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RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

LEXICAL CHANGES IN THE LITHUANIAN ADMINISTRATIVE LANGUAGE

KEYWORDS: administrative language, lexicon, lexical development, neologism, loanword, international word, word meaning.

ANNOTATION

The article examines changes in the lexicon of the administrative language at the beginning of the 21st century, compared with the situation at the end of the 20th century. The composition of the vocabulary changes in two ways: first, the lexicon is continually supplemented with new words and new meanings; second, obsolete or unnecessary words, or individual meanings of those words, fall out of the vocabulary. This two-way process is also characteristic of the Lithuanian administrative language at the beginning of the 21st century: first, EU membership imposed new requirements on language as well, since new needs for naming and expression arose; new phenomena, concepts, institutions, and names had to be described, leading to the borrowing of new words, the expansion of the semantics of words already in use, and the creation of neologisms. Second, rapid technological development pushed out of active use the names of objects no longer used in office work. Changes in the lexicon of the administrative language are related to its specific nature. Statistical research has established that the vocabulary of the administrative style is less varied than that of other styles; consequently, lexical renewal in this sphere of language use is less rapid.

ABSTRACT

The article addresses the lexical changes of the administrative language, which took place at the start of the 21st century. They are compared with the situation of the late 20th century. The membership in the EU placed new requirements on the administrative Lithuanian language, resulting in new nomination and expression related needs. We have to describe new phenomena, concepts, institutions, and names. Therefore, new words are borrowed; the semantics of the words that are already in use is expanded; neologisms are coined. However, some of the words fall into oblivion, as the rapid technological development is pushing out the names of items which are no longer used in paperwork. The lexical changes taking place in the administrative language are related to the specificities of the sphere of usage of this language variety. Statistical studies revealed that the vocabulary of administrative style is not varied

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compared to the vocabulary of other styles. For this reason, lexical renewal does not occur at a very rapid pace in this field of language usage.

INTRODUCTION

Language is constantly changing under the influence of social circumstances and other languages; these changes are most clearly visible in the lexical layer. The lexicon is the most sensitive to any changes in public life, since words are needed to name new things. In describing the renewal of the Lithuanian lexicon, Algirdas Sabaliauskas vividly characterized it as follows: “the language’s lexicon constitutes a living, constantly changing, extraordinarily complex organism. Its functioning requires ever-new words which, like new cells in an organism, replace words that are no longer needed and have already fulfilled their purpose” (Sabaliauskas 1966: 114). Rita Miliūnaitė (2015) states that the rapidly renewing lexicon has been discussed in Lithuanian for several decades (cf. Rudaitienė, Vitkauskas 1998; Mikelionienė 2000a: 15–21; Girčienė 2005; Vaicekauskienė 2007). This renewal of the lexicon is a continuous process: it takes place all the time, sometimes more intensively, sometimes slowing down; periods of more intensive change depend on the development of society.

In the 21st century, as the world undergoes globalization and the technological revolution continues, these social processes are also reflected in the rapidly changing lexicon.

This article examines changes in the lexicon of one variety of the standard language—the administrative language—at the beginning of the 21st century, compared with the situation at the end of the 20th century. This period was chosen deliberately, since the administrative language is particularly dependent on changes in public life. After Lithuania joined the European Union (hereinafter, the EU) in 2004, documents prepared in Lithuania had to comply with the legal norms established in EU institutional documents, which were most often translated from English. Therefore, the EU acquis was translated into Lithuanian, and Lithuanian documents were harmonized with it.

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The aim of the article is to discuss the main changes that have emerged in the lexicon of administrative language, based on data from documents published in the Register of Legal Acts of the Republic of Lithuania since 2000, and to identify its distinctive features in comparison with the development of Lithuanian vocabulary in general. The study employed analytical, descriptive, and quantitative methods.

THE LEXICON OF ADMINISTRATIVE LITHUANIAN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY

Changes in the Lithuanian lexicon

Lexicologists generally point out that “[t]he composition of the lexicon changes in two directions: first, it undergoes a process of growth, as the vocabulary is continually augmented with new words and new meanings; and second, obsolete or unnecessary words, or individual meanings of words, drop out of the lexicon, that is, a process of word decline and death takes place” (Jakaitienė 2010: 2003). Jurgita Mikelionienė (2000a, 2000b) studied the new vocabulary of the late 20th century using computer tools. According to her research, loans accounted for 59 percent of lexical innovations at the end of the 20th century, native words for 23 percent, and hybrids for 18 percent. The term neologism is generally used when discussing lexical innovations, although it may be understood in various ways. Rita Miliūnaitė states that neologisms are generally considered to be words that have newly appeared in a language or new meanings of existing words; newly emerged abbreviations and newly coined or translated fixed expressions may also be included among neologisms (Miliūnaitė 2015). The new vocabulary of 21st-century Lithuanian has been collected, systematized, and described at the Institute of the Lithuanian Language in the online Database of Neologisms of the Lithuanian Language (hereafter LKND), which has been under development since 2011. This database reflects changes in the Lithuanian vocabulary of recent decades, including its semantic, morphemic, and derivational structures (Miliūnaitė 2018). The LKND not only records neologisms but can also serve as a source for various scholarly studies (see Aleksaitė 2019, 2021; Murmulaitytė 2016, 2019, 2020).

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Innovations in the lexicon of administrative Lithuanian

When discussing the lexicon of administrative language, it is necessary to describe its distinctive character. Vida Žilinskienė, who studied the lexicon of administrative language using statistical methods, states that administrative style is characterized by much less lexical variety than other styles of Lithuanian, with the same words recurring more frequently. Words do not have emotional connotations. In administrative style, in addition to general concepts, words most commonly name governing institutions and various organizational structures, people and their positions, types of documents or their parts, economic concepts, various actions, legal concepts, and matters of economic activity (Žilinskienė 2002).

Having considered the LKND as a possible research source, an attempt was made to determine how much the lexicon of administrative language is represented in this collection of innovations in the vocabulary of Lithuanian as a whole. Based on the fields of use assigned to neologisms in the LKND, 108 neologisms were found tagged as administration, 580 as politics, and 78 as law (law enforcement). Searches for neologisms bearing these tags in the Register of Legal Acts of the Republic of Lithuania (hereafter TAR) showed that of the neologisms in the administration field recorded in the LKND, 27 are used in documents; of those in politics, 10; and of those in law (law enforcement), 16. A considerable proportion of LKND neologisms are used in informal styles and have emotional or expressive connotations, making them unsuitable for administrative language; as can be seen, such neologisms are most numerous in the field of politics. Innovations in administrative language that enter general usage are well established in it and reflect significant changes in the Lithuanian lexicon.

New loans and hybrids in administrative language

Loans are widely used in administrative language. V. Žilinskienė calculated that “[A] significant part of the vocabulary of Lithuanian administrative texts consists of loans. Of the most frequent words in this style, which make up 87.63 percent of texts, 23.15 percent are loans, while among low-frequency words that augment the vocabulary of the language or style, 31.90 percent are loans” (Žilinskienė 2003).

The increase in loans is connected with the influence of other languages, and at the beginning of the 21st century, translations of EU documents have had a particularly strong impact on administrative language. It is usually in these translations that new loans (new meanings and new hybrid formations) first appear, and they subsequently pass into Lithuanian

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documents being prepared. There are not many genuine new borrowings, and there cannot be many, given the specific nature of administrative language (its vocabulary is not diverse, also because of the need for subject-matter precision and the aim of referring to the same concept with the same word, so that the possibility of differing interpretations does not arise); there is a clear tendency to extend the semantics of established international words (Vladarskienė 2019) or to increase the number of hybrid formations1.

With regard to the integration of a borrowing, the process of hybridisation demonstrates the borrowing’s suitability for adapting to the specific features of a new language and becoming established in it. For example, the international word pseudonimas has long been used in Lithuanian with the meaning ‘pseudonym’, while the need in administrative language led, through literal translation, to the emergence of a word family: pseudoniminis, -ė; pseudoniminti, supsedoniminti, pseudomizuoti, pseudoniminimas: Such limited personal data should be capable of being stored <...> as pseudoniminius data in authentic or forged documents EUR-lex, OL L 107, 2020-04-06; Create tools using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to automatically anonymise or pseudoniminti court decisions for reuse EUR-lex, OL C 96, 2019-03-13; The European Border and Coast Guard Agency <...> should take the necessary steps to supsedoniminti all personal data elements that are not necessary for the purposes for which the data are processed, in accordance with the data minimisation principle EUR-lex, OL L 107, 2020-04-06; Establish best practices and technical guidelines for the publication of automatically anonymised / pseudonimizuoto court decisions in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation EUR-lex, OL C 96, 2019-03-13; The Agency shall ensure that technical and organisational measures, such as pseudoniminimas, are implemented to ensure that personal data are processed only to the extent strictly necessary for the purpose of the FADO system’s operation, in accordance with the data minimisation principle, in such a way that a natural person cannot be identified in the FADO system without the use of additional data EUR-lex, OL L 107, 2020-04-06. The related neologisms mentioned above will become firmly established in administrative language if a law is adopted whose draft defines the concept Pseudonymisation of health data – the processing of health data where these data

1 The relationship between hybrids and borrowings is debatable and often depends on the direction of research, since in theory all borrowings to which Lithuanian endings have been added could be considered hybrids; adjectives with Lithuanian suffixes are considered hybrids, while verbs are all hybrids, as they are used only with Lithuanian suffixes.

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changed so that the identity of the data subject can no longer be established, directly or indirectly, without using additional information that is stored separately from the health data and is subject to technical and organisational safeguards against being linked to the health data TAR, 2021-08-16, No. 17579.

Kitas pavyzdys galėtų būti Tarptautinių žodžių žodyne (2013) fiksuotas žodis fasili­tacija, tačiau TAR jo rasti nepavyko, bet administracinėje kalboje vartojama bendrašaknių žodžių fasilituoti, fasilitavimas, fasilitatorius: Vykdydamas Nuostatų 9 punkte nurodytas JST veiklas, pareiškėjas įsipareigoja įgyvendinti šiuos reikalavimus: <...> suteikti mentoriaus paslaugas priimančioms organizacijoms fasilituoti vidurio ir galutinį kuratoriaus (-ės) įsivertinimus su savanoriais TAR, 2020-02-11, Nr. 2973; Fasilitavimas – sumanios specializacijos sričių poreikių, verslui ir visuomenei aktualių problemų nustatymas ir analizė, idėjų, padedančių spręsti šias problemas ir turinčių potencialą naujoms technologijoms, produktams ar paslaugoms sukurti, formulavimas, idėjų įgyvendintojų, partnerių paieška ir idėjų įgyvendinimo organizavimas, ekspertinė pagalba pagal idėjas rengiamų paraiškų autoriams dėl tyrimų, technologijų, produktų ar paslaugų tobulinimo strategijos, technologijų perdavimo, finansavimo paraiškų rengimo TAR, 2018-07-25, Nr. 12386; Klasterio fasilitatorius – asmuo, kuris padeda klasterio nariams suprasti ir nustatyti jų bendrus tikslus ir juos pasiekti. Surasti bendri tarpsektorinio bendradarbiavimo sąlyčio taškai ir jų plėtojimas, aktyviai veikiant klasterių fasilitatoriams, padeda klasterio nariams efektyviau kurti produktus ir (arba) paslaugas TAR, 2017-10-12, Nr. 16171.

With regard to the formation of hybrid neologisms, so-called pseudo-compounds are distinguished, whose first component is not used as a separate word; compounds with micro- and macro- are particularly characteristic of administrative language, for example: Models should be properly aligned and calibrated to ensure that they are suitable not only for analysing conventional financial risk macroveiksnių and mikroveiksnių but also non-financial risk factors EUR-lex, OL C 57, 2019-02-013; Among the main characteristics associated with biodiversity are the production area and the associated territory-specific makroaplinkos and mikroaplinkos conditions, as well as the natural production sites (livestock-rearing, cheese-making and maturation premises) EUR-lex, OL C 216, 2019-06-27; Contemporary management research is conducted by integrating knowledge from other social sciences about micro- and makroaplinkos factors that affect

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understanding the development processes of organisations and social systems and the adoption of management decisions TAR, 2021-09-30, No. 20468; To address the adverse impact of the major transformations that Union societies and the labour market will undergo over the next decade, investment is needed in human capital, social infrastructure, mikrofinansavimą, the financing of ethical and social enterprises, and new social-economy business models EUR-lex, OL L 107, 2021-03-26; Mikroteršalų assessment, design and implementation of treatment technology alternatives TAR, 2021-03-01, No. 4085; Statistical microdata on accidents at work mikroduomenys and metadata are submitted to EUROSTAT in accordance with the procedures and deadlines laid down in the Regulation TAR, 2016-08-11, No. 22263; Enable exchanges of European countries’ export and import mikroduomenų between EU countries, reducing the administrative burden on businesses and producing accurate statistics through the introduction of technical measures for foreign trade statistics TAR, 2021-03-17, No. 5318.

Paradoxically, compounds with the first element euro- did not become widespread in Lithuanian administrative language after Lithuania joined the EU. Although the European vocabulary “Eurovoc” (EUROVOC) includes 10 nouns (6 borrowings and 4 hybrids) with this element, TAR data show that these neologisms did not gain currency in Lithuanian administrative language, for example: eurodoleris (0)2, eurokorpusas (0), eurokreditas (1), euroraketa (0), eurorinka (3 occurrences as a symbolic name), euroskepticizmas (0), eurotinklas (0), eurotunelis (0), eurovaliuta (0), except for the compound euroobligacija (used in 90 documents since 1997). Thus, of the ten neologisms with the element euro- listed in the European vocabulary, only one has taken root and is used in administrative language.

Neologisms in administrative language

There are not many neologisms in administrative language; only systematic neologisms, formed according to typical word-formation models, are possible.

In administrative language, it is often necessary to designate hierarchical relationships between separate parts, and derivatives with the prefix sub- are well suited to this purpose. The meaning of this word-formation type is “a thing (part, type) of a smaller scale than the thing (whole, genus) denoted by the base word” (ŽDV); the prefix can also be added to

2 The number of TAR documents in which the neologism is used is indicated in parentheses.

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both with a Lithuanian word and with a borrowing, for example: Submeasure – a component part of a measure TAR, 2012–02–29, No. 00487 (since 2009, TAR has been found in 45 documents3); Upon receiving funding, the provider or project implementer undertakes to publicize the project being carried out and indicate the source of funding – <...> the municipality and programme, subprogramme, under which the project (activity) was funded and implemented TAR, 2020–02–14, No. 3387 (since 1999, TAR has been found in 159 documents); The project is carried out by dividing activities into smaller, easily manageable units —subprojects, for which separate sets of operational requirements are established. Each subproject has a defined work objective and scope TAR, 2020–01–14, No. 537 (since 2006, TAR has been found in 25 documents).

A derivative with the prefix sub-, subeffect, is used in a similar sense: “a smaller taxonomic unit or simply a section that forms part of a larger unit or section denoted by the base word” (ŽDV): If an activity under a measure is to be funded from different sources of funding, that activity is divided intosubactivities, assigning no more than one source of funding to each TAR, 2021–06–28, No. 14421 (since 2009, TAR has been found in 46 documents).

Among new suffix derivatives, an unusual hybrid, startuolis, may be mentioned: the suffix is added to an international root, but the derivational meaning, “a thing characterized by the property denoted by the base word,” is semantically apt; it refers to a company that has only just started operating: Startuolis – a very small or small enterprise with significant potential for business development based on innovation, operating for no more than 5 years TAR, 2019–04–11, No. 5961 (found in 25 TAR documents since 2017).

Another case confirms the productivity of the suffix -wise: To optimize and improve the efficiency of cultural heritage governance – to carry out the reorganization of institutions responsible for protecting tangible and intangible cultural heritage TAR, 2021–03–17, No. 5318 (since 2011, TAR has been found in 195 documents). The State Data governance information system has been established; divisions with names containing this neologism are appearing in institutions: Strategy and Governance Department, Governance and Analysis Division; the provisions on governance of the strategic management system are enshrined in the Law on Strategic Management of the Republic of Lithuania.

3 The number of documents in which the neologism is used shows that this is not a one-off formation, but a word gradually gaining currency in administrative language.

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Among the few neologisms in administrative language, compounds can be distinguished; this word-formation type is used more often, which also accords with general Lithuanian tendencies in the formation of neologisms. First, mention should be made of the neologism teisėkūra, which has become most firmly established in administrative language (since 2000, it has been found in 5,329 TAR documents): Teisėkūra – a process comprising the declaration of legislative initiatives, the drafting of legislative acts, and the adoption, signing, and publication of legislative acts. <...> Teisėkūros initiative – a proposal to establish new or amend existing legal regulation, specifying the objectives of establishing or amending that legal regulation and its main provisions TAR, Valstybės žinios, 2012-09-22, No. 110-5564. Its spread was determined by the importance of the concept it denotes to the system of legislative acts.

In EU law, alongside teisėkūros, the term neteisėkūros is also used: In all teisėkūros or neteisėkūros measures <...> it is necessary to take into account that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to express ideas that may be considered critical, aggressive, offensive, or controversial EUR-lex, 52021DC0819, 2021-12-01.

Alongside teisėkūros, bendrakūra has also emerged: In assessing this area, the link between the creation of environments and education is emphasized, as is the involvement of participants in the educational process in the bendrakūra of spaces. TAR, 2016-03-29, No. 6439 (since 2017, found in 9 TAR documents).

Various forms of tinklaveika are also becoming established in administrative language (since 2008, used in 102 TAR documents): Kaimo tinklaveika (hereinafter “networking”) – a process of sharing ideas, information, knowledge, practices and experience, and resources among rural development participants, who seek to create added value for rural development in pursuit of a common interest TAR, 2020-11-19, No. 24391; Socialinė tinklaveika – a form of cooperation among social institutions, characterized by vertical and horizontal interaction among structures within the network <...> TAR, Valstybės žinios, 2008-10-23, No. 122-4647; Effective use of public infrastructure resources is ensured by increasing the concentration of cultural services and tinklaveiką TAR, 2021-06-01, No. 12361.

Variants of compounds continue to compete to this day – the older form daugiafunkcinis, -ė (since 1994, found in 1,785 TAR documents) and the shorter, systematically formed neologism daugiafunkcis, -ė (since 2001, found in 2,892 TAR documents): By its nature of activity, a cultural centre is daugiafunkcis – a cultural institution that fosters and disseminates various fields and genres of culture TAR,

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2020-11-30, No. 25592. Initially, this adjective described a device or appliance performing several functions; its meaning was later extended, and the word came to describe buildings or institutions where multifaceted activities take place or which are characterized by such activities, e.g.: complex, centre.

New letter-based abbreviations formed from Lithuanian names are frequently used in administrative language, e.g.: BDAR (General Data Protection Document), found in 318 TAR documents since 2009; BPD (General Programming Document), found in 995 TAR documents since 2001; DUK (frequently asked questions), found in 105 TAR documents since 2005; DVS (document management system), found in 1,124 TAR documents since 2008; LAMA BPO (Lithuanian Association of Higher Education Institutions for Organising General Admission), found in 62 TAR documents since 2003; MTEP (research and experimental development), found in 840 TAR documents since 2003. Letter-based abbreviations borrowed from other languages are used less frequently, e.g.: EASO (English European Asylum Support Office, European Asylum Support Office), found in 11 TAR documents since 2017; NAFO (English Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization), found in 67 TAR documents since 1997; OPEC (English Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), found in 5 TAR documents since 2005; PIF (English Pacific Islands Forum, Pacific Islands Forum), found in 1 TAR document in 2020; WADA (English World Anti-Doping Agency, World Anti-Doping Agency), found in 15 TAR documents since 2002. Syllabic abbreviations resembling words are more common, e.g., ERASMUS, found in 457 TAR documents since 2000.

Changes in word meanings

One of the clearly observable changes in administrative vocabulary is the proliferation of new meanings for international words. The following directions of semantic change in international words are becoming apparent: 1) secondary specialized meanings are aligned with the general primary meaning; 2) international words already established in specialized, more specific meanings begin to denote an extended referent and usually acquire a new figurative meaning, e.g.: segment, start (see Vladarskienė 2019 for further discussion).

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The translation of EU documents has given rise to unusual meanings of Lithuanian words. This is particularly true of the titles of documents and events (or certain procedures). EU realities have extended the meanings of some Lithuanian words; for example, as a document title, review has been supplanted by report (cf. Commission’s report to the European Parliament / Tenth Report / Trade Defence Measures Applied by Third Countries to the European Union report); conclusion has been supplanted by opinion (cf. European Economic and Social Committee’s opinion. Closing the innovation gap).

Names of colours have begun to be used figuratively; these are metaphorical terms translated from English, e.g.: white paper; blue economy, blue growth, blue energy, blue technologies, blue belt, blue zone; grey economy, grey literature; silver economy, black market, blacklist. Translated colour meanings entering Lithuanian through translations of EU institutional documents are understandable and acceptable when there is a clear point of comparison on which the meaning is based, e.g.: blue economy, silver economy. The concept of the adjective green is problematic because it has various meanings. Increasingly, the adjective green is used in administrative language in the sense of “environmentally friendly, in accordance with the laws of nature, harmless to the environment, conserving it, produced from renewable sources”: green accounting, green diplomacy, green energy, green electricity, green enterprise, green (environmental) tax, green product, green revolution, green public procurement, green zone. Another translated meaning of the adjective green—“freedom to perform an action or engage in an activity”—is associated with the semantics of traffic-light colours, e.g.: green card; green light, green wave. Sometimes the Lithuanian and translated meanings are difficult to reconcile; for example, green product can mean either unprocessed or environmentally friendly.

Words or their meanings falling out of use

Due to the rapid development of technology, words naming obsolete technologies and the professions disappearing as a result are falling out of active use: telegraph, teleprinter, telex, typewriter; telegraph operator, teleprinter operator, teletypist, telex operator, typewriter operator, typist. It is true that these words can still be found in TAR documents that carry over provisions regulated in previously approved documents.

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When the online edition of Guidelines for Office Language (KancKP) was updated, only the entries for a few words were supplemented with a note that they are no longer relevant in present-day administrative language. One such word, naming a data storage medium no longer in use, is floppy disk. New terms are beginning to replace some words—for example, document rubric has been replaced by document label; the proposal to call an institution’s structural units division did not catch on, and the word is no longer used in this sense. For ethical reasons, administrative language has begun to avoid the words invalid, invalidity.

The process by which words disappear is much slower and less noticeable than the emergence of new words.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in the lexicon of administrative language are related to its specific nature. Statistical studies have found that the lexicon of administrative style is less varied than that of other styles; consequently, lexical renewal in this sphere of language use is less rapid. The most prominent feature of these changes is the growing number of international words, driven by globalization in general and by the influence of other languages from which EU documents are translated. The meanings of new international words are increasing particularly markedly.

New Lithuanian words also emerge in administrative language, though far fewer than in general usage, because neologisms in administrative language are formed only as neutral terms. Their formation nevertheless follows general tendencies: compounds are more common (e.g., law-making, co-creation, networking); there are specific derivatives formed with hybrid prefixes (e.g., subproject, subprogramme), as well as derivatives formed with purely Lithuanian prefixes (e.g., unlawful law-making, submeasure, impact activity), and suffix derivatives (e.g., startup, governance). New meanings of Lithuanian words also arise through the influence of other languages, as translated, metaphorical meanings (e.g., colours—green, blue, silver), and from the need of administrative language to name objects characteristic of this sphere of language use (e.g., documents—opinion).

As technology develops rapidly, words denoting things and people associated with obsolete technologies are gradually moving into passive use.

EU membership has created new requirements for language as well, since new needs for naming and expression have arisen: new phenomena, concepts, institutions, and titles must be described. This has revealed

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the capabilities of Lithuanian administrative language and its suitability for meeting changing communicative needs.

ŠALTINIAI

EUR-lex – Europos Sąjungos teisės aktų ir kitų viešų dokumentų bazė „EUR-lex“. Prieiga internete: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/lt/index.htm.

EUROVOC – Europos žodynas. Prieiga internete https://www3.lrs.lt/pls/ev/ev.main.

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RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Leksikos pokyčiai administracinėje lietuvių kalboje | 14

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Gauta 2021 12 06

Priimta 2021 12 30

CHANGES OF LEXICON ON LITHUANIAN ADMINISTRATIVE LANGUAGE

Summary

Language undergoes constant changes driven by social circumstances and other languages. These changes are most evident at the lexical level. The article addresses the lexical changes of the administrative language, one of the varieties of the standard language, which took place at the outset of the 21st century. They are compared with the situation of the late 20th century. This period was selected for the study, as it marks the turning point in the development of the administrative Lithuanian language. After Lithuania’s accession to the European Union in 2004, the documents prepared in Lithuania had to comply with the legal norms established in the documents of the EU institutions, which were usually translated from English. Therefore, the EU legislative acquis was translated into Lithuanian, and Lithuanian documents had to be made compatible with it.

The most prominent change that occurred in the vocabulary of the administrative language is the growing number of international words determined by both globalisation and the direct influence of the languages from which the EU documents are translated. New meanings of international words are especially on the rise.

The number of new Lithuanian words is also growing in the administrative language, but this growth is much less significant compared to the general usage, because the neologisms coined in the administrative language are only neutral, but their formation is consistent with the general

BENDRINĖ KALBA 94 (2021)

http://journals.lki.lt/bendrinekalba

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RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Leksikos pokyčiai administracinėje lietuvių kalboje | 16

doi.org/10.35321/bkalba.2021.94.08

trends. Compounds are more common (e.g., bendrakūra, teisėkūra, tinklaveika); there are also specific hybrid prefixed derivatives (e.g., paprojektis, paprogramė) as well as purely Lithuanian derivatives (e.g., neteisėkūra, papriemonė, poveiklė). New meanings of Lithuanian words result from the emerging need of the administrative language to name the objects specific to this particular sphere of language usage (e.g., documents – nuomonė); they are also driven by the influence of other languages; this pertains to translated, metaphorical meanings (e.g., colours – žalia, mėlyna, sidabrinė). The lexical changes taking place in the administrative language are related to the specificities of this particular language variety. Statistical studies show that the vocabulary of administrative style is not as varied as the vocabulary of other styles. For this reason, lexical renewal does not occur at a very rapid pace in this field of language usage, but the changes are essential, as they allow us to decide on the direction in which the development of the overall standard language vocabulary is going to proceed.

KEYWORDS: administrative language, vocabulary, lexical development, neologism, loanword, international word, word meaning.

RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ

Lietuvių kalbos institutas

Petro Vile išio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius

[email protected]

BENDRINĖ KALBA 94 (2021)

http://journals.lki.lt/bendrinekalba

ISSN 2351-7204

Document details