Important Aspect of Lithuanian Dialectology: Dialect Dictionaries

Įžvalgos / Insights 263 JANINA ŠVAMBARYTĖ-VALUŽIENĖ Institute of the Lithuanian Language Fields of research: analysis of the dialect of written sources, lexicography and lexicology of dialect, sociolinguistics, syntax. IMPORTANT ASPECT OF LITHUANIAN DIALECTOLOGY: DIALECT DICTIONARIES Svarbus lietuvių dialektologijos aspektas: šnektų žodynai ANNOTATION The present article aims to describe the school of compilation of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries the formation of which covers the period from the end of the 20th century till the beginning of the 21st century. This article reviews fifteen dialect dictionaries published in 1944–2017: periodization, structure (volume, types of presentation of lexis), geographical distribution, which reflects the aim of the preservation of border dialects and subdialects for scientific and educational purposes. KEYWORDS: dialect dictionaries, subdialects and subdialect groups, types of dictionaries, sample of vocabulary (lexicon), periodization. ANOTACIJA Šiame straipsnyje aptariama nuo XX a. pabaigos iki XXI a. pradžios besikūrusi lietuviškų tarmių žodynų rengimo mokykla. Apžvelgiama penkiolika 1944–2017 m. išleistų šnektų žodynų, t. y. jų parengimo laikas, struktūra (apimtis, leksikos pateikimo būdai), geografinis pasiskirstymas, rodantis siekį mokslo ir mokymo tikslais išsaugoti paribio tarmes ir šnektas. ESMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: šnektų žodynai, šnektos ir šnektų grupės, žodyno rūšis, žodyno imtis (leksika), parengimo laikas. JANINA ŠVAMBARYTĖ-VALUŽIENĖ 264 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXIX INTRODUCTION Neogrammarians (Junggrammatiker) are the school of linguists which formed in Germany (Leipzig) in the late 19th century. It influenced the appearance of many types of specialized dictionaries in various languages (French, German, Italian, Swedish, Russian and others). The linguistic works in Lithuanian were not an exception. The period of 1944–2017 described in the article is marked with significant historical, political, economic, and cultural changes. It covers the period of the second Soviet occupation (1944–1990) as well as the years of restored independence (since 1990). This particular period which covers the period of over 70 years is considered the era of linguistic development, establishment of the standard language, dialect levelling and the effort of scientists to preserve the lexis of the Lithuanian language (both written and spoken). To achieve these goals, a remarkable variety of dictionaries has been compiled. The most significant work in the field of dictionaries during the first period of the independence of Lithuania was the compilation of the material for the Lietuvių kalbos žodynas (Lithuanian Language Dictionary) and the writing of this dictionary. This work did not stop during the period of the second Soviet occupation and later, when the independence of Lithuania was restored. Material for the Lietuvių kalbos žodynas was collected from various sources, old written sources and Lithuanian dialects; hence, the compilation of this particular dictionary was an unstoppable process regardless of the efforts to stop its publication.1 Since dialect (dialect, subdialect and subdialect groups) lexicon in the Lietuvių kalbos žodynas did not reflect the development of a specific dialect, subdialect or subdialect group (the appearance of new words or the disappearance of old inheritance) as well as the expansion or deterioration of dialects, it means that the dialect lexicon did not reflect the inward and outward dialect phenomenon, and the necessity for dialect dictionaries emerged. The start of linguistic movement stimulated the preparation of dialect descriptions as well as the collection of dialect data. For that reason, dialectologists were determined not only to study dialects but also to preserve their unique lexis.2 Vytautas Vitkauskas, the compiler of the first dialect dictionary, states in its introduction: “In the summer of 1954, encouraged by professor Balčikonis, I tried to collect and record words and phrases from the area of my native Kuršėnai” (Vitkauskas 1976 : 3). Dialectologists were induced to collect 1 For more information, see Pupkis 2013: 31–298. 2 For more information on the data, see tarmes.lki.lt or http://www.tarmes.lt. Important Aspect of Lithuanian Dialectology: Dialect Dictionaries Įžvalgos / Insights 265 dialectal vocabulary as quickly as possible because of the threat: the process of dialect leveling and change, which was related to the changes in the language model of the old and young generations, the deterioration of the rural reality, and the strengthening of the standard language (sometimes the last was a forcible process).3 Aldonas Pupkis, the compiler of a few dictionaries of the Western Aukštaitian dialect of Kaunas region, writes: “My interest in words and dictiona ries, instilled by professor Balčikonis and fostered by professor Kazlauskas, encouraged me to start the preparatory work for Zanavykų šnektos žodynas (Zanavykai Subdialect Dictionary): to be in charge of the collection of the card index, to manage the group of authors, to edit the text, and to concentrate on the Kazlų Rūdos šnektos žodynas (Kazlų Rūdos Subdialect Dictionary) later” (Pupkis 2013: 7). Professional research of subdialects has always been closely related to the purpose of the preservation of the lexical features of language varieties for future generations. Research material reveals how the work of the compilation of dialect dictionaries was organized and how it is being organized at the moment. The research material includes the dictionaries of Lithuanian dialects, subdialects and their groups published from 1944 to 2017.4 This article aims to highlight the formation of the Lithuanian dialectal lexicography on the basis of dictionaries of dialect lexicon, which were released in 1944–2017.5 In order to achieve the aim, the following objectives were set: 1) to analyze the possible periodization of dialect dictionaries and to present it to the scientific community; 2) to discuss the structural parts of dialect dictionaries (volume, orthography, etc.); 3) to present the local view of dialect dictionaries (geographical distribution in Lithuania and its ethnic areas); 4) to compare the Lithuanian research in the field of dialect dictionaries with the research of dialectologists from the neighboring Baltic states. In order to justify the conclusions, the descriptive and comparative methods are used with the particular emphasis on the geographical distribution of dialect dictionaries (localization). 3 For more information on the situation of the linguistic point at the end of the 20th–beginning of the 21st century, see Švambarytė-Valužienė 2014. 4 According to the author, the reference point of time is considered to be 2017. 5 The author does not analyze the issue of lexicography of dialect dictionaries as it would be the topic for a theoretical work but not for a review article. For more information about the theoretical issues of dialect dictionaries, the sampling of dialecticisms, see Sakalauskienė 2010, 2014. For more information on the types of dictionaries, see Jakaitienė 2005, 2006; Zubaitienė 2015. JANINA ŠVAMBARYTĖ-VALUŽIENĖ 266 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXIX PERIODIZATION OF DIALECT DICTIONARIES The first Lithuanian dialect dictionary compiled by Vytautas Vitkauskas was published in 1976. The whole 70-year long period, which is being described in this article, can be divided into two parts. Not a single dialect dictionary was published in the first three decades of the Soviet occupation from 1944 to 1976. The first period of more intensive publication of dialect dictionaries covers the decade from 1976 to 1988. It was again followed by a short break in publication of dialect dictionaries. No dictionaries were published in the period from 1988 to 1990. A new era for Lithuanian dialect dictionaries began after the restoration of independence. The period from 1990 to 2017 can be divided into two periods as well. Five dictionaries were published in the period from 1990 to 2008 and four dialect dictionaries were published in the period from 2008 to 2017. The background for the periodization of the last decades is mostly determined by the differences in quality, not in quantity. Fifteen dialect dictionaries were published in the period of Soviet occupation (1944–1990) and the years of re-established independence (1990–2017). They were compiled by both professional linguists and amateurs. All of them sought to preserve the uniqueness of the dialect on all levels: vocabulary, morphology, word formation, syntax and phraseology, even the index of proper names. All dictionaries can be described in at least five aspects: time, extent, orthography, dialect, and place. In summary of the above, it should be said that the history of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries can be divided into three periods: 1978–1988 (appearance of the first dialect dictionaries), 1988–2008 (period of the most intensive writing and publishing), 2008–2017 (period of scientifically based multivolume dialect dictionaries). Six dialect dictionaries were published during the period of more than 40 years of Soviet occupation and nine dialect dictionaries, mostly multivolume, were released during 25 years of independent Lithuania (see Diagram 1). DIAGRAM 1. The publication of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries (quantitative aspect) Important Aspect of Lithuanian Dialectology: Dialect Dictionaries Įžvalgos / Insights 267 TYPES OF DIALECT DICTIONARIES Dialect dictionaries fall within the group of explanatory dictionaries which are divided into two categories: a dictionary of a certain dialect, subdialect or subdialect group or a dictionary of all the dialects of a certain language. Fifteen dictionaries mentioned above mostly aim at preserving the vocabulary of subdialects and subdialect groups. Šiaurės rytų dūnininkų šnektų žodynas of Southern Žemaitian Varniai region, Southern Aukštaitian Druskininkų tarmės žodynas, Pietinių pietų aukštaičių šnektų žodynas and Eastern Aukštaitian Kupiškėnų žodynas are multidialect dictionaries. Dialect dictionaries (dictionaries of dialects, subdialects or subdialect groups) are usually one-volume, two-volume or three-volume. There is one four-volume dictionary. One-volume dictionaries prevailed until the end of the 20th century. Multi-volume dialect dictionaries are a specific sign defining the Lithuanian dialect lexicography from the beginning of the 21st century. Lithuanian dialect dictionaries make two large groups according to their extent. One-volume dictionaries were usually published until 2000, and more dictionaries containing two, three or four volumes began to appear after 2000. Five dictionaries can be classified as differential, or specialized, dictionaries. Ten dictionaries can be called exhaustive dictionaries. The circulation of the dictionaries is diminishing constantly. For example, the circulation of the first Lithuanian dialect dictionary was three thousand copies, and one dictionary published in 2016 has the circulation of two hundred fifty copies only. The illustrations of dialect headwords differ. There are examples written in the standard language. For that reason the distinguished dialectal features are partly revealed. To write other words, the simplified phonetic transcription is used which reveals the most significant features of a dialect. The phonetic transcription based on the so called Copenhagen tradition is commonly used (see Diagram 2). DIAGRAM 2. Presentation of dialectal language in Lithuanian dialect dictionaries (orthographic aspect) Dialect dictionaries show that the explanation of headwords varies: such references as lk, bk and the explanation using synonyms are refused6; a descriptive 6 lk – Lithuanian literary language, bk – Standard Lithuanian. JANINA ŠVAMBARYTĖ-VALUŽIENĖ 268 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXIX explanation is limited and the most suitable equivalent of the meaning of the headword is presented (see Diagram 3). DIAGRAM 3. The type of the explanation of headwords The distribution of dialects reflected in the dictionaries under analysis shows that we have three dictionaries of Lithuanian Žemaitian dialects (Vytautas Vitkauskas, Šiaurės rytų dūnininkų šnektų žodynas; Juozas Aleksandravičius, Kretingos tarmės žodynas; Birutė Vanagienė, Šiaurės vakarų žemaičių žodynas) and twelve dictionaries of Lithuanian Aukštaitian dialects (Jonas Petrauskas, Aloyzas Vidugiris, Lazūnų tarmės žodynas; Gertrūda Naktinienė, Aldona Paulaus kienė, Vytautas Vitkauskas, Druskininkų tarmės žodynas; Aloyzas Vidugiris, Zie telos šnektos žodynas; Vitas Labutis, Daukšių krašto žodynas; Zanavykų šnektos žodynas; Dieveniškių šnektos žodynas; Klementina Vosylytė, Kupiškėnų žodynas; Angelė Vilutytė, Kaltanėnų šnektos žodynas; Aldonas Pupkis, Kazlų Rūdos šnektos žodynas; Žaneta Markevičienė, Aurimas Markevičius, Vidiškių šnektos žodynas; Lietuvininkų tarmių žodynas; Asta Leskauskaitė, Vilija Ragaišienė, Pietinių pietų aukštaičių šnektų žodynas) (see Chart in the Appendix and Diagram 4). DIAGRAM 4. Quantitative ratio of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries Important Aspect of Lithuanian Dialectology: Dialect Dictionaries Įžvalgos / Insights 269 As it can be seen from the chart in the Appendix, dialect dictionaries usually have the samples that vary from 30,000 to 50,000 illustrative examples. In the dialect dictionaries which showed up until 2017 headwords are illustrated by both the examples of the spoken language and the dialect, subdialect or subdialect group words from the Lietuvių kalbos žodynas. In recent years the headword has been illustrated by the examples from the dialectal spoken language (see Diagram 5). DIAGRAM 5. Sample of vocabulary of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries (in thousands) More than 950,000 lexical units are represented in Lithuanian dialect dictionaries. The form of the presentation of lexical units varies from phonetic transcription to simplified phonetic transcription and even the standard language. The sources of lexical data are spoken language and folklore, both in its spoken and written form, written sources (published and manuscripts), folklore tales and songs, the words of folk medicine, etc. Daukšių krašto žodynas is an example of the dictionary where the regional proper names of people and places are provided.7 There is a nine-year gap between the first dictionary Šiaurės rytų dūnininkų šnektų žodynas and the second dictionary Lazūnų tarmės žodynas. The third one – Druskininkų tarmės žodynas – was published three years later. We can make an assumption that a ten-year gap (1988–1998) was dedicated to the research and structurization of the data collected during the linguistic movement as well as to the preparation and compiling of dialect dictionaries, the search of proper methods and the preparations to write a dictionary text.8 7 The author does not evaluate dictionaries according to scientific criteria. 8 For more information about the linguistic movement, see Pupkis 2016. JANINA ŠVAMBARYTĖ-VALUŽIENĖ 270 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXIX The chart shows that almost all the work in the field of dictionary preparation was carried out by well-known lexicographers from the Institute of the Lithuanian Language (former Institute of the Lithuanian Language and Literature, 1952–1990): Vytautas Vitkauskas, Aloyzas Vidugiris, Klementina Vosylytė, Gertrūda Naktinienė and others. These scientists shared their experience with the dialectologists of the younger generation who compiled and edited dictionaries, as well as wrote texts for the dictionaries and prepared a few dialect dictionaries. Danguolė Mikulėnienė, Rima Bakšienė, Asta Leskauskaitė, Vilija Ragaišienė and others should be mentioned.9 LOCALIZATION OF DIALECT DICTIONARIES From the geographical point of view, all the dialect dictionaries of the period in question (1944–2017) are distributed in Lithuania unevenly (see Map). The geographical distribution of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries shows that a significant part of dialect and subdialect dictionaries represents the dialects and subdialects of peripheral areas as well as the ethnic regions which now belong to Belarus. 9 Thanks to college Vilija Ragaišienė for her remarks about the lack of exhaustive reviews of dialect dictionaries as well as the lack of articles presenting the main theoretical problems of lexicography: types of dictionaries, structures, methods of dictionary-making. Important Aspect of Lithuanian Dialectology: Dialect Dictionaries Įžvalgos / Insights 271 Dialect dictionaries were written unevenly from the geografical point of view. The geographical and statistical analysis enables us to see that the subdialects which have been thoroughly lexicographically researched are the Southern Žemaitian of Varniai, the Northern Žemaitian of Telšiai, Kretinga and the Western Aukštaitian of Kaunas, the Eastern Aukštaitian of Kupiškis, Širvintos, Vilnius, Southern Aukštaitian. The subdialects under investigation are the Southern Žemaitian of Raseiniai, the Western Aukštaitian of Šiauliai, the Eastern Aukštaitian of Panevėžys, Anykščiai, Utena. The analysis of the types of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries reveals that exhaustive dictionaries take dominating positions. Therefore, the main and evident conclusion which can be made is that the data of Lithuanian dialect dictionaries can enrich and enlarge the basis of lexis for the Great Academic Lietuvių kalbos žodynas significantly. Data from all the dialect dictionaries reveal the ethnic uniqueness of a particular region, historical events and their evaluation. What is more, it shapes the linguistic self-confidence and identity of the person, raises interest in one’s dialect.10 It is worth emphasizing the remarkable variety of dialects and their importance while forming linguistic identity. A VIEW INTO THE LEXICOGRAPHICAL WORKS OF BALTIC COUNTRIES The situation relating to the compilation of dialect dictionaries is very similar in Latvia. It is obvious that the largest number of dictionaries were published after Latvia regained its independence.11 One-volume dictionaries of Eduards Ādamsons and Elga Kagaine Vainižu izloksnes vārdnīca (2000), Brigita Bušmane Nīcas izloksnes vārdnīca (2017) must be mentioned among them. Latvian dialectologists, similarly to Lithuanian ones, write exhaustive, usually two-volume, dictionaries. Two-volume dictionaries of Sarmite Baluode (Sarmīte Balode) and Ilga Jansone Kalnienas izloksnes vārdnīca (2017) as well as Antoņina Reķēna Kalupes izloksnes vārdnīca (1998) were published. Latvians turned their attention to abundant comparison forms which are unique and significantly enrich the standard language. Sinoles izloksnes salīdzinājumu vārdnīca (2001) prepared by Maiga Putniņa and Agris Timuška is based 10 See Lietuvių kalbos žodynas. 11 Special thanks to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Edmundas Trumpa, University of Latvia, Department of Latvian and Baltic studies, Chair of Baltic Linguistics. JANINA ŠVAMBARYTĖ-VALUŽIENĖ 278 Acta Linguistica Lithuanica LXXIX Author (-s) // compiler (-s) Title of dictionary Dialect, subdialect Publishing date Sample of vocabulary Type of dictionary Angelė Vilutytė Kaltanėnų šnektos žodynas Eastern Aukštaitian Vilniškiai 2008 40 thousand Exhaustive Aldonas Pupkis Kazlų Rūdos šnektos žodynas Western Aukštaitian Kauniškiai Vo. 1, 2008, Vo. 2, 2009 60 thousand Exhaustive Juozas Aleksandravičius // Danguolė Mikulėnienė, Juozas Pabrėža Kretingos tarmės žodynas Northern Žemaitian Kretingiškiai 2011 Not specified Differential Birutė Vanagienė // Danguolė Mikulėnienė, Daiva Vaišnienė Šiaurės vakarų žemaičių žodynas Northern Žemaitian Telšiškiai Vo. 1, 2014, Vo. 2, 2015 Not specified Differential Žaneta Markevičienė, Aurimas Markevičius Vidiškių šnektos žodynas Eastern Aukštaitian Širvintiškiai 2014 Not specified Exhaustive // Jonas Bukantis, Žaneta Jokužytė, Loreta Liutkutė, Virginija Veiverienė. Lietuvininkų tarmių žodynas Western Žemaitian and Western Aukštaitian – the Southern area of the Small Lithuania (Klaidėpa region) 2014 Not specified Differential? Asta Leskauskaitė, Vilija Ragaišienė Pietinių pietų aukštaičių šnektų žodynas Southern Aukštaitian (Southern Dzūkai) Vo. 1, 2016 Not specified Exhaustive