Chapter Twenty
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these two adjectives are apparently not used in any other meanings! Their
Polish equivalents are also derived from the corresponding numerals
(trzeciaczka, czwartaczka). Finally, let us note the computer term beta
version (incomplete, non-final and possibly unstable version of an
application, website, etc.), which may perhaps have derived from the
concept of alpha male in biology and so demonstrate some transparency,
at least to those who prefer to trace down the etymology of the former
term to this association.
Another interesting observation that we will only take a cursory look at
now, but that perhaps demands a more thorough study of its terminological
salience, is the semantics of zero in medical classifications. In a widely
used classification of malignant tumours, known by the acronym TNM,
the notation of T1N0M0 means an early stage of a tumour that has not
spread to lymph nodes and has produced no metastases to other organs.
Thus ‘0’ here marks the absence of a pathologic feature. At the same time,
in a classification of breast lesions seen on mammography, BI-RADS 0
means that the lesion in question is of uncertain nature and further
diagnostic work-up is required to ascertain its nature.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations are yet another category of low-salience terms. The
terminological status of abbreviations is different from that of all other
term groups, because an abbreviation is always secondary to a full
(expanded) term. However, in texts, certain terminological abbreviations
occur more commonly than the corresponding full terms. Apart from such
well-known cases as names of organisations, also abbreviations of names
of biologically relevant compounds appear to be textually dominant over
their expanded forms. The space-saving function of abbreviations is
evident in this case, too, but it appears that they also primarily enable
phonological distinction when used in a terminological field consisting of
dozens of hundreds of similar entities. Furthermore, in the particular case
of biologically relevant compounds, a full name often describes one
activity associated with a particular compound (as we have seen with the
former names of the interleukins). Over time, the number of such activities
may increase as the same chemical entity may be found to play a role in a
number of processes in various organs or anatomical areas. Accordingly, it
might be suggested that such full names are perceived as conceptually
inadequate and liable to being replaced with a more fitting designation in
the future and that abbreviations are used as more convenient carriers of