Secondary term formation in Greek: Theoretical and methodological considerations

This paper aims at discussing some theoretical aspects of the creation of term neologisms through translation, using as examples Greek terms from the field of Translation Studies itself. The premise of the paper is that while a basically semiotic approach tends to be the prevailing one in theoretical discussions, in practice, the creation of neologisms seems to be mainly achieved through correspondences at signifier level only, often leading to Greek neologisms which are not totally in line with the notion (signified) lying behind the designation of a term. Within this wider theoretical framework provided by the semiotic approach, this paper will propose that a combination of terminological unit (level of signifier), notion (level of signified) and definition (transitional level) is an operational theoretical framework for the successful creation of Greek neologisms, using as example three cases taken from the Greek adaptation of the Translation terminology by Delisle et al. (1999).