Transversality: evolution of the term through the prism of corpora and other contexts

The problem of expanding research vocabulary in a particular area is related to the emergence and development of concepts and terms that receive precise explication for transmitting new knowledge through definitions. The paper attempts to trace the evolution of the term ‘transversality’ from the limited mathematical contexts of the 19th century, when the term was solely associated with spatial intersections, to its recent extension to other types of human activity; accordingly, the research focus is upon the changes in connotations. The paper shows how the lexical phenomenon has acquired its particular popularity and became frequently used in the educational space, including in the multi-layered market of educational services, where the last decade introduced the terms ‘transversal skills’ and ‘transversal competence’, both referring to qualitative characteristics of individual skills that are in demand in today’s knowledge-based society: leadership, confidence, time-management, problem-solving ability, flexibility, adaptability, strategic and innovative thinking, etc. To clarify the meaning of the term ‘transversal skills’ and for the subsequent interpretation of the data obtained, the author uses two relevant sources: firstly, these are the contexts and instruments of modern corpus linguistics (the Wikipedia Corpus, the 14 Billion Word iWeb Corpus); secondly, a number of relevant contexts taken from European educational documents and EU project reports. Taken together, these sources allow us to give a broad picture of the new terminological phenomenon in today’s educational environment. In this connection, the linguistic corpora are used both as a language resource and as a research instrument and method. The study of the term, its emergence and development leads us to a conclusion that the boundaries of the request for the new terminological phenomenon have expanded. The received data, on the one hand, help to develop a uniform understanding, i. e. adequate perception and use of the term ‘transversal skills’, for the concerned parties the field of modern education, educational policy and the labor market. On the other hand, the study reveals the need for further discussion on standardization in terminological lexicography, which would provide effective communication and conscious collaboration of educators with many parties interested worldwide.