Moscow University
Anthropology
Bulletin

Terminological issues in studies of the human infracranial discrete-varying traits

Vagner-Sapukhina E.A. (1, 2)

1) Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera) Russian Academy of Sciences, Universitetskaya nab., 3, St. Petersburg, 199034, Russia; 2) Paleoethnology Research Center, Novaya ploshchad’, 12/5, Moscow, 1009012, Russia

Vagner-Sapukhina Elena Andreevna; Researcher; ORCID ID: 0000-0002-1140-5834; lena.sapuhina@gmail.com.

Abstract

Introduction. Biological anthropologists inevitably encounter terminology issues, when developing a research method and program. There is no unified way of formulation names in different languages for the human skeleton discrete-varying traits. Most non-metric traits of the infracranial skeleton have only English names. However, these traits are essentially anatomical variants, so their names should be formulated in according with the rules of anatomical terminology. Results and discussion. The article gives a brief history of the unification of names for anatomical structures, beginning with the first known list of terms – the Basel anatomical nomenclature – and ending with modern Anatomical terminology, provides information about the criteria adopted in medical science for the construction of terms. Anthropological research is also currently discovering many new anatomical variants, but the creating their names approach is different. There are two ways to name non-metric traits of the skull in our country: researchers of the Moscow school use Latin names and their Russian equivalents, while St. Petersburg scholars use Russian and English terms. Detailed criteria for creating Latin names were given by G. Cesnis and S. Pavilonis in the article about the terminology of discrete-varying traits of the skull. These data became the basis for the development of a method for naming non-metric traits of the infracranial skeleton. Conclusion. The article proposes author terminology in Latin and Russian languages of the previously proposed program of non-metric traits of the infracranial skeleton and gives the most common names of traits in English. This terminology reflects a unified approach to the creating of terms for discrete-varying traits for the further development of this system.

Keywords

discrete-varying traits; osteology; craniology; international anatomical terminology; terminological unification; anatomical variants

DOI: 10.32521/2074-8132.2020.3.057-067

Цит.: Vagner-Sapukhina E.A. Terminological issues in studies of the human infracranial discrete-varying traits // Moscow University Anthropology Bulletin (Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seria XXIII. Antropologia), 2020; 3/2020; с. 57-67

Download text
2009-2018
Свидетельство о регистрации ПИ № ФС77-35672 от 19 марта 2009 г.
Website developer