Procese de metaforizare în terminologia chimică [Articol]

Abstract

The article examines the role of metaphor in the secondary formation of scientific terms, based on John Humbley’s framework and Juan Carlos Sager’s concept of renaming across languages. It argues that metaphor facilitates terminological transfer when shared cognitively and culturally, but may hinder it otherwise. Through the analysis of key chemical terms — chemistry, molecule, atom, and ion — the study shows that fundamental metaphors such as transformation, mass, indivisibility, and movement underpin their formation and international dissemination. These metaphors ensure conceptual continuity across languages, although scientific progress may lead to reconceptualization. Overall, chemical terminology demonstrates the central role of metaphor in knowledge transfer and standardization.