astronomy

Mariëtta Alberts

Mariëtta Alberts is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Mariëtta Alberts rather than just read about it. In short: Mariëtta Alberts (16 September 1948 – ) is a South African Afrikaans linguist, terminologist and terminographer who served for 16 years, from 1996 to 2012, on the Afrikaans Language Commission. She is well known in terminology and lexicography circles, that is, among those who compile dictionaries and terminology lists.

Key takeaways

Mariëtta Alberts belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Mariëtta Alberts to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Mariëtta Alberts from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Mariëtta Alberts (16 September 1948 – ) is a South African Afrikaans linguist, terminologist and terminographer who served for 16 years, from 1996 to 2012, on the Afrikaans Language Commission. She is well known in terminology and lexicography circles, that is, among those who compile dictionaries and terminology lists. She is a contributing editor to the 2002 and 2009 editions (ninth and tenth editions) of the Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls.

Biography Alberts obtained the degrees B.A. (1969), B.A. (Hons) (1971), and M.A. (1983) at the University of Pretoria and a D.Litt et Phil (1991) at UNISA. She began her career in 1971 as terminologist at the Terminology Service of the Language Service Bureau, Department of National Education. She served as secretary of the Coordinating Technical Language Council (KOVAK) and was a member of LANGTAG, the language task group of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST). She conducted research on lexicography, terminology and computational linguistics at the Human Sciences Research Council (1982–1994). AFRILEX, the African Association for Lexicography, came to be in 1995 with input from her and Prof. William Branford. Back at DACST as Head of Research Development, National Terminology Service, she drafted the bill for establishing the South African National Lexicography Units (NLUs). She acted for 23 months as Head: Terminology Division, Department of Arts and Culture (2000–2002). In 2002 she joined the Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) as manager of the National Lexicography Units. She visited all the NLUs across the country on a regular basis and provided training in lexicographic processes, practice, and management. In 2010 she took early retirement as Director: Terminology Development and Standardisation (PanSALB). She remains involved in terminology projects and was co-author of the bilingual Legal Terminology Subject Dictionary: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Law of Evidence (Eng/Afr – Afr/Eng) (2015), as well as the trilingual edition (Eng/Xho/Afr – Xho/Eng/Afr – Afr/Xho/Eng (2019) (SRTAT), and the Explanatory Political Dictionary (2017) (CEPTSA).

Awards and honours As Language Commission member, co-recipient of the C.J. Langenhoven Prize for Linguistics (2003) of the South African Academy for Science and Arts (SAAWK), and the ATKV prize (2006) for compiling the Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls (AWS) 2002 edition. As Language Commission member, co-recipient of the C.L. Engelbrecht Prize for the 2009 edition of the AWS. As member of the Centre for Political and Related Terminology in Southern African Languages (CEPTSA), co-recipient of the SAAWK Stals Prize (2011) for the Nuwerwetse Politieke Woordeboek, and the SAVI Dictionary Prize (2018) and ATKV Woordveertjie (2018) for the Explanatory Political Dictionary. As member of the Centre for Legal Terminology in African Languages (SRTAT), co-recipient of the SAVI Dictionary Prize (2015) and ATKV Woordveertjie (2016) for Legal Terminology: Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Law of Evidence (2015, bilingual), and in 2020 the ATKV Woordveertjie for the trilingual (2019) edition, SRTAT in Afrikaans, English and Xhosa. The South African Academy for Science and Arts' Medal of Honour for the Humanities (2024).

Books published Terminology and Terminography: Principles and Practice. A South African Perspective (2017), MLA Publications, (ISBN 978-0-9947129-0-5). Terminologie en Terminografie: ’n Handleiding (2019). (Afrikaans version)

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Mariëtta Alberts

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Mariëtta Alberts claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Mariëtta Alberts before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Mariëtta Alberts ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Mariëtta Alberts

In research: Mariëtta Alberts appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Mariëtta Alberts in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Mariëtta Alberts is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1948 births, Lexicographers, Linguists from South Africa, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Mariëtta Alberts outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Mariëtta Alberts in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Mariëtta Alberts means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Mariëtta Alberts out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mariëtta Alberts in simple terms?

Why does Mariëtta Alberts matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Mariëtta Alberts?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Mariëtta Alberts.