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Free molecular transfer and pumping speeds
VACUUM Vol. 14, pp. 433~,35.
Pergamon Press Ltd.
Printed in Great Britain.
Letter to the Editor La Terminologie de la Science du Vide (I)
The T e r m i n o l o g y of Vacuum Science (I)
Introduction
D a n s u n e n o t e pr6c6dente z, n o u s a v o n s sugg6r6 de r e m p l a c e r les e x p r e s s i o n s science du vide et technique du vide r e s p e c t i v e m e n t p a r les n o m s vacuologie et vacuotechnique. E n s u i t e 2,a, n o u s a v o n s p r o p o s 6 l ' e m p l o i en fran~ais de q u e l q u e s t e r m e s c o n t e n a n t aussi le radical vac-: vacuogdnie, vacuogdnique, vacuopompe,
Introduction
I n a p r e v i o u s n o t e 1, we s u g g e s t e d a r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e t e r m s science du vide a n d technique du vide by respectively vacuologie a n d vacuotechnique. A f t e r w a r d s 2,3, we s u g g e s t e d t h e use of s o m e F r e n c h w o r d s c o n s t i t u t e d also by t h e r o o t vac-: vacuogdnie,
vacuogdnique, vacuopompe, vacuomdtrie, vacuomdtrique, vacuomdtre, vacuologique, vacuotechnique (adj.), vacuologiste, vacuotechnicien, vacuotechnicienne.
vacuomdtrie, vacuomdtrique, vacuomdtre, vacuologique, vacuotechnique (adj.), vacuologiste, vacuotechnicien, vacuotechnicienne. N o u s c o n s t a t o n s avec plaisir q u e M. A n t o i n e S c h r a m s o u h a i t e 6 g a l e m e n t q u ' u n n o m soit d o n n 6 5. n o t r e discipline ~ ; les r a i s o n s qu'il i n v o q u e p o u r justifier la cr6ation d ' u n n o u v e a u t e r m e s o n t tr~s pertinentes. D e s o n c6t6, il p r o p o s e u n e s6rie de m o t s : " kenologie*, kenochimie, kenophysique . . . " c o n s t r u i t s 5. l'aide de la racine g r e c q u e ken- et il rejette vacuologie, etc. parce que, dit-il, la l a n g u e franqaise r 6 p u g n e 5- la c o m b i n a i s o n d u n e racine grecque avec u n e racine latine. I1 m o n t r e , en citant le m o t kdnotron**, q u e la racine ken- a d6j5. 6t6 utilis6e en franqais. I1 fait r e m a r q u e r enfin q u ' u n a u t r e a v a n t a g e des t e r m e s qu'il p r o p o s e r6side d a n s leur caract6re international, leur t r a n s p o s i t i o n d a n s les principales autres l a n g u e s scientifiques 6 t a n t directe.
W e were pleased to n o t e t h a t Mr. A n t o i n e S c h r a m w o u l d also like a n a m e to be given to o u r subject 4 ; the r e a s o n s he sets f o r t h to w a r r a n t t h e creation o f a n e w t e r m are very relevant. F o r his part, he p r o p o s e s a series o f w o r d s : " kenologie*, kenochimie, kenophysique, . . .'" built with t h e G r e e k r o o t kena n d he sets aside vacuologie, etc. because, he says, the F r e n c h l a n g u a g e is r e l u c t a n t to c o m b i n e a G r e e k root with a L a t i n root. H e shows, by q u o t i n g the word kdnotron**, t h a t the r o o t kenh a s already been u s e d in F r e n c h . H e finally p o i n t s o u t t h a t a n o t h e r a d v a n t a g e of t h e t e r m s he p r o p o s e s is their i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r ; their direct t r a n s p o s i tion into t h e o t h e r m a i n scientific l a n g u a g e s .
(11) Analyse des arguments de M. A. Schram
(11)
11 n ' e s t p a s q u e s t i o n de nier q u ' e n fran~ais le p l u p a r t des t e r m e s d ' o r i g i n e s a v a n t e o n t 6t6 c o n s t r u i t s de pr6f6rence a u m o y e n de racines grecques. Cette r6gle n ' a toutefois que la v a l e u r q u ' o n v e u t bien lui accorder. Rappelons quelques e x c e p t i o n s : autoclave, automobile, autoradiographie, centimOtre,
T h e r e is n o q u e s t i o n o f d e n y i n g t h a t in F r e n c h m o s t of the terms, o f a scholarly origin, h a v e been preferably c o n s t r u c t e d with G r e e k roots. T h i s rule, however, h a s only the value w h i c h will be g r a n t e d to it. Let u s recall s o m e e x c e p t i o n s : autoclave,
Analysis of Mr. A. Schram's arguments
automobile, autoradiographie, centimktre, ddcigramme, hypertension, paratonnerre, radiologie, radioscopie, sociologie, tdldvision
ddcigramme, hypertension, paratonnerre, radiologie, radioscopie, sociologie, tdldvision. O n p o u r r a i t s a n s peine allonger cette
This list c o u l d easily be l e n g t h e n e d . If there is a r e l u c t a n c e it does n o t s e e m s t r o n g e n o u g h n o t to h a v e been o v e r c o m e m a n y times. W e w o u l d like to recall here the origin o f the w o r d kenotron 5. T o d i s t i n g u i s h high-voltage, h i g h - v a c u u m , h i g h - p o w e r diodes, newly developed, f r o m f o r m e r existing h o t - c a t h o d e rectifiers, S. D u s h m a n a n d 1. L a n g m u i r were s e a r c h i n g for a n a m e . O n e S u n d a y m o r n i n g in 1914 they called on Dr. Bennett, P r o f e s s o r o f G r e e k at U n i o n College (Schenectady), w h o p r o p o s e d to t h e m kenotron c o n s t i t u t e d of kenos a n d t h e G r e e k suffix-tron c o n s i d e r e d as d e s i g n a t i n g a tool***. M o r e o v e r L a n g m u i r recalls t h a t the family o f - t r o n proceeds f r o m this word. F o r o b v i o u s c o m m e r c i a l r e a s o n s this w o r d w a s later o n a d o p t e d in industrial countries. Its success can certainly n o t be ascribed to its scholarly f o r m a t i o n . A s far as the i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r w h i c h Mr. A. S c h r a m w a n t s to allot to t h e w o r d s deriving f r o m ken- is c o n c e r n e d , let us n o t e t h a t this a r g u m e n t is o f n o value. As we will see f u r t h e r on, this i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r b e l o n g s on the o t h e r h a n d to the w o r d s derived f r o m vac.
liste. Si r 6 p u g n a n c e il y a, elle ne semble p a s si forte qu'elle n ' a i t 6t6 m a i n t e s lois s u r m o n t 6 e . N o u s a i m e r i o n s a u s s i rappeler ici l'origine d u m o t kdnotron 5. P o u r d i s t i n g u e r des r e d r e s s e u r s 5- c a t h o d e c h a u d e existants les diodes fa vide de g r a n d e p u i s s a n c e et 5- h a u t e t e n s i o n nouvellem e n t cr66es, S. D u s h m a n et I. L a n g m u i r c h e r c h a i e n t u n nora. lls se r e n d i r e n t u n d i m a c h e m a t i n de 1914 chez le Dr. Bennett, p r e f e s s e u r de grec 5- U n i o n College (Schenectady). Celui-ci leur p r o p o s a kenotron, f o r m 6 ~t partie de kenos et d u suffixe grec -tron consid6r6 c o m m e d 6 s i g n a n t u n i n s t r u m e n t * * * . L a n g m u i r r a p p o r t e d'ailleurs q u e ce m o t est 5. l'origine de la famille des -tron. D e s r a i s o n s c o m m e r c i a l e s 6videntes i m p o s 6 r e n t ce m o t p a r la suite d a n s les pays industriels. Son succ6s n ' e s t c e r t a i n e m e n t p a s dfi 5. sa f o r m a t i o n savante. Q u a n t a u caract6re i n t e r n a t i o n a l q u e M. A. S c h r a m veut a t t r i b u e r a u x m o t s d6riv6s de ken-, r e m a r q u o n s q u e cet a r g u m e n t est s a n s valeur. C o m m e n o u s le v e r r o n s plus loin, ce caract6re i n t e r n a t i o n a l a p p a r t i e n t p a r c o n t r e a u x m o t s d6riv6s de vac-.
*Nous supposons qu'il faut lire kdnologie, kdnochimie, kdnophysique, et non kenologie, etc. **Nous n'avons trouv6 que trois autres noms contenant la m~me racine, /t savoir : cdnotaphe, kdn6se (employ6 en theologie), kdnophobie (employ6 en m6decine). ***Andr6 Blondel (C.R. Acad. Sci., 197, 1555) consid6re que ce suffixe est imaginaire. A c e sujet, on peut cependant consulter la r6f. 7 a. l'article -tron et la r6f. 10. *We suppose that we should read kdnologie, k~nochimie, k~nophysique, and not kenologie, etc. **We only found three other words based on the same r o o t ; these are: cdnotaphe, kdn6se (used in theology) and kdnophobie (used in medicine). ***Andr6 Blondel (C.R. Acad. Sci., 197, 1555) considers this suffix as imaginary. On this subject, one can however refer to ref. 7, item -tron and to ref. 10. 433
434
Letter to t h e E d i t o r
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K e n - ou v a c - ? Le p r o b l 6 m e revient d o n c ~_ choisir u n e des d e u x racines, keno u vac-. N o u s d o n n o n s ci-apr6s les r a i s o n s qui o n t d6termin6 notre choix : (1) L o r s de la cr6ation d ' u n m o t n o u v e a u , il y a int6r6t b. ne p a s multiplier i n u t i l e m e n t le n o m b r e de racines. I1 f a u t aussi tenir c o m p t e de l'usage. (2) L a racine vac- est 5. l'origine de n o m b r e u x m o t s latins et franqais. L ' e m p l o i de cette racine et de ses f o r m e s d6riv6es rel6ve d ' u n e t r a d i t i o n c o n t i n u e r e m o n t a n t a u latin. P a r exemple, vide, rider, dvider, revider, survider, transvider, vidanger s o n t issus de l ' a n c i e n franqais vuide, d6rivant de vacuus p a r l'interm6diaire du latin vulgaire ~ ; le m ~ m e vacuus est d'ailleurs, p a r d6rivation n o r m a l e o u p a r f o r m a t i o n savante, b. l'origine de : dvacuer, dvacuation, dvacuateur, vacant, vacance, vacuisme, vacuitd, vacuole. D ' a u t r e part, ~. deux o u trois exceptions pr6s, l ' e m p l o i de la racine ken- ne s'est p a s d6velopp6 en franqais**. Elle n ' 6 v o q u e rien ~t la p l u p a r t de n o s c o n t e m p o r a i s parce q u ' a u c u n e famille a n a l o g i q u e de roots n ' e n rappelle le sens et q u e le grec est de m o i n s en m o i n s c o n n u . (3) Q u a n t ~. l'universalit6 des termes d o n t il s'agit : c o m m e en franqais, la racine vac- est tr6s l a r g e m e n t employ6e d a n s la p l u p a r t des l a n g u e s t e c h n i q u e s , p a r e x e m p l e en a l l e m a n d , en anglais, en e s p a g n o l , en n6erlandais, en russe, etc. Les t e r m e s vacuity, vacancy, vacant, vacuus, vacuum, evacuate, a p p a r t e n a n t soit ~. la l a n g u e usuelle, soit a u l a n g a g e t e c h n i q u e et scientifique, m o n t r e n t b. quel p o i n t l ' u s a g e de la racine vac- s'est i m p o s 6 en anglais r. A u X V I I I e si6cle 8, la l a n g u e a l l e m a n d e a fait appel a u latin en cr6ant le m o t Vakuum ; celui-ci sert de pr6fixe 5. de tr6s n o m b r e u x roots c o m p o s 6 s °. D a n s ces langues, ainsi q u ' e n franqais, s'il s ' a g i t de cr6er des m o t s n o u v e a u x d a n s n o t r e discipline, il n o u s parait plus rationnel de renforcer l ' u s a g e d ' u n e racine d6jh fort employc~e (vac-). Q u o i qu'il en soit, n o u s ne s o m m e p a s qualifi6s p o u r inviter les A l l e m a n d s b. e m p l o y e r Hochkenopumpe, Kenoapparatur, McLeod-Kenometer, Kenoanlage a u lieu de Hochvakuumpumpe, Vakuumapparatur, McLeod- Vakuummeter, Vakuumanlage, ni p o u r d e m a n d e r a u x A n g l a i s et a u x A m 6 r i c a i n s de r e m p l a c e r les e x p r e s s i o n s vacuum system, vacuum device, vacuum gauge p a r les m o t s kenosystem, kenodevice, kenogauge.
( I V ) Conclusion N o u s c r o y o n s d o n c qu'il est inutile, s i n o n erron6, u n i q u e m e n t p a r souci d ' e s t h 6 t i s m e et de p u r i s m e , de v o u l o i r r e s t a u r e r l ' e m p l o i d ' u n radical d o n t l ' u s a g e e s t bien oubli6, alors q u e les principales l a n g u e s t e c h n i q u e s d i s p o s e n t d6j5. d ' u n radical l a r g e m e n t r 6 p a n d u . E n ce faisant, le franqais s'isolerait p a r r a p p o r t a u x autres l a n g u e s s a n s a u c u n profit p o u r les s a v a n t s qui l ' e m p l o i e n t et a u d 6 t r i m e n t de sa diffusion.
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K e n - or v a c - ? T h e p r o b l e m t h u s lies in t h e choice o f o n e o f the two r o o t s ken- or vac-. W e are giving hereafter t h e r e a s o n s w h i c h explain o u r choice : (1) W h e n creating a n e w word, there is a d v a n t a g e in n o t m u l t i p l y i n g uselessly t h e n u m b e r o f roots. Custom must also be t a k e n into a c c o u n t .
(2)
T h e r o o t vac- is t h e origin o f n u m e r o u s L a t i n a n d F r e n c h words. T h e u s e o f this r o o t a n d o f its derivatives proceeds, t h r o u g h a c o n t i n u o u s tradition, f r o m Latin. F o r instance, vide, vider, dvider, revider, survider, transvider, vidanger are issued f r o m t h e old F r e n c h vuide, deriving f r o m vacuus t h r o u g h t h e v e r n a c u l a r Latin~; o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , this s a m e vacuus f o r m s t h e derivation o f : dvacuer, dvacuation, dvacuateur, vacant, vacance, vacuisme, vacuiste, vacuitd, vacuole. M o r e o v e r with two or t h r e e exceptions, t h e u s e o f t h e r o o t ken- did n o t develop in t h e F r e n c h l a n g u a g e . * * T o m o s t of o u r c o n t e m p o r a r i e s it does n o t call a n y t h i n g to m i n d since n o o t h e r similar f a m i l y o f w o r d s recalls its m e a n i n g . Besides, G r e e k is less a n d less k n o w n .
(3)
A s for t h e universality of t h e t e r m s c o n c e r n e d : the r o o t vac- is, as in F r e n c h , widely u s e d in m o s t o f t h e technical l a n g u a g e s , i.e., in D u t c h , English, G e r m a n , R u s s i a n , Spanish, etc. T h e t e r m s vacuity, vacancy, vacant, vacuus, vacuum, evacuate, b e l o n g i n g either to t h e c o m m o n l a n g u a g e or to t h e technical a n d scientific l a n g u a g e , s h o w to w h i c h e x t e n t t h e r o o t vac- is u s e d in English 7. I n t h e 18th c e n t u r y 8, the G e r m a n l a n g u a g e also a p p e a l e d to L a t i n in creating t h e w o r d Vakuum ; this latter is u s e d as a prefix o f a great n u m b e r o f c o m p o u n d w o r d s 9. I n these l a n g u a g e s , as well as in F r e n c h , if it s e e m s n e c e s s a r y to create n e w w o r d s in o u r subject, it a p p e a r s m o r e logical to reinforce t h e u s e o f a r o o t a l r e a d y m u c h u s e d vac-. A n y h o w , we are n o t qualified to invite t h e G e r m a n s to u s e Hochkenopumpe, Kenoapparatur, McLeod-Kenometer, Kenoanlage i n s t e a d o f Hochvakuumpumpe, Vakuumapparatur, McLeod- Vakuummeter, Vakuumanlage ; n o r to r e q u e s t t h e British a n d A m e r i c a n s to replace their-expressions vacuum system, vacuum device, vacuum gauge by kenosystem, kenodevice, kenogauge.
( V I ) Conclusion W e t h e r e f o r e believe t h a t it w o u l d be useless, if n o t w r o n g , to re-establish t h e use o f a r o o t already f o r g o t t e n , for t h e sole p u r p o s e o f aesthetics a n d p u r i s m o f l a n g u a g e , especially since t h e m a i n technical l a n g u a g e s already h a v e at c o m m a n d a widely recognised radical. In d o i n g so, t h e F r e n c h l a n g u a g e w o u l d isolate itself in c o m p a r i s o n with o t h e r l a n g u a g e s , w i t h o u t a n y profit to t h e scientists u s i n g it, a n d it w o u l d be a h a n d i c a p to its general acceptance.
Recuerciements N o u s r e m e r c i o n s v i v e m e n t n o t r e coll~gue, le p r o f e s s e u r M a r c e l D e Gr6ve, c h e f de la chaire de l a n g u e et de litt6rature franqaise b. l'Ecole royale militaire, qui a bien v o u l u n o u s aider d a n s n o s recherches linguistiques.
Acknowledgment W e express o u r deep g r a t i t u d e to o u r colleague, P r o f e s s o r M a r c e l D e Gr6ve, H e a d o f t h e c h a i r o f F r e n c h l a n g u a g e a n d literature at t h e R o y a l Military School, w h o kindly assisted u s in o u r linguistic investigations.
R~f~rences 1 E. Thomas et R. Leyniers, Bull. d'Information de I'O1STV, n ° 13, avril 1962, 10 ou Vacuum, 12, May/June (1962), 180. 2 E. Thomas et R. Leyniers, Bull. d'Information de l' 01STV, n ° 14/15, juillet-octobre 1962, 10 ou Vacuum, 12, November/December (1962), 320. 3 E. T h o m a s et R. Leyniers, Bull. d'lnformation de I'OISTV[ UISTAV, n ° 16 ; juillet 1963, 7 ou Vacuum, 12, September 1963, 377. 4 A. Schram, Vacuum, 14, No. 3, March 1964, 105, Le Vide, n ° 110, mars-avril 1964, 79.
References 1 E. Thomas and R. Leyniers, News Bulletin oflO VST, 13, April 1962, 10 ; or Vacuum 12 (3), May/June 1962, 180. z E. T h o m a s and R. Leyniers, News Bulletin of I 0 VST, 14/15, July/October 1962, 10 ; or Vacuum, 12 (6), Nov./Dec. 1962, 320. 3 E. Thomas and R. Leyniers, News Bulletin oflO VST/IUVSTA, 16, July 1963, 5 ; or Vacuum, 12 (9), September 1963, 377. 4 A. Schram, Vacuum, 14 (3), March 1964, 105 , Le Vide, 110, March/April, 1964, 79.
L e t t e r to t h e E d i t o r 5 I. Langmuir, Vacuum, 3, No. 2, April 1953 (Published in December 1954), 113. 6 Dictionnaire ~tymologique de la langue francaise par O. Bloch et W. yon Wartburg, 3 e 6dition (1960), Paris, Presses Universitaires de France. Voir l'article" vide ". 7 Voir par exemple Webster's Third New International Dictionary, London, G. Bell & Sons, Ltd., (1961). 8 Ft. L. K. Weigand, Deutsches WO'rterbuch. 5. Aufl., Giessen, 1910, Verlag yon Alfred T6pelmann. 9 Physikalisches WO'rterbuch herausgegeben yon Wilhem Westphal, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1952. 10 E. Boisacq, Dictionnaire dtymologique de la langue grecque ~tudide dans ses rapports avec les autres langues indo-europdennes, 4 e 6dition, Heidelberg, 1950. E. THOMAS ET R. LEYNIERS lnstitut interuniversitaire des Sciences nucldaires, Centre de l'Ecole royale militaire, 30, avenue de la Renaissance, Bruxelles 4, Belgique
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5 I. Langmuir, Vacuum, 3(2), April 1953 (Published in December 1954), 113. 6 Dictionnaire dtymologique de la langue francaise, O. Bloch and W. von Wartburg, 3rd Ed., Presses Universitaires de France, Paris (1960). See item vide. 7 See Webster's Third New International Dictionary, G. Bell & Sons, Ltd., London (1961). 8 Fr. L. K. Weigand, Deutsches WOrterbuch, 5. Auft., Giessen, 1910, Verlag von Alfred T6pelrnann. 9 Physikalisches W6rterbuch herausgegeben yon Wilhem Westphal, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1952. 10 E. Boisacq. Dictionnaire dtymologique de la langue grecque ~tudide clans ses reapports avec les autres langues indo-europdennes, 4th Ed., Heidelberg, 1950. E. THOMAS AND R. LEYNIERS lnteruniversity Institute o f Nuclear Sciences, R o y a l Military School Centre, 30 A venue de la Renaissance, Brussels 4, Belgium.
Pergamon Press Ltd.
Printed in Great Britain.
Letter to the Editor La Terminologie de la Science du Vide (I)
The T e r m i n o l o g y of Vacuum Science (I)
Introduction
D a n s u n e n o t e pr6c6dente z, n o u s a v o n s sugg6r6 de r e m p l a c e r les e x p r e s s i o n s science du vide et technique du vide r e s p e c t i v e m e n t p a r les n o m s vacuologie et vacuotechnique. E n s u i t e 2,a, n o u s a v o n s p r o p o s 6 l ' e m p l o i en fran~ais de q u e l q u e s t e r m e s c o n t e n a n t aussi le radical vac-: vacuogdnie, vacuogdnique, vacuopompe,
Introduction
I n a p r e v i o u s n o t e 1, we s u g g e s t e d a r e p l a c e m e n t o f t h e t e r m s science du vide a n d technique du vide by respectively vacuologie a n d vacuotechnique. A f t e r w a r d s 2,3, we s u g g e s t e d t h e use of s o m e F r e n c h w o r d s c o n s t i t u t e d also by t h e r o o t vac-: vacuogdnie,
vacuogdnique, vacuopompe, vacuomdtrie, vacuomdtrique, vacuomdtre, vacuologique, vacuotechnique (adj.), vacuologiste, vacuotechnicien, vacuotechnicienne.
vacuomdtrie, vacuomdtrique, vacuomdtre, vacuologique, vacuotechnique (adj.), vacuologiste, vacuotechnicien, vacuotechnicienne. N o u s c o n s t a t o n s avec plaisir q u e M. A n t o i n e S c h r a m s o u h a i t e 6 g a l e m e n t q u ' u n n o m soit d o n n 6 5. n o t r e discipline ~ ; les r a i s o n s qu'il i n v o q u e p o u r justifier la cr6ation d ' u n n o u v e a u t e r m e s o n t tr~s pertinentes. D e s o n c6t6, il p r o p o s e u n e s6rie de m o t s : " kenologie*, kenochimie, kenophysique . . . " c o n s t r u i t s 5. l'aide de la racine g r e c q u e ken- et il rejette vacuologie, etc. parce que, dit-il, la l a n g u e franqaise r 6 p u g n e 5- la c o m b i n a i s o n d u n e racine grecque avec u n e racine latine. I1 m o n t r e , en citant le m o t kdnotron**, q u e la racine ken- a d6j5. 6t6 utilis6e en franqais. I1 fait r e m a r q u e r enfin q u ' u n a u t r e a v a n t a g e des t e r m e s qu'il p r o p o s e r6side d a n s leur caract6re international, leur t r a n s p o s i t i o n d a n s les principales autres l a n g u e s scientifiques 6 t a n t directe.
W e were pleased to n o t e t h a t Mr. A n t o i n e S c h r a m w o u l d also like a n a m e to be given to o u r subject 4 ; the r e a s o n s he sets f o r t h to w a r r a n t t h e creation o f a n e w t e r m are very relevant. F o r his part, he p r o p o s e s a series o f w o r d s : " kenologie*, kenochimie, kenophysique, . . .'" built with t h e G r e e k r o o t kena n d he sets aside vacuologie, etc. because, he says, the F r e n c h l a n g u a g e is r e l u c t a n t to c o m b i n e a G r e e k root with a L a t i n root. H e shows, by q u o t i n g the word kdnotron**, t h a t the r o o t kenh a s already been u s e d in F r e n c h . H e finally p o i n t s o u t t h a t a n o t h e r a d v a n t a g e of t h e t e r m s he p r o p o s e s is their i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r ; their direct t r a n s p o s i tion into t h e o t h e r m a i n scientific l a n g u a g e s .
(11) Analyse des arguments de M. A. Schram
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11 n ' e s t p a s q u e s t i o n de nier q u ' e n fran~ais le p l u p a r t des t e r m e s d ' o r i g i n e s a v a n t e o n t 6t6 c o n s t r u i t s de pr6f6rence a u m o y e n de racines grecques. Cette r6gle n ' a toutefois que la v a l e u r q u ' o n v e u t bien lui accorder. Rappelons quelques e x c e p t i o n s : autoclave, automobile, autoradiographie, centimOtre,
T h e r e is n o q u e s t i o n o f d e n y i n g t h a t in F r e n c h m o s t of the terms, o f a scholarly origin, h a v e been preferably c o n s t r u c t e d with G r e e k roots. T h i s rule, however, h a s only the value w h i c h will be g r a n t e d to it. Let u s recall s o m e e x c e p t i o n s : autoclave,
Analysis of Mr. A. Schram's arguments
automobile, autoradiographie, centimktre, ddcigramme, hypertension, paratonnerre, radiologie, radioscopie, sociologie, tdldvision
ddcigramme, hypertension, paratonnerre, radiologie, radioscopie, sociologie, tdldvision. O n p o u r r a i t s a n s peine allonger cette
This list c o u l d easily be l e n g t h e n e d . If there is a r e l u c t a n c e it does n o t s e e m s t r o n g e n o u g h n o t to h a v e been o v e r c o m e m a n y times. W e w o u l d like to recall here the origin o f the w o r d kenotron 5. T o d i s t i n g u i s h high-voltage, h i g h - v a c u u m , h i g h - p o w e r diodes, newly developed, f r o m f o r m e r existing h o t - c a t h o d e rectifiers, S. D u s h m a n a n d 1. L a n g m u i r were s e a r c h i n g for a n a m e . O n e S u n d a y m o r n i n g in 1914 they called on Dr. Bennett, P r o f e s s o r o f G r e e k at U n i o n College (Schenectady), w h o p r o p o s e d to t h e m kenotron c o n s t i t u t e d of kenos a n d t h e G r e e k suffix-tron c o n s i d e r e d as d e s i g n a t i n g a tool***. M o r e o v e r L a n g m u i r recalls t h a t the family o f - t r o n proceeds f r o m this word. F o r o b v i o u s c o m m e r c i a l r e a s o n s this w o r d w a s later o n a d o p t e d in industrial countries. Its success can certainly n o t be ascribed to its scholarly f o r m a t i o n . A s far as the i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r w h i c h Mr. A. S c h r a m w a n t s to allot to t h e w o r d s deriving f r o m ken- is c o n c e r n e d , let us n o t e t h a t this a r g u m e n t is o f n o value. As we will see f u r t h e r on, this i n t e r n a t i o n a l c h a r a c t e r b e l o n g s on the o t h e r h a n d to the w o r d s derived f r o m vac.
liste. Si r 6 p u g n a n c e il y a, elle ne semble p a s si forte qu'elle n ' a i t 6t6 m a i n t e s lois s u r m o n t 6 e . N o u s a i m e r i o n s a u s s i rappeler ici l'origine d u m o t kdnotron 5. P o u r d i s t i n g u e r des r e d r e s s e u r s 5- c a t h o d e c h a u d e existants les diodes fa vide de g r a n d e p u i s s a n c e et 5- h a u t e t e n s i o n nouvellem e n t cr66es, S. D u s h m a n et I. L a n g m u i r c h e r c h a i e n t u n nora. lls se r e n d i r e n t u n d i m a c h e m a t i n de 1914 chez le Dr. Bennett, p r e f e s s e u r de grec 5- U n i o n College (Schenectady). Celui-ci leur p r o p o s a kenotron, f o r m 6 ~t partie de kenos et d u suffixe grec -tron consid6r6 c o m m e d 6 s i g n a n t u n i n s t r u m e n t * * * . L a n g m u i r r a p p o r t e d'ailleurs q u e ce m o t est 5. l'origine de la famille des -tron. D e s r a i s o n s c o m m e r c i a l e s 6videntes i m p o s 6 r e n t ce m o t p a r la suite d a n s les pays industriels. Son succ6s n ' e s t c e r t a i n e m e n t p a s dfi 5. sa f o r m a t i o n savante. Q u a n t a u caract6re i n t e r n a t i o n a l q u e M. A. S c h r a m veut a t t r i b u e r a u x m o t s d6riv6s de ken-, r e m a r q u o n s q u e cet a r g u m e n t est s a n s valeur. C o m m e n o u s le v e r r o n s plus loin, ce caract6re i n t e r n a t i o n a l a p p a r t i e n t p a r c o n t r e a u x m o t s d6riv6s de vac-.
*Nous supposons qu'il faut lire kdnologie, kdnochimie, kdnophysique, et non kenologie, etc. **Nous n'avons trouv6 que trois autres noms contenant la m~me racine, /t savoir : cdnotaphe, kdn6se (employ6 en theologie), kdnophobie (employ6 en m6decine). ***Andr6 Blondel (C.R. Acad. Sci., 197, 1555) consid6re que ce suffixe est imaginaire. A c e sujet, on peut cependant consulter la r6f. 7 a. l'article -tron et la r6f. 10. *We suppose that we should read kdnologie, k~nochimie, k~nophysique, and not kenologie, etc. **We only found three other words based on the same r o o t ; these are: cdnotaphe, kdn6se (used in theology) and kdnophobie (used in medicine). ***Andr6 Blondel (C.R. Acad. Sci., 197, 1555) considers this suffix as imaginary. On this subject, one can however refer to ref. 7, item -tron and to ref. 10. 433
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Letter to t h e E d i t o r
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K e n - ou v a c - ? Le p r o b l 6 m e revient d o n c ~_ choisir u n e des d e u x racines, keno u vac-. N o u s d o n n o n s ci-apr6s les r a i s o n s qui o n t d6termin6 notre choix : (1) L o r s de la cr6ation d ' u n m o t n o u v e a u , il y a int6r6t b. ne p a s multiplier i n u t i l e m e n t le n o m b r e de racines. I1 f a u t aussi tenir c o m p t e de l'usage. (2) L a racine vac- est 5. l'origine de n o m b r e u x m o t s latins et franqais. L ' e m p l o i de cette racine et de ses f o r m e s d6riv6es rel6ve d ' u n e t r a d i t i o n c o n t i n u e r e m o n t a n t a u latin. P a r exemple, vide, rider, dvider, revider, survider, transvider, vidanger s o n t issus de l ' a n c i e n franqais vuide, d6rivant de vacuus p a r l'interm6diaire du latin vulgaire ~ ; le m ~ m e vacuus est d'ailleurs, p a r d6rivation n o r m a l e o u p a r f o r m a t i o n savante, b. l'origine de : dvacuer, dvacuation, dvacuateur, vacant, vacance, vacuisme, vacuitd, vacuole. D ' a u t r e part, ~. deux o u trois exceptions pr6s, l ' e m p l o i de la racine ken- ne s'est p a s d6velopp6 en franqais**. Elle n ' 6 v o q u e rien ~t la p l u p a r t de n o s c o n t e m p o r a i s parce q u ' a u c u n e famille a n a l o g i q u e de roots n ' e n rappelle le sens et q u e le grec est de m o i n s en m o i n s c o n n u . (3) Q u a n t ~. l'universalit6 des termes d o n t il s'agit : c o m m e en franqais, la racine vac- est tr6s l a r g e m e n t employ6e d a n s la p l u p a r t des l a n g u e s t e c h n i q u e s , p a r e x e m p l e en a l l e m a n d , en anglais, en e s p a g n o l , en n6erlandais, en russe, etc. Les t e r m e s vacuity, vacancy, vacant, vacuus, vacuum, evacuate, a p p a r t e n a n t soit ~. la l a n g u e usuelle, soit a u l a n g a g e t e c h n i q u e et scientifique, m o n t r e n t b. quel p o i n t l ' u s a g e de la racine vac- s'est i m p o s 6 en anglais r. A u X V I I I e si6cle 8, la l a n g u e a l l e m a n d e a fait appel a u latin en cr6ant le m o t Vakuum ; celui-ci sert de pr6fixe 5. de tr6s n o m b r e u x roots c o m p o s 6 s °. D a n s ces langues, ainsi q u ' e n franqais, s'il s ' a g i t de cr6er des m o t s n o u v e a u x d a n s n o t r e discipline, il n o u s parait plus rationnel de renforcer l ' u s a g e d ' u n e racine d6jh fort employc~e (vac-). Q u o i qu'il en soit, n o u s ne s o m m e p a s qualifi6s p o u r inviter les A l l e m a n d s b. e m p l o y e r Hochkenopumpe, Kenoapparatur, McLeod-Kenometer, Kenoanlage a u lieu de Hochvakuumpumpe, Vakuumapparatur, McLeod- Vakuummeter, Vakuumanlage, ni p o u r d e m a n d e r a u x A n g l a i s et a u x A m 6 r i c a i n s de r e m p l a c e r les e x p r e s s i o n s vacuum system, vacuum device, vacuum gauge p a r les m o t s kenosystem, kenodevice, kenogauge.
( I V ) Conclusion N o u s c r o y o n s d o n c qu'il est inutile, s i n o n erron6, u n i q u e m e n t p a r souci d ' e s t h 6 t i s m e et de p u r i s m e , de v o u l o i r r e s t a u r e r l ' e m p l o i d ' u n radical d o n t l ' u s a g e e s t bien oubli6, alors q u e les principales l a n g u e s t e c h n i q u e s d i s p o s e n t d6j5. d ' u n radical l a r g e m e n t r 6 p a n d u . E n ce faisant, le franqais s'isolerait p a r r a p p o r t a u x autres l a n g u e s s a n s a u c u n profit p o u r les s a v a n t s qui l ' e m p l o i e n t et a u d 6 t r i m e n t de sa diffusion.
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K e n - or v a c - ? T h e p r o b l e m t h u s lies in t h e choice o f o n e o f the two r o o t s ken- or vac-. W e are giving hereafter t h e r e a s o n s w h i c h explain o u r choice : (1) W h e n creating a n e w word, there is a d v a n t a g e in n o t m u l t i p l y i n g uselessly t h e n u m b e r o f roots. Custom must also be t a k e n into a c c o u n t .
(2)
T h e r o o t vac- is t h e origin o f n u m e r o u s L a t i n a n d F r e n c h words. T h e u s e o f this r o o t a n d o f its derivatives proceeds, t h r o u g h a c o n t i n u o u s tradition, f r o m Latin. F o r instance, vide, vider, dvider, revider, survider, transvider, vidanger are issued f r o m t h e old F r e n c h vuide, deriving f r o m vacuus t h r o u g h t h e v e r n a c u l a r Latin~; o n t h e o t h e r h a n d , this s a m e vacuus f o r m s t h e derivation o f : dvacuer, dvacuation, dvacuateur, vacant, vacance, vacuisme, vacuiste, vacuitd, vacuole. M o r e o v e r with two or t h r e e exceptions, t h e u s e o f t h e r o o t ken- did n o t develop in t h e F r e n c h l a n g u a g e . * * T o m o s t of o u r c o n t e m p o r a r i e s it does n o t call a n y t h i n g to m i n d since n o o t h e r similar f a m i l y o f w o r d s recalls its m e a n i n g . Besides, G r e e k is less a n d less k n o w n .
(3)
A s for t h e universality of t h e t e r m s c o n c e r n e d : the r o o t vac- is, as in F r e n c h , widely u s e d in m o s t o f t h e technical l a n g u a g e s , i.e., in D u t c h , English, G e r m a n , R u s s i a n , Spanish, etc. T h e t e r m s vacuity, vacancy, vacant, vacuus, vacuum, evacuate, b e l o n g i n g either to t h e c o m m o n l a n g u a g e or to t h e technical a n d scientific l a n g u a g e , s h o w to w h i c h e x t e n t t h e r o o t vac- is u s e d in English 7. I n t h e 18th c e n t u r y 8, the G e r m a n l a n g u a g e also a p p e a l e d to L a t i n in creating t h e w o r d Vakuum ; this latter is u s e d as a prefix o f a great n u m b e r o f c o m p o u n d w o r d s 9. I n these l a n g u a g e s , as well as in F r e n c h , if it s e e m s n e c e s s a r y to create n e w w o r d s in o u r subject, it a p p e a r s m o r e logical to reinforce t h e u s e o f a r o o t a l r e a d y m u c h u s e d vac-. A n y h o w , we are n o t qualified to invite t h e G e r m a n s to u s e Hochkenopumpe, Kenoapparatur, McLeod-Kenometer, Kenoanlage i n s t e a d o f Hochvakuumpumpe, Vakuumapparatur, McLeod- Vakuummeter, Vakuumanlage ; n o r to r e q u e s t t h e British a n d A m e r i c a n s to replace their-expressions vacuum system, vacuum device, vacuum gauge by kenosystem, kenodevice, kenogauge.
( V I ) Conclusion W e t h e r e f o r e believe t h a t it w o u l d be useless, if n o t w r o n g , to re-establish t h e use o f a r o o t already f o r g o t t e n , for t h e sole p u r p o s e o f aesthetics a n d p u r i s m o f l a n g u a g e , especially since t h e m a i n technical l a n g u a g e s already h a v e at c o m m a n d a widely recognised radical. In d o i n g so, t h e F r e n c h l a n g u a g e w o u l d isolate itself in c o m p a r i s o n with o t h e r l a n g u a g e s , w i t h o u t a n y profit to t h e scientists u s i n g it, a n d it w o u l d be a h a n d i c a p to its general acceptance.
Recuerciements N o u s r e m e r c i o n s v i v e m e n t n o t r e coll~gue, le p r o f e s s e u r M a r c e l D e Gr6ve, c h e f de la chaire de l a n g u e et de litt6rature franqaise b. l'Ecole royale militaire, qui a bien v o u l u n o u s aider d a n s n o s recherches linguistiques.
Acknowledgment W e express o u r deep g r a t i t u d e to o u r colleague, P r o f e s s o r M a r c e l D e Gr6ve, H e a d o f t h e c h a i r o f F r e n c h l a n g u a g e a n d literature at t h e R o y a l Military School, w h o kindly assisted u s in o u r linguistic investigations.
R~f~rences 1 E. Thomas et R. Leyniers, Bull. d'Information de I'O1STV, n ° 13, avril 1962, 10 ou Vacuum, 12, May/June (1962), 180. 2 E. Thomas et R. Leyniers, Bull. d'Information de l' 01STV, n ° 14/15, juillet-octobre 1962, 10 ou Vacuum, 12, November/December (1962), 320. 3 E. T h o m a s et R. Leyniers, Bull. d'lnformation de I'OISTV[ UISTAV, n ° 16 ; juillet 1963, 7 ou Vacuum, 12, September 1963, 377. 4 A. Schram, Vacuum, 14, No. 3, March 1964, 105, Le Vide, n ° 110, mars-avril 1964, 79.
References 1 E. Thomas and R. Leyniers, News Bulletin oflO VST, 13, April 1962, 10 ; or Vacuum 12 (3), May/June 1962, 180. z E. T h o m a s and R. Leyniers, News Bulletin of I 0 VST, 14/15, July/October 1962, 10 ; or Vacuum, 12 (6), Nov./Dec. 1962, 320. 3 E. Thomas and R. Leyniers, News Bulletin oflO VST/IUVSTA, 16, July 1963, 5 ; or Vacuum, 12 (9), September 1963, 377. 4 A. Schram, Vacuum, 14 (3), March 1964, 105 , Le Vide, 110, March/April, 1964, 79.
L e t t e r to t h e E d i t o r 5 I. Langmuir, Vacuum, 3, No. 2, April 1953 (Published in December 1954), 113. 6 Dictionnaire ~tymologique de la langue francaise par O. Bloch et W. yon Wartburg, 3 e 6dition (1960), Paris, Presses Universitaires de France. Voir l'article" vide ". 7 Voir par exemple Webster's Third New International Dictionary, London, G. Bell & Sons, Ltd., (1961). 8 Ft. L. K. Weigand, Deutsches WO'rterbuch. 5. Aufl., Giessen, 1910, Verlag yon Alfred T6pelmann. 9 Physikalisches WO'rterbuch herausgegeben yon Wilhem Westphal, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1952. 10 E. Boisacq, Dictionnaire dtymologique de la langue grecque ~tudide dans ses rapports avec les autres langues indo-europdennes, 4 e 6dition, Heidelberg, 1950. E. THOMAS ET R. LEYNIERS lnstitut interuniversitaire des Sciences nucldaires, Centre de l'Ecole royale militaire, 30, avenue de la Renaissance, Bruxelles 4, Belgique
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5 I. Langmuir, Vacuum, 3(2), April 1953 (Published in December 1954), 113. 6 Dictionnaire dtymologique de la langue francaise, O. Bloch and W. von Wartburg, 3rd Ed., Presses Universitaires de France, Paris (1960). See item vide. 7 See Webster's Third New International Dictionary, G. Bell & Sons, Ltd., London (1961). 8 Fr. L. K. Weigand, Deutsches WOrterbuch, 5. Auft., Giessen, 1910, Verlag von Alfred T6pelrnann. 9 Physikalisches W6rterbuch herausgegeben yon Wilhem Westphal, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1952. 10 E. Boisacq. Dictionnaire dtymologique de la langue grecque ~tudide clans ses reapports avec les autres langues indo-europdennes, 4th Ed., Heidelberg, 1950. E. THOMAS AND R. LEYNIERS lnteruniversity Institute o f Nuclear Sciences, R o y a l Military School Centre, 30 A venue de la Renaissance, Brussels 4, Belgium.