Terminological discrepancies in the field of software testing: A case of mistake, error, bug, defect, fault, and failure in the specialist language of IT

Abstract

Terminological discrepancies in the field of software testing: a case of mistake, error, bug, defect, fault, and failure in the specialist language of IT

The article seeks to arrive at a proper understanding of the most challenging words in the field of software testing, i.e., mistake, error, bug, defect, fault, and failure. The paper presents a semantic analysis of the words, for non-English practitioners of IT find it difficult to discriminate between them. The article is based on native English texts such as dictionaries, blog posts, software testing manuals and the like in order to ensure linguistic reliability and better understanding of the terms. The meaning of selected terms is compared by means of standard dictionaries and those dedicated to IT practitioners. Moreover, a theoretical overview of terminological issues in IT is conducted.