Abstract
This study examines the equivalence of computer-related terms developed for the Urhobo language. Rapid advancement in technology continues to introduce terms for new concepts which are often lacking in many indigenous African languages, including Urhobo. Accordingly, indigenous scholars and researchers often undertake terminology development projects to fill such gaps. The Urhobo ICT terminology development project examined in this study sought to contribute to the modernisation of the Urhobo language by expanding its lexical resources to cover the rapidly evolving domain of computer technology. The project involved identifying corpus of frequently used computer words from textbooks and online resources and developing equivalent terms for them in Urhobo. The goal of the present study is to examine the strategies employed in creating the Urhobo equivalent terms, and show how possible equivalent terms can be developed from existing Urhobo lexical resources. The study found that strategies such as semantic extension, norminalisation, and calquing were employed in developing the terms. The study also showed that loanwords can be retained in Urhobo terminology development based on three factors: frequency of usage in conversations, economy and convenience.
