FEATURED NEOLOGISM:

The neological term ‟pachet” (package) is a loan from the French language that developed specific semantic-stylistic valences on the territory of the Romanian language. The term ‟pachet” in the Romanian spoken language has gone beyond the meaning of an object wrapped in paper or plastic material, acquiring meanings related to interpersonal, social and even spiritual relationships. The term ‟pachet” has the meaning of a benefit received at work or as a reward from a person in authority, as well as the meaning of food alms offered by the soul of a deceased person in various ritual contexts. The term designates a reality that has passed from the commercial space to that of everyday life, to the ritual space, proving that an element of material innovation can acquire cultural valences.

Neology constitutes one of my preoccupations, with an emphasis on food terminology. I carried out a complex study of the Romanian terminology concerning human nourishment: ”Universul din lingură. Despre terminologia alimentară românească” [The Universe in the Spoon. Romanian Food Terminology], Institutul European, Iaşi, 2012. Going beyond the level of general terminological research, this study takes into account the neology in enriching the vocabulary of modern Romanian by examining the nature, patterns and outcomes of language play observed in the food lexical corpus. For the past 5 years our terminological research was contextualized by placing it in discursive contexts recorded through field research with informants of different ages throughout Romania. The results of the projects I have led have demonstrated the importance of an integrated electronic corpus of linguistic resources in studying the relation between language innovation and culture.