Methodology for the design of a standard research protocol for measuring terminology usage

Abstract

Many states have undertaken language and terminology planning programmes and have reached the point where they must evaluate the progress realized up to the present time. In the case of terminology planning programmes, such an evaluation requires a method to measure the degree to which the terminology has been implanted. In this paper, a research protocol for measuring terminology implantation is presented; this protocol is based on institutional communications. First, a critical examination of prior research on the subject is made in order to identify the desired characteristics of a precise, scientific measurement protocol. It is an accepted postulate that the constitution of a representative corpus forms the basis of a solution. Statistical sampling methods have been adapted in order to design a measurement protocol that respects the above conditions. The paper concludes with an overview of the results of a terminology implantation survey carried out using the research protocol presented; the survey concerns transportation terminology. This overview is followed by a brief discussion of the future possibilities offered by the scientific measurement of terminology implantation.