33. The Language of Science

The rise of experimental science in the 20 th century has not only given English a wealth of new words, but it has changed the ways in which we coin and borrow words. This lecture looks at extension in lexis in a scientific context to show the making of figurative expressions out of technical ones. The lecture also describes compounding and eponymy as key methods for coining new words in technical fields. Finally, we will look at how scientific and technical language has become part of both our everyday and our literary expression.