ISO/R 919:1969
(Main)Guide for the preparation of classified vocabularies (example of method)
Guide for the preparation of classified vocabularies (example of method)
Guide pour l'élaboration des vocabulaires systématiques (exemple de méthode)
General Information
Relations
Standards Content (Sample)
UDC 001.4 (083.12) : 801.3 Ref. No. : ISO/R 919-1969 (E)
IS0
I N T E R N AT I ON A L OR G AN I Z AT I O N FOR S TA N DARD I Z AT I O N
IS0 RECOMMENDATION
R 919
L
L
GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF CLASSIFIED VOCABULARIES
(EXAMPLE OF METHOD)
1 st E DIT ION
January 1969
L
COPYRIGHT RESERVED
L
The copyright of IS0 Recommendations and IS0 Standards
belongs to IS0 Member Bodies. Reproduction of these
documents, in any country, may be authorized therefore only
by the national standards organization of that country, being
a member of ISO.
For each individual country the only valid standard is the national standard of that country.
Printed in Switzerland
Also issued in French and Russian. Copies to be obtained through the national standards organizations.
---------------------- Page: 1 ----------------------
BRIEF HISTORY
The IS0 Recommendation R 919, Guide for the preparation of classified vocabularies (Example
of method), was drawn up by Technical Committee ISO(TC 37, Terminology (Principles and co-
ordination), the Secretariat of which is held by the Osterreichisches Normungsinstitut (ON).
Detailed work on this question by the Technical Committee led, in 1964, to the adoption of a
Draft IS0 Recommendation.
d
In April 1965, this Draft IS0 Recommendation (No. 792) was circulated to all the IS0 Member
Bodies for enquiry. It was approved, subject to a few modifications of an editorial nature, by the
following Member Bodies : 4
Australia India South Africa, Rep. of
Austria Israel Spain
Brazil Italy Switzerland
Chile Korea, Rep. of Turkey
Czechoslovakia New Zealand U.A.R.
France Poland United Kingdom
U.S.A.
Germany Portugal
U.S.S.R.
Greece Romania
No Member Body opposed the approval of the Draft.
The Draft IS0 Recommendation was then submitted by correspondence to the IS0 Council,
which decided, in January 1969, to accept it as an IS0 RECOMMENDATION.
-2 -
---------------------- Page: 2 ----------------------
ISO/R 919-1969 (E)
FOREWORD
Co-operation and communication between experts engaged in all branches of science and technology
are assuming ever-increasing importance as essential conditions for progress, both within each country
and between countries. For this exchange to be successful, technical terms should have the same
meaning for everyone who uses them. This goal can be achieved only if there is general agreement on
the meaning of these terms. Hence the importance of technical vocabularies, in which concepts
and terms, as well as their definitions, are standardized (terminological standards). It is just such
standards which aid to assure mutual understanding.
These vocabularies are prepared by the National Standards Associations and by the Technical
Committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). During the work on termi-
nology carried out by these bodies it quickly became apparent thst it was necessary to have directives
applicable to any field of knowledge and that it was possible to establish them.
Accordingly IS0 set up a Technical Committee, known as ISO/TC 37, Terminology (Principles and
with the mission of finding out and formulating general principles on terminology
co-ordination)
and terminological lexicography.
The IS0 Recommendations prepared by this Technical Committee deal with questions that fall into
the following four classes :
L
1. Vocabulary of terminology;
L
2. Procedure for producing national or international standardized vocabularies;
3. National and international standardization of concepts, terms and their definitions : prin-
ciples for their establishment and criteria of value;
4. Layout of monolingual and multilingual vocabularies, including lexicographical symbols.
The IS0 Recommendation included in class 2 deals with guidance in the organization of the work,
while the other classes are concerned with technical details.
The following IS0 Recommendations have been or will be issued :
Class 1
Vocabulary of terminology
ISO/R . . ., *
Class 2
Guide for the preparation of classified vocabularies (Example of method)
lSO/R 919,
Class 3
ISO/R 704, Naming principles
ISO/R 860, International unification of concepts and terms
Class 4
ISO/R . . ., ** Layout of multilingual classified vocabularies
ISO/R . . ., Layout of monolingual classified vocabularies
KO/R . . ., *** Lexicographical symbols
ISO/R 639, Symbols for languages, countries and authorities
*
At present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 781
**
At present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 1659
***
At the stage of draft proposal
-3-
---------------------- Page: 3 ----------------------
IS0 Recommendation R 919 January 1969
CONTENTS
Page
.......... 6
lntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. Limiting the problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.1 Defining the field of study. . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Choice of languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.3 Number of concepts to be listed in the vocabulary . . . 8
1.4 Choice of a code symbol for identifying the vocabulary . 8
1.5 Choice of the form and the layout of the vocabulary . . 8
2. Making use of sources of information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.1 Publications as basic sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.2 Drafting a provisional schedule of concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.3 Extraction of material from sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3. Preparation of the manuscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.1 Manuscript slips in the language of the first draft . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.2 Manuscript slips in the other languages of the definitions. . . , . . . . . . 13
3.3 Manuscript slips in the additional languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.4 Finalnumbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
3.5 Discussion manuscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
3.6 Printer’s manuscript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4. Compilation of alphabetical indexes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.1 Provisional alphabetical index file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.2 Provisional alphabetical lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.3 Final alphabetical lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5. Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
---------------------- Page: 4 ----------------------
ISO/R 919- 1969(E)
IS0 Recommendation R 919 January 1969
/
GUIDE FOR THE PREPARATION OF CLASSIFIED VOCABULARIES
(EXAMPLE OF METHOD)
INTRODUCTION
This IS0 Recommendation deals with questions falling under class 2, mentioned in the Foreword.
Its purpose is to provide detailed guidance for authors of technical vocabularies and in particular
of standardized vocabularies. The advice given is designed to help them to do their work in the best
possible manner.
This IS0 Recommendation is a guide for the organization of the work. It lists, in their preferred
order, the principal stages through which the work of preparing a vocabulary must pass. It gives
details of the recommended procedure at each stage. The problems with which it is concerned are in
the fields of lexicography and terminology.
Authors of vocabularies will find further recommendations in other documents published by the IS0
in these fields. These documents are listed in the Foreword.
This IS0 Recommendation primarily concerns classified vocabularies. Since alphabetical dictionaries
should always be based on a logical study of the terminology covered, this IS0 Recommendation may
be used as a guide in the preparation of alphabetic technical dictionaries, particularly in the first
stages of work (see clause 1.5.3).
This IS0 Recommendation is intended primarily for multilingual vocabularies. Most of its items,
however, may also apply to monolingual glossaries (see clauses 1.1, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 2, 3.1, 3.4, 3.5,3.6,
4 and 5).
This IS0 Recommendation does not deal with the administrative procedure required of a big inter-
national organization for the preparation of a vocabulary.
Information of this kind will be found in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)
document 1 (Central office) 1007, Procedure applicable to the work of preparing the International
Electrotechnical Vocabulary (IEV) - The task of Technical Committee No. 1.
The directives therein set forth a possible procedure for preparing vocabularies. In particular is stated
who must take the necessary decisions and who must execute the various tasks in each stage.
6
---------------------- Page: 5 ----------------------
ISO/R 919-1969 (€
1. LIMITING THE PROBLEM
1.1 Defining the field of study
1.1.1 The fi e 1 d of s t U d y to be covered by the vocabulary should be carefully defined. It is
not sufficient, for this purpose, only to provide the name of this field. It is necessary also to
define in detail the subdivisions of the field of study that are to be included in the vocabulary
and the related fields that are to be left out.
1.1.2 The definition of the field of study may be facilitated by consulting a subject c 1 a s s i fi-
c a t i O n, such as, in certain cases, the Universal Decimal Classification (UDC).
1.1.3 When setting limits to the work, existing vocabularies and dictionaries in the same and in
related fields should be taken into account. Classified b i b 1 i O g r a p h i e s that list
special vocabularies, such as those published by UNESCO, should be consulted.
1.1.4 In determining the scope of the vocabulary a decision must also be taken about the approxi-
mate n U m b e r of concepts to be included (see clause 1.3).
1.2 Choice of languages
1.2.1 When considering which languages should be included in a vocabulary, a distinction should
be made between the languages of the terms and those of the definitions :
Obviously, the more languages the t e r m s of a classified vocabulary are given in, the
more informative and generally useful it will be. Size and cost, however, will increase, thus
offsetting the above merits.
Normally, d e f i n i t i O n s in one single language (“language of the definitions”) should be
enough to eliminate any uncertainty about the concepts represented by the terms in other
languages used (“additional languages”).
1.2.2 The first step is to select the languages in which the t e r m s are to appear.
It is important here to be sure that collaborators are available who are thoroughly profi-
cient in the language being considered. Technical experts having these languages as their
native tongue should be invited, therefore, to participate in the work.
1.2.3 As mentioned above, d e fi n i t i O n s
should be listed in more than one language only if
a single language will not be sufficient to make the definitions comprehensible to a signifi-
cant number of possible readers.
If the vocabulary is published by an international organization, definitions will be given in
the official languages of that organization only.
1.2.4 A distinction should be made between the “basic volume” and “s U p p 1 e m e n t s”. When-
ever it proves impossible to include a language in the basic volume, it may be included in a
supplement. If, at a later date, the basic volume is revised, the possibility of integrating the
supplement with it can be considered.
The use of supplements is also indicated when technical difficulties arise in printing differing
characters (e.g. Latin, Cyriilic, Hebrew) or different language families within the same
volume. Supplements may be useful also if definitions are required in a language in which
terms only have been admitted to the basic volume.
1.2.5 If a certain language is spoken in several countries (e.g. French, which is spoken in France,
Belgium, Switzerland and Canada), the advisability or necessity of including any regional
v a ri a t i O n s of the language that may exist should be taken into account. (In this
connection clause 1.2.2 should be noted).
7
---------------------- Page: 6 ----------------------
ISO/R 919-1969 (E)
1.3 Number of concepts to be listed in the vocabulary
n U m b e r of concepts that the
1.3.1 A decision should be made concerning the approximate
vocabulary will contain, e.g. 100,300 or 1000.
The size of a vocabulary can vary considerably according to whether highly specialized
concepts are included or not. It is for this reason that the authors of the manuscript
require guidance as to the desired extent of the work.
The degree of specialization is fixed by determining at the same time the limits of the
field (see clause 1 .l.l) and the number of concepts assigned to this field (see clause 1.3.1).
1 i m i t. If this number is
1.3.2 Approximately 1000 concepts should be considered the top
thought insufficient, the subject should be subdivided and the vocabulary prepared and
published in several separate volumes.
The preparation of voluminous vocabularies usually takes so much time that they are
either never completed, or are out of date when they do appear. It is found, moreover, that
specialists are interested in the terminology of their own particular fields and have little use
of extensive and less specialized vocabularies.
1.4 Choice of a code symbol for identifying the vocabulary
1.4.1 A c O d e s y m b O 1 for the vocabulary should be selected so that the project can be
easily identified in correspondence, indexing and speech. It is also used as a reference on
each of the individual boxes of vocabularies that are designed to be cut into slips (see IS0
Recommendation R . . .,* Layout of multilingual classified vocabularies, clause 1.1.6).
1.4.2 The code symbol might usefully be formed with letters that would indicate the editing
body and with a number that would classify the volume.
Examples : NF E 23-001 = Norme Française in the field of Mechanical Engineering (=E),
bearing the class number 23 (= gearings, gear wheels, racks, cams, slides) and the serial
number O0 1 : Vocabulaire des engrenages. Définitions géométriques.
B.S. 205:Part 1 : 1943 = Britishztandard bearing the serial number 205 : Glossary of Terms
Used in Electrical Engineering, Section 1, General. 1943 (Second Revision).
The fact that the project being designated is a vocabulary might also be indicated by
appropriate letters in the code symbol.
Examples : TNC 15 = Tekniska Nomenklaturcentralens Publikationer bearing the serial
number 1 5 Engelsk-Dansk-Norsk-Svensk Elektroteknisk Ordlista;
IS0 VT 3 = yocabulaire Technique of bearing the serial number 3 (fictitious proposal).
1.5 Choice of the form and the layout of the vocabulary
1.5.1 Some of the questions which must be decided concerning f O r m and 1 a y O U t of the
finished vocabulary are
- Alphabetic or classified arrangement ?
- Should illustrations be included ?
- What format to adopt ?
- Horizontal or vertical entries ?
- What language symbols and other lexicographical symbols or signs are needed ?
*
At present Draft IS0 Recommendation No. 1659.
8
---------------------- Page: 7 ----------------------
ISO/R 919-1969 (E
1.5.2 When studying questions of layout, the IS0 Recommendations of class 4 (see the Foreword)
should be considered.
This IS0 Recommendation is applicable to c 1 a s s i fi e d vocabularies. Nevertheless, it
1.5.3
will be also useful when preparing alphabetic vocabularies and dictionaries, for it cannot be
too strongly emphasized that alphabetic vocabularies should always be based on and derived
from classified ones.
MAKING USE OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION
2.
2.1 Publications as basic sources
2.1.1 Among the sources to be used in preparing a vocabulary three t y p e s may be distin-
guished :
(1) Terminological publications such as technical dictionaries and treatises devoted
to problems of terminology;
(2) Publications not specially devoted to terminology : handbooks and textbooks,
technical encyclopedias, descriptive articles, commercial catalogues, catalogues
of industrial fairs and exhibitions;
Classification tables, i.e. classified synopses of concepts pertaining to the field
(3)
under consideration.
2.1.2 Most important are the national and international s t a n d a r d s and recommendations.
These occur, as the case may be, in each of the three types of sources mentioned above.
2.1.3 Relevant publications can be selected from existing b i b 1 i O g r a p h i e s and book-
sellers’ catalogues.
The most important sources of terms and definitions in the field of pure and applied
science are listed mainly in the UNESCO bibliographies of monolingual glossaries and
multilingual dictionaries.
2.1.4 Every publication used as a source for the projected vocabulary should be recorded on a
bibliographical r e f e r e n c e s 1 i p or card.
The location of the source, the date on which it was inspected, and the signature of the
researcher should also appear on the reference slip.
2.1.5 On every bibliographical slip a c O d e s y m b O 1 for the processed source should be
recorded. This symbol should be used in quotations on record slips or on manuscript slips
(see clauses 2.3 and 3.1).
A possible code symbol might be the first three letters of the author’s name and one letter
taken from the source title.
Example : MetM 3.89 = A.R. Métral, la Machine Outil, Tome III (Paris 1954), page 89.
...
Questions, Comments and Discussion
Ask us and Technical Secretary will try to provide an answer. You can facilitate discussion about the standard in here.