The use of corpora in the compilation of a specialised English-isiNdebele glossary of medical terms

Abstract

The Constitution of South Africa legislated that South African languages should be developed to the status of languages such as English and Afrikaans. This necessitated translations in specialised fields such as technology, science, justice and finance. The shortage of terminology and resources such as bilingual glossaries in African languages had a negative impact on the development and intellectualisation of languages such as isiNdebele in particular. Most researchers and scholars are of the opinion that specialised lexicography is significant in the development of language terminology so that African languages can be usable in specialised fields. Based on the above background, this study explored how corpora can be interrogated using WordSmith Tools to extract both monolingual terminology from the spoken corpus and bilingual terminology from the written medical corpus. The purpose of the extraction was to compile a specialised English-isiNdebele glossary of medical terms. A corpus-driven approach was utilised in this study. This approach was selected because through it, every piece of information is drawn from the corpus without pre-conceived ideas. Both corpus linguistics theory and the Grounded Theory were implemented in this study. The two theories complement each other well. Whilst corpus linguistics studies real examples of what people have said, the Grounded Theory on the other hand (through its method of agreement and the method of difference) enabled the researcher to determine what is common and uncommon in what has been said (through corpus linguistics theory). The analysis and extraction of both the monolingual and the bilingual terminology for glossary making was successful through the use of the KeyWords function and the Concordance function of the WordSmith Tools. Terms that resulted from the KeyWords function had to be validated manually. This is because the KeyWords function cannot sort the variants of the term candidate list, neither can it identify the multiword-term candidates. The researcher therefore had to sort the variants and also identify multiword-term candidates manually. Through the Concordance function, the researcher was able to extract multiword-terms. Finally, an English-isiNdebele glossary of medical terms was compiled. The study therefore contributes to corpus-driven lexicography as well as standardisation of medical terminology.

UmThethosisekelo weSewula Afrika wagunyaza ukobana umbuso uthathe amagadango wokuthuthukisa nokusetjenziswa kwamalimi womdabu. Lokhu kwenza ukobana kube netlhogeko ekulu yokutjhugululwa kwemitlolo okukhethekileko, emikhakheni efana netheknoloji, isayensi, umthetho kanye nezeemali. Ukutlhogeka kwetheminoloji neensetjenziswa ezifana namadlhozari amalimimbili emalimini womdabu, khulukhulu emalimini anjengesiNdebele kunomthelela omumbi ekutjhugululweni nekusetjenzisweni kwesiNdebele emikhakheni ethileko. Abarhubhululi abanengi abasemalimini wabomdabu bayavumelana ukobana ilekzikhografi ekhethekileko iqakathekile ekuthuthukisweni kwetheminoloji yelimi ukuze amalimi womdabu asebenziseke emikhakheni ekhethekileko. Ukuya ngesendlalelo esinikelwe ngehlesi, lomsebenzi urhubhulule indlela ikhophora engazizingwa ngayo ngokusebenzisa iWordSmith Tools ekutsomuleni itheminoloji elimilinye ekhutjhwe ekhophasini ekhulunywako kanye netheminoloji emalimimbili ekhutjhwe ekhophasini yezamaphilo etlolweko. Ihloso yokukhutjhwa kwetheminoloji bekukubuthelela idlhozari ekhethekileko elimimbili (isiNgisi nesiNdebele). Indlela esunduzwa yikhophasi (corpus-driven approach) isetjenzisiwe. Lendlela ikhethwe ngebanga lokobana ngayo, lelo nalelo lwazi elisetjenziswako lisuselwa kukhophasi ngaphandle kwemicabango ehleliweko yangaphambili. Amathiyori amabili, i-corpus linguistics neGrounded Theory asetjenziswe womabili kilomsebenzi. Adlhegana kuhle lamathiyori ngombana i-corpus linguistics isebenzisa iimbonelo zamambala zalokho okutjhiwo babantu. IGrounded Theory yona ngakwelinye ihlangothi, ngebanga leendlela zayo zokuvumelana nokuphikisana, ivumela umrhubhululi ukobana akwazi ukulemuka okufanako nalokho okuhlukileko kilokho okutjhwiweko ngebanga lecorpus linguistics. Ukutsengwa nokukhutjhwa kwetheminoloji elimilinye naleyo elimimbili ibe yipumelelo ngebanga lokusetjenziswa kweWordSmith Tools, khulukhulu ngokusebenzisa iKeyWords kanye neConcordance. Amathemu akhiqizwa ngeKeyWords aqinisekiswa ngezandla. Lokhu kungebanga lokobana iKeyWords ayikwazi ukusota amathemu begodu ayikwazi nokulemuka amathemumvango. Umrhubhululi wakateleleka ukobana akwenze lokho ngezandla. IConcordance, ngilo ithulusi umrhubhululi akwazi ukulisebenzisa ukukhupha amathemumvango. Ekugcineni, idlhozari yezamaPhilo, elimimbili (isiNgisi nesiNdebele) yabuthelelwa. Lomsebenzi udlala indima ekulu kulekzikhografi esunduzwa yikhophasi kanye nekulinganisweni kwetheminoloji yezamaPhilo.

Die Grondwet van Suid-Afrika het deur wetgewing bepaal dat die Afrikatale van Suid-Afrika ontwikkel moet word tot die status van tale soos Engels en Afrikaans. Dit het gelei tot die noodsaaklikheid van vertalings in vakgebiede soos tegnologie, wetenskap, justisie en finansies. Die tekort aan terminologie en hulpbronne soos tweetalinge woordelyste in Afrikatale het ‘n negatiewe impak gehad op die ontwikkeling en intellektualisasie van tale soos isiNdebele in die besonder. Die meeste navorsers en vakkundiges is van mening dat vakgerigte leksikografie beduidend is in die ontwikkeling van taalterminologie sodat Afrikatale in gespesialiseerde navorsingsgebiede gebruik kan word. In die lig van bogenoemde agtergrond, ondersoek hierdie studie hoe korpora onder die loep geneem kan word deur van WordSmith Tools gebruik te maak om beide eentalige terminologie van die gesproke korpus en tweetalige terminologie van die geskrewe mediese korpus te onttrek. Die doel van die ekstraksie was om ‘n gespesialiseerde Engels-isiNdebele woordelys van mediese terme saam te stel. ‘n Korpus-gedrewe benadering is in hierdie studie gevolg. Dié benadering is gekies omdat dit daardeur moontlik was om elke stukkie inligting uit die korpus te onttrek sonder vooropgestelde idees. Beide die ‘Corpus linguistics’ teorie en die ‘Grounded’ teorie is in hierdie studie aangewend. Die twee teorieë vul mekaar goed aan. Terwyl die ‘Corpus linguistics’ teorie daadwerklike voorbeelde van wat mense gesê het, ondersoek, het die ‘Grounded’ teorie aan die ander kant (deur sy metodes van ooreenkoms en verskil) dit vir die navorser moontlik gemaak om te bepaal wat is alledaags en wat is ongewoon in wat gesê is (deur die ‘Corpus linguistics’ teorie). Die ontleding en ekstraksie van beide die eentalige en tweetalige terminologie vir die samestelling van ‘n woordelys was suksesvol deur die aanwending van die KeyWords funksie en die Concordance funksie van die WordSmith Tools. Terme wat uit die KeyWords funksie gespruit het moes nie-meganies geverifieer word. Die rede hiervoor is dat die KeyWords funksie nie die variante van die term kandidatelys kan sorteer en ook nie die multiwoord term kandidate kan identifiseer nie. Die navorser moes gevolglik die variante en die multiwoord terme per hand identifiseer. Deur die Concordance funksie kon die navorser die multiwoord terme onttrek. Ten slotte is ‘n Engels-isiNdebele woordelys van mediese terme saamgestel. Die studie dra dus by tot korpus-gedrewe leksikografie sowel as standardisering van mediese terminologie.