On Linguistic Terminology and the Challenges of Scientific Communication

It is well established that linguistic terminology is a “professional” or “specialized” language whose inadequacy at the conceptual, morphological and syntactic levels results in communication failure. This is due to the fact that the delivery of scientific knowledge requires the integrity of the relevant terms used. Studies have shown that specialized language constitutes eighty percent of scientific texts. If there is a problem in this language related to the make-up of the technical term, then scientific communication is not achieved. However, this does not mean that the problem is only a technical one, though it is. Rather, there are objective and subjective factors involved in the options and policies that have been pursued by Arab countries in the field of education and research, as well as the implications of social, cultural and cognitive failures, avoidance of institutionalized work, negligence of building an independent state, inadequate understanding of linguistic theories and approaches, and the poor development of Arabic in the field of terminology. This necessitates a review of the linguistics promoted in academia, subjecting it to scientific scrutiny, with view to correcting its defective aspects, introducing other theories that are suitable to the reality of our situation, and opening them to social spaces to contribute to comprehensive development, which would constitute the pillar of a societal project in this regard.