Shape Imagery in Technical Terminology

The concept of shape is commonly conveyed in scientific and technical fields by reference to pre-existing images presumably familiar to both writer and reader. Such images are drawn from a wide variety of sources which include geometrical images, shape images from nature and simple technology, and from familiar arbitrary forms such as the alphabet. Shape images in language continue to be invented, and provide both analogs for expression and analogs for thought. Once a term is established, it ceases to function as an analog. Examination of shape analogs serves as a useful microcosm of language development. Shape imagery is a facet of language that remains quite impervious to computer analysis and translation.