LIETUVIŲ KALBOTYROS KLAUSIMAI XXXVII (1997)

LEKSIKOGRAFIJOS IR LEKSIKOLOGIJOS PROBLEMOS

Vida ŽILINSKIENĖ

PRESENTATION OF TERMS IN THE THIRD EDITION OF THE “DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY LITHUANIAN”

The computer-analysis program for the third edition of the “Dictionary of Contemporary Lithuanian,” prepared at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, made it possible to analyze in detail the words, their meanings, and specific dictionary entries marked as terms, and to compare some of them. Although the terms presented in the dictionary make up a relatively small part of it, they nevertheless amount to 3,940 words and 2,248 meanings or word combinations. The number of terms in particular fields is as follows (the first figure indicates how many words, meanings, or word combinations in the dictionary carry a label for a given field, and the figure in parentheses indicates how many headwords carry that label):

agr. – 4 (2) | physiol. – 31 (23) anat. – 148 (91) | phot. – 14 (7) archit. – 27 (14) | geogr. – 130 (74) astr. – 40 (16) | geol. – 64 (43) av. – 13 (4) | geom. – 20 (12) eccles. – 133 (76) | gram. – 89 (54) biol. – 100 (51) | hist. – 407 (248) bot. – 1236 (1057) | mil. – 145 (59) chem. – 186 (62) | comm. – 6 (4) econ. – 47 (28) | cul. – 71 (59) ethnogr. – 219 (55) | ling. – 204 (115) pharm. – 21 (19) | lit. – 115 (51) phil. – 57 (27) | log. – 2 (1) fin. – 18 (11) | math. – 181 (74) phys. – 145 (72) | med. – 227 (54) min. – 4 (4) | stat. – 40 (26) myth. – 34 (15) | theatr. – 21 (7) mus. – 181 (103) | tech. – 592 (430) polit. – 54 (37) | law – 98 (49) psych. – 17 (7) | textile – 3 (1) relig. – 9 (2) | vet. – 12 (6) spec. – 77 (31) | zool. – 796 (657) sport. – 141 (95) | agric. – 9 (7)

The data presented make it abundantly clear that the number of terms in particular fields varies considerably: only a few are given in some fields (agr., comm., log., min., textile),

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while in others there are hundreds (bot., ling., mus., hist., tech., zool.). Although the list of abbreviations includes the label ped. (pedagogy), the dictionary contains not a single word or meaning marked with this abbreviation.

A review of terms from fields represented by only a few entries makes it clear that the dictionary actually contains considerably more words that should also be marked as terms in particular fields. For example, predicate is labeled log. (logic). If logic is the science that studies the laws and forms of thinking and reasoning¹, then at least deduction (deriving one judgment from another according to the laws of logic), the first meaning of induction (drawing conclusions from separate statements: cf. d e- d u c t i o n), or the third meaning of subject (logical agent) could have carried this label.

If the label min. (mineralogy) is used for the words agate, amethyst, pyrite, mica, the question arises why this label is not used for, for example, diamond, granite, corundum, emerald and many other similar words.

The label textile (textiles) is used for: carded wool (a strip of wool emerging from a carding machine), the third meaning (hereafter indicated by numerals) of print (a stain on fabric folded too soon, caused by printing dyes that have not dried), and meaning 3 of sparse weave (a row of loosened loops). Comparing this word and these meanings, it is quite clear that they are rather different concepts. The label is, of course, appropriate for them, but if textiles are fabrics, why is the textile label absent from the many fabric names in the dictionary, such as velvet, 2 satin, baize, batiste, drap, canvas, broadcloth, crepe, milled cloth, satin, and so on? In addition, there are several words naming fabrics by their weave, namely eight-end twill, ten-end twill, nine-end twill, two-end twill, three-end twill, of which only ten-end twill carries the label ethnogr. (ethnography). There are also corresponding adjectives: eight-end-twill, -a, ten-end-twill, -a, twelve-end-twill, -ė, three-end-twill, -a.

A closer examination of terms from related fields, or from a science and one of its branches, shows that there are many inconsistencies. They occur even among linguistic and grammatical terms², although every linguist knows which is a grammatical term and which a linguistic one.

A similar situation occurs in the labeling of geometry (a branch of mathematics) and mathematical terms. Only all the names of trigonometric functions in the dictionary carry the label math.: cosine, sine, cotangent, tangent, cosecant, secant. Some names of branches of mathematics carry the label math. – algebra, arithmetic, while others have no label at all – geometry, trigonometry, stereometry.

As with linguistic || grammatical terms, certain adjectives and verbs are also regarded as terms in mathematics || geometry. There are exactly the same adjectives and verbs that are not considered terms

¹ Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas. 3 leid., Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1993.

² Plačiau žr.: Ž i l i n s k i e n ė V. 1995: “Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodyno” III leidimo terminai. – Leksikografijos problemos: semantika, etimologija, terminų faktų pateikimas, žodynų sudarymo principai. Konferencijos pranešimų tezės. 1995 m. kovo 16–17 d., Vilnius, 37–39.

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do not have a label. E.g.: having a common denominator, having unlike denominators, divisible is marked math., whereas these are not: algebraic, differential, conical, square in the second meaning (hereafter meaning 2), parallel meaning 1, periodic meaning 2, probabilistic, fractional, vector. The words differentiate meaning 2, inscribe meaning 2, divide meaning 3, multiply meaning 3, simplify meaning 3, enlarge meaning 3, simplify meaning 3, contract meaning 9, are marked math., whereas define meaning 1, subtract meaning 1, draw meaning 2, reduce to a common denominator, add meaning 5, divide meaning 3, multiply meaning 2, take logarithms, multiply together have no label at all.

The labeling of words denoting specifically geometrical figures or certain elements of them is completely confused. Let us compare:

polyhedron geom. angle meaning 2, math. 1 quadrilateral 1 polygon geom. cube math. 1 pentagon parallelepiped geom. cone meaning 2, math. 1 hexagon 1 tetrahedron geom. parallelogram math. pyramid meaning 1, math. triangle math. rhombus math. 1 rectangle math. 1 triangle math. trapezoid meaning 1, math.

Similarly confused:

circle geom. hyperbola meaning 2, math. cylinder geom. meaning 1. frustum math. meaning 3. ellipse geom. meaning 1. parabola math. meaning 1. cutout geom. meaning 2. cylinder math. meaning 6. radius geom. meaning 4. sphere math. meaning 1. diameter math. disk math. meaning 2.

The labeling of various types of lines (which should also be classified under geometry) differs greatly as well:

altitude geom. secant math. vertical line horizontal line geom. side math. horizontal line geom. meaning 1. curve math. diagonal geom. broken line math. hypotenuse geom. line math. meaning 1. oblique line math. half-angle math. half-side math. perpendicular math.

There are still many words or meanings whose definitions indicate that they are mathematical terms, but which do not carry the math. label, e.g.: space meaning 2, odd, program meaning 5, average meaning 1, average-based, average, and so on.

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It is easy to distinguish which terms are from geometry and which from mathematics, and apparently the inconsistencies arose because of the abundance of this material.

Apparently, a similar relationship to that between grammar || linguistics or geometry || mathematics terms should also obtain between agronomy and agriculture terms. The dictionary under discussion states that:

agronomy the science of agriculture

agriculture 1. cultivation of the land, farming, 2. the science of cultivating the land.

It would follow that the concept of agronomy is narrower and corresponds only to the second meaning of agriculture. Let us compare which words or meanings have the designations under discussion:

culture 4. agr.jaura 3. žemd.lizdas 9. agr.kūlēnas žemd.mulch agr.kūlykla žemd.graft stock agr.cultivator žemd.pagraža žemd.riekė 2. žemd.crop rotation žemd.trašomaina žemd.žaliena žemd.

First of all, these specific words make it very clear that the relationship between agr. || žemd. does not correspond to the relationship of a narrower concept to a broader one.

Second, if agronomy is the science of agriculture, then apparently at least the following should bear the designation agr.:

agrotechnics a system for growing agricultural cropshorticulture the tending of vegetable gardens, the science and practice of growing vegetablessoil science the science of soilhorticulture the cultivation of orchards, the science of gardening

It would be easy to find more similar words.

Third, if graft stock (the plant onto which a graft is made) bears the designation agr., why does graft (1. a grafted sapling. 2. see scion) not have this designation, while scion (a budded twig grafted onto another plant) bears the designation bot. (botany).

Why is mulch marked agr.? The designation žemd. would seem more appropriate here, but then the words compost, manure 1 r., fertilizer 1 r., and so on, would need this designation. All the more so since trašomaina bears the designation žemd.

Agricultural terms also look odd when they are all listed together.

If kūlykla (a threshing floor) is regarded as an agricultural term, then apparently daržinė, jauja 2, 3 r., klojimas 2, 3 r., kluonas 1 r., and so on, would be terms no less suitable. If cultivator is an agricultural term, then other machines or tools used for farm work should also bear this designation. Yet neither reaper, nor tractor, nor plough, nor harrow, or the like, bears this designation, whereas combine harvester bears the designation tech. (technology). In general, the designation tech. is used in many places

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overlaps with other labels, especially phys. (physics). Perhaps, when preparing a new dictionary, it would be better to label all machines tech. or even with two labels.

It is unclear why the word pagražą (a field in which one turns around while working) merits the label agr. if dirva, arimas 2 meanings, armuo 1 meaning, and avižiena, dobilieną, kvietiena, rugiena 1 meaning each, and so on, are not considered terms. This label would presumably also suit the words: sėja meanings 1 and 2, antsėlis, įsėlis. Moreover, it should be remembered that in the dictionary all names of cereal crops are given in the singular and carry the label bot.

From the arguments presented, it would follow that the label agr. would suffice and could be applied to many more words and their meanings.

Very similar ambiguities emerge when comparing ecclesiastical and religious terms. The dictionary gives:

bažnyčia 1. a place of worship (usually Catholic or Protestant). 2. a Christian religious community: Roman Catholic Church. Orthodox Church.

bažnytinis, -ė → church

religija belief in the existence of supernatural powers (God or gods, spirits, and so on), religion: Christian, Muslim religion.

religinis, -ė → religion

It would follow that religija is a broader concept than bažnyčia, and consequently religinis is broader in meaning than bažnytinis.

Having reviewed the 9 religious and 133 ecclesiastical terms in the dictionary, one can first observe that the label eccl. appears to be used consistently only for the names of priests’ liturgical vestments and ecclesiastical feasts

The labeling of other words, meanwhile, is difficult to understand. If some words of a particular semantic type carry the label eccl., others that seem entirely analogous are not labeled. Compare: dekanas meaning 2, diakonas, kapelionas meaning 1, klebonas, klierikas, vikaras carry the label eccl., whereas altaristas, arkivyskupas, kunigas meaning 1, legatas, pastorius (labeled bookish), popiežius, vyskupas have no label.

All names of monastic orders and their members are unlabelled, but brolija meaning 3, brolis meaning 4, sesuo meaning 3, and vienuolynas, vienuolis carry the label eccl.

There are also verbs treated as ecclesiastical terms, for example: gavėti meaning 1, (cf. gavėnia eccl.), išganyti meaning 4, išrišti meaning 2, kanonizuoti meaning 1, melsti meaning 2, melstis, pakrikštyti meaning 1, pasninkauti, pašventinti meaning 1, perkrikštyti, peržegnoti meaning 1, poteriauti meaning 1, žegnoti; whereas išventinti, klebonauti, krikščioninti, kunigauti, pastorauti, vik arauti, vyskupauti are given without any labels, while krikštyti meaning 1 does carry the label relig. It would seem, then, that adding a prefix changes a religious term into an ecclesiastical one, or a non-term into a term.

When comparing the meanings of words with one another, or comparing words (asketas meaning 1, asketizmas meaning 1, auka meaning 4, aureolė meaning 1, Dievas, krikštas meaning 1, krikštyti meaning 1, siela meaning 3), it is entirely impossible to understand what criterion was used to assign the label relig. Perhaps this label would also be suitable for marking the names of other (non-Christian) religions and related words, such as budizmas, islamas, and so on.

Apparently, only specialists could reliably distinguish religious from ecclesiastical terms

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specialists in the field, or perhaps the broader label “relig.” would suffice. On the other hand, it seems that the dictionary contains almost twice as many words from a similar field as are marked. Examples include: altar, celibacy, Calvinism, canon 4 entries, confession, Christianity, cross 1 entry, liturgy, Protestantism, Reformation, synod, Orthodoxy, and so on.

After examining the terms relating to architecture and construction, one again gets the impression that they should either be distinguished more rigorously (if possible) from one another, or assigned the broader label stat.

The dictionary contains only one word, arka, marked with both archit. and stat., but other analogous words with a single label immediately catch the eye, for example: cokolis, fasadas, kolona 1 entry, niša – archit., ferma 3 entries, santvara, skliautas 2 entries – stat.; whereas arabeska 1 entry, baliustrada, balkonas 1 entry, galerija 3 entries, and nava, pasažas 1 entry, among others, are not labeled at all. Architectural and artistic styles are not presented consistently: gotika is marked archit., whereas barokas, klasicizmas, neogotika, neoklasicizmas, rokokas have no labels, perhaps because the definitions of the latter four words refer only to an artistic movement or style.

It is unclear why skersstaktis 1 entry (an arch support) and viršulangis (the upper section of a window) carry the label archit., when, for instance, santvara (a structure joining columns), sąrama (a lintel over a window or doorway), and statramstis (an upright support) are treated as construction terms.

Among the construction terms that are labeled are several names of building materials: plaušamolis, skalda 1 entry, skaldinėlis, užpilas 1 entry, užpildas; but very many names of such materials have no labels at all, for example: akmenbetonis, alebastras, asbestcementis, betonas, bitumas, cementas 1 entry, cementbetonis, gipscementis, kalkės, keramzitas, keramzitbetonis, molbetonis, monolitas 2 entries, plienbetonis, putbetonis, ruberoidas, and so on.

Likewise, among this field’s labeled terms there are many words denoting various parts of a structure, for example: atotrauka 2 entries, laiptatakis, lovys 3 entries, pagrindas 1 entry, perdanga 1 entry, stoglatakis, stogvamzdis, and so on. Yet very many apparently similar words have no term label, for example: čerpe 1 entry, dailylentė, driblentė 1 entry, gegnė, grebėstas, klojinys 3 entries, konstrukcija 2 entries, pamatas 1 entry, sąspara 1st and 2nd entries, sija, sijynas. If these words were collected carefully, many more construction terms would emerge.

After reviewing the words marked spec. (special), it is entirely unclear what kind of words they are or what their meanings are. Verbs bearing this label are particularly striking. Let us compare them: apmok estinti, apmiutinti, apsėklinti, gyslinėti, įdarbinti, išgyslinėti, iškaulinėti, kaulinėti, 2 mielinti, nuskaityti 5 entries, senėti 2 entries, vesti 6 entries. It is equally unclear what these words, all bearing this label, have in common: apnaša, 1 dvitaškis 1 entry, fašina, galvomatis, glitimas, kilnybė 2 entries, mėlynė 3 entries, monopolis 1 entry, raštas 8 entries, sluoksna 2 entries, vandentalpa.

In addition, this label is applied to several clearly identifiable physics terms, for example, frequency, deformation, sensitivity, 2 node, deviation; four devices—malūnas 2 entries, turbogražtas, turbogeneratorius, turbokompresorius; and the names of two scientific disciplines—iša-

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lotyra, knygotyra (the other 27 words with the component –tyra have no labels, while ledotyra is labeled geogr. (geography).

Perhaps the only somewhat clearer group consists of word meanings that describe what seem to be general scientific concepts: ašis 2 meanings, būsena 2 meanings, deklaracija 2 meanings, efektas 3 meanings, eilė 5 meanings, figūra 3 meanings, filtras 2 meanings, fonas 3 meanings, formulė 2 meanings, frakcija 3 meanings, gardelė 2 meanings, grupė 3 meanings, informacija 2 meanings, poslinkis 1 meaning, slenkstis 7 meanings, taškas 5 and 7 meanings, žingsnis 4 meanings, etc. But then these words, or their meanings, should also have similar labels, e.g.: arealas, bandymas 2 meanings, ciklas, diagrama, doktrina, eksperimentas, fazė, genezė, grafikas, hierarchija, hipotezė, išvada, katalogas, klasė 3 meanings, klasifikacija, komponentas, metodas, pogrupis, pokytis, problema, procesas 1 meaning, prognozė and many others.

The distinction between physics and technology terms is very unclear: some measuring instruments, e.g.: ampermetras, manometras, vatmetras are labeled fiz. (physics), others, e.g.: aukščiomatis, dažniamatis, dinamometras, voltmetras – tech. (technology), while still others, e.g.: barometras, chronometras, drėgmėmatis, kolorimetras have no label at all.

However, when there are hundreds of such words, they should be analyzed in a separate study.

Perhaps only one more observation is warranted here: units of measurement, which are sometimes marked fiz. or tech. or otherwise, but most often have no labels at all, could be given a label (e.g., metrology). Compare: amperas, mikrometras 2 meanings, omas, vatas, voltas are labeled fiz. (physics); mylia, svaras 2 meanings, hist. (history); 2 mazgas – spec. (specialized); šviesmetis – astr. (astronomy); 1 aras 1 meaning, 3 baras, centimetras, colis, decibelas, decimetras, 1 gramas, hektaras, hercas, kilogramas, kilovatas – unlabeled.

It should be emphasized that this analysis of terms is not presented to show that there are many inconsistencies among words marked as terms belonging to particular fields. It is entirely understandable that a person cannot store and systematize such a large number of words in their mind. The program developed for analyzing the dictionary makes it easy to collect words by the relevant labels, or even to add labels, and then sort them accordingly; after that, all that remains is to compare the words and make whatever corrections are needed. Moreover, once terms from scientific fields have been selected, specialists in the relevant fields can readily check them, and lexicographers will also find it easier to locate articles containing terms from one field or another, compare them, and standardize them both substantively and formally.

TERMS IN THE THIRD EDITION OF “DABARTINĖS LIETUVIŲ KALBOS ŽODYNAS”

Summary

The paper aims to show how the computer analysis programme worked out at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics for the 3d edition of “Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas” provides new possibilities of analysing words and their meanings having certain markings. The terms of agronomy, architecture, geometry, logics, mathematics, minerology, religion, construction, textile, agriculture and special terms are discussed. The terms of related fields of science are compared.

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