses.

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Drugs are products for human used for the prevention and treatment of
disease, reduce symptoms, diagnosis and adjust the physiological functions of the
body. A finished product is a form of drug through all stages of production to
circulation, distribution and use. Drug materials as active substance (active
ingredients) or inactive (solvents, excipients) involved in the composition of the
product in the production process.
The meaning of pharmaceutical has not completed yet with many definitions
but this is most popular of WHO definition of pharmaceutical.
2.3.2 Linguistic features of pharmaceutical terms
Linguistic aspects of terms formation are of major interest to not only
terminologists and subject field specialists, but also to translators, interpreter and
technical writers. Below term formation will be approached through perspectives of
two famous authors.
Sager (1997) defined term formation as process of naming the concept
required by a particular domain. He added that term formation differs from general
words formation “by its greater awareness of pre-existing patterns and models and
its social responsibility for facilitating communication and the transmission of
knowledge”. By means of the repeated act of creating new terms and of regulating
existing terminology, a certain consistency of designation is achieved. Terms are on
the whole less arbitrary and more consciously motivated and transparent than
general words. These reflections make evident that the wide-spread opinion that
special vocabulary is mostly constituted by Latin, Greek, and not only created by
importing foreign vocabulary, but new terms are also by employing others methods.
The major distinction made in term formation is primary versus secondary
term formation (Sager 1997:27-28). Primary term formation is the process of

terminology creation that accompanies concept formation as a result of any kind of
innovation. Thus, primary term formation takes place in a scientific environment,
and there is no direct linguistic precedent of the new term for an existing concept.
This occurs when a designation is changed as the result of terminology revision.
Secondary term formation is also involved when concepts are transferred among
linguistic communities.
The process of primary and secondary term formation is carried out by three
different methods, arranged in this way by Sager (1990: 71-80 and 1997: 28-40): a)
the use of existing resources i.e. secondary term formation; b) the modification is

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existing resources i.e. secondary term formation; and c) the creation of new
linguistic entities i.e. primary term formation. These three methods are employed in
general word formation as well. However, while in general language the creation of
new words is a spontaneous process, in terminology the formation of new terms is
always motivated (Reinhardt et al. 1992:24).
According to Delahunty and Garvey (2004:89), the translation of an existing
term, an additional dimension is suggested for consideration, namely, the existence
of one or more conceptual systems. From this conceptual point of view, we may
differentiate two cases in the translation of terms: term-transfer into another
language within the same conceptual system (intra-conceptual term-transfer). In the
first case, although terms have to be translated, the process is carried out within the
same conceptual systems plays a significant role.
Meanwhile, Dubuc (1997:131) asserted that “terms can be created by
assigning new meanings to existing terms or by combining and deleting lexical
elements”. Certain principles should be respected to improve the chances that new
term will be accepted. For instance, terms should consistently reflect some key
features of the concepts they are liked to in order to facilitate precise reference. At

the same time, they should be as economical as possible without giving rise to
homonymy.
Terms should be lexically systematic and should conform to the phonological
and morphological rules of the language, as well as they must conform to general
rules of the language, as well as they must conform to the general rules of wordformation where appropriate. The meaning of the term should be recognizable
independently of any specific context.
Dubuc (1997) also set rules for term creation in term of semantics and
morphology. Semantically, form of term may be change through metaphor,
metonymy, extension, eponymy, conversation of grammatical category, or
borrowing from other subject fields. Meanwhile, morphological changing rules
include derivation, composition, compounding, borrowing, blending, acronym, and
initialization.
In Vietnamese terms, the way to normalize a word is actually a way to use the
semantics of a word to create a term. This semantic translation is rather subtle and
complex, but it can be referred to two forms: transposition morphology does not
lead to transposition and transposition morphology. The first form can be found in a

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