The Expression of Definitions in Specialised Texts: a Corpus-based Analysis

This paper explores the notion that terms are often, either explicitly or implicitly, defined or explained in certain types of texts. I argue that defining can be described as a performative action when, to paraphrase, Austin, the circumstances are felicitous. I describe the felicity conditions which must be met in order for statements to be considered as partial definitions or explanations of terms. The work outlined in this paper forms part of a broader investigation into the possibility of producing spec­ ifications for the (semi-) automatic identification and retrieval of terminological definitions from corpora.