ALVYDAS UMBRASAS

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

JONAS KLIMAVIČIUS – THE MOST LEXICOLOGICAL TERMINOLOGIST

On November 26, 2008, linguist Jonas Klimavičius turned 70. On this happy occasion, we would like to celebrate the jubilarian’s work, recall his tireless service guarding the language, and wish this hard worker health and endurance in his demanding work.

The future scholar, who came from Suvalkija (born in Geruliškė, Marijampolė District, he attended the primary school in Višakiškė in the same district and the secondary school in Pilviškiai, Vilkaviškis District), acquired the foundations of language studies at what was then the Vilnius Pedagogical Institute. Encouraged by his teacher Kazimieras Kuzavinis, he plunged into linguistics immediately upon completing his studies (in 1961). The Institute of the Lithuanian Language (until 1990, the Institute of the Lithuanian Language and Literature) became the workplace to which the jubilarian remains loyal to this day. Here he progressed along a demanding path—from junior to senior research fellow—and defended his dissertation (Melioracijos terminų sistema, 1993); he explored and continues to explore various fields—lexicology, lexicography, terminology, terminography, language culture, language history, and the all-encompassing field of grammar. His research and practical work are evident in the abundance of his publications.

First of all, a considerable amount of time was devoted to the foundational lexicographic work, the great Lietuvių kalbos žodynas. Its creators can rightly be proud of having erected a monument to the language. Jonas Klimavičius is one of them. From 1963, he worked for seven years alongside the lexicographers, and later, alongside his other work, for several years he wrote

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Žodyną – yra VIII (1970), IX (1973), X (1976), XIV (1986), XV (1991) tomų bendraautoris – iš viso parašė 270 p. (daug prisidėjo ir prie II tomo 2-ojo leidimo (1969) – parengė per 400 p.). Lietuvių kalbos žodynas kalbininkui yra esminis, giliausias kalbos duomenų šaltinis – tai gerai matyti iš daugumos jo mokslo darbų. Žodynas prisidėjo prie to, kad žodžių pasaulis tapo bene svarbiausia mokslininko aistra, ta patirtis pravertė ir dirbant prie Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodyno – Jonas Klimavičius yra trečio (1993) ir ketvirto (2000) leidimų redaktorių kolegijos narys. 1971 m. pradėtas darbas Terminologijos grupėje (po poros dešimtmečių ji virto Terminologijos skyriumi, o nuo 2003 m. – Terminologijos centru) tik padėjo šiam potraukiui atsiskleisti – palaipsniui gausėjo straipsnių straipsnelių, kol galiausiai jie pilte pasipylė. Terminologijos klausimams mokslininkas iki šiol skiria daugiausia laiko, nors per gerus keturis darbo dešimtmečius turėjo ir tebeturi įvairių mokslinių interesų. Tiesa, jei rašo žodžių istorijos, kirčiavimo, bendrinės kalbos ar kitais klausimais, dažnai nevengia sąsajų ir su terminija. Šalia terminologijos kartu žengia ir kalbos kultūra. Norminimas, klaidų taisymas yra ir terminologo, ir kalbos kultūros specialisto kasdienybė. Kalbos kultūros labui Jonas Klimavičius padarė tikrai daug, todėl redaktoriams, stilistams šis mokslininkas gerai žinomas, jie yra vieni iš tyrėjo darbų adresatų.

The scholar’s research findings, reviews, discussions, proposals, and corrections have appeared in many publications: Lietuvių kalbotyros klausimuose (Acta Linguistica Lithuanica), Kalbotyroje, Baltistikoje, Terminologijoje, Kalbos kultūroje, Mūsų kalboje, Gimtojoje kalboje, Gimtajame žodyje, and others. The editors of Gimtoji kalba are especially pleased to have such a diligent contributor: since 1990, about 400 pieces have appeared in the journal (articles, reviews, answers to questions, brief notes, and so on). Half of them appeared in the widely read “Question Basket” column. They are all pieces of advice on what to correct and how, and how to express things better, more precisely, and more correctly. Editors and other providers of advice (lecturers, language consultants, and others) learn from them. Probably no one else has written so much in Gimtoji kalba. Before this publication was revived, about fifty similar pieces had also appeared in Mūsų kalba. And that is not to mention the many pieces of advice in radio and television language segments... This is one aspect of the demanding work of language standardization, even better illustrated by the numerous (nearly 50) publications in Kalbos kultūra, which mostly analyzed various language problems and proposed ways to address them. A separate book was also devoted to corrections: Terminologijos taisymai (1992), prepared together with Kazimieras Gaivenis, Ange-le Kaulakiene, and Stasys Keinys. Sim-

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ilar error dictionaries had been prepared by language-culture specialists much earlier, but this one was more specialized—the first of its kind and, unfortunately, still the only one.

Jonas Klimavičius initially published his major articles on terminology in Lietuvių kalbotyros klausimai (several issues of this journal were devoted specifically to terminology), while the specialized journal Terminologija, founded in 1994 (its first issue was titled Terminologijos vagos), soon became the main forum for terminologists. More than 20 of the author’s publications have appeared here, and since issue 8 (2001) he has been the journal’s editor-in-chief. A demanding editor. Those who have written for him know. Every article is read attentively and edited carefully; he is generous with comments and suggestions.

Many of the author’s articles examine vocabulary. They most often address issues of terminological lexicon, but not exclusively: vocabulary is often viewed from the broader perspective of the standard language, especially its standardization, with dialects also taken into account; he likes to delve into questions of semantics, origin, and development. The scholar is not without reason in saying that he may be the most lexicological of terminologists. This is evident from his 2005 book, Leksikologijos ir terminologijos darbai: norma ir istorija, which brought together selected, more important articles from the preceding couple of decades. His works defend linguistic purity and devote much attention to the precision and systematicity of terminology.

Jonas Klimavičius can be recognized by his distinctive style: his language is exceptionally rich in words, rare words come to life in his texts, and he coins new ones. He likes to speak sharply, with irony. In his analyses, the researcher often showers the reader with linguistic facts, while sometimes leaving readers to draw the conclusions themselves.

Articles on terminology are only one part of theoretical and practical work in terminology; no less significant are the preparation of terminological dictionaries in teams, the reviewing of such dictionaries, and the expert assessment of terminology standards. The terminologist has written hundreds of pages of reviews and expert assessments. Terminology from various fields has been evaluated, and he has contributed to improving many important terminographic publications, drawing from this a range of ideas for scholarly research. Jonas Klimavičius is a very active member of the Terminology Subcommittee of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language (from 1994 to 2002 he was also a member of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language). At meetings, which the scholar attends well prepared—with materials gathered and proposals carefully considered—countless terms have been discussed, from dictionaries and standards; in recent years, collections of terminology entries from the Republic of Lithuania’s Term Bank have also been added. Terminographic publications are proliferating. For compilers of terminological dictionaries, an experienced reviewer or member of the editorial team is a major

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— Jonas Klimavičius’s name is generally a sign of a reliable terminology dictionary for readers.

It is unlikely anyone could count how many new words, mostly terms, Jonas Klimavičius has brought into use. Many have taken hold, while quite a few are still being tested in usage. Terminology is a field in which a word creator can accomplish a great deal. There is no end in sight to the work...

We wish you a continuing supply of ideas and—most importantly—the strength to put them into practice. Many happy returns, Colleague.

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