Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys

doi.org/10.35321/term29-06 Causes of Orthographic Variation in Astrological Terminology RAMUNĖ VASKELAITĖ Institute of the Lithuanian Language ORCID id: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6063-9699 A B S T R A C T I O N Although synonymy and variation in terminology are usually distinguished in Lithuanian terminological works, with the latter associated with differences in the form of terms, the causes underlying these two phenomena are often conflated or their differences are not highlighted. The causes of synonymy are discussed more often. This article focuses on the causes of orthographic variation in astrological terminology. The study is based on texts published on websites. KEYWORDS: variation, spelling variants, codified norms, astrology. A B S T R A C T Terms synonymy and terms variation are usually distinguished in the works on Lithuanian terminology, but the causes determining these the two phenomena are often considered as common or the differences between them are not emphasised. Stronger emphasis is placed on the reasons for synonymy. This article focuses on the causes of orthographic variation in astrological terminology. The work is based on texts published in astrology websites. KEYWORDS: variation, orthographic variation, codification, astrology. INTRODUCTION. CONCEPTUAL ASPECTS Different branches of linguistics have their own terminology for naming the phenomena they investigate, but there are also terms that are relevant to most branches of linguistics, even if those terms denote non-identical concepts in them. One such term is variation. This term is used in sociolinguistics, geolinguistics (e.g., Kuprienė et al. 2007; Aliūkaitė et al. 2020), word formation (e.g., Vaskelienė, Kučinskienė 2012; Vaskelienė 2013), stylistics (e.g., Župerka 2012), and is developed in a distinctive way in standard-language 94 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys vartosenos ar normų tyrimuose (pvz.: Miliūnaitė 1995, 2003), kur, pasiremiant sociolingvistine samprata, termino reikšmė neseniai išplėsta iki apimančios ne tik bendrinės kalbos variantus (Miliūnaitė 2009). Ritos Miliūnaitės (2009) monografijoje, taip pat ir Žanetos Čėsnienės (2015) straipsnyje apie leksinius variantus pabrėžiama, kad variantiškumo tyrimus suaktualino ir išplėtė sociolingvistika: XX a. antrojoje pusėje Amerikoje sociolingvistikai pradėjus plėtotis kaip atskirai kalbotyros krypčiai, variantiški kalbos reiškiniai tapo visateisiu mokslinio tyrimo objektu. Struktūrinės kalbotyros objektas yra kalbos sistemos vidiniai ryšiai ir sąveikos, ir tai gerokai ribojo tiriamųjų kalbos reiškinių apimtį, o sociolingvistinė perspektyva leido aprėpti socialinę, geografinę variantų sklaidos analizę, kalbos ir stiliaus normų tyrimus, įskaitant variantų funkcionavimo vartosenoje, santykio su kodifikuotosiomis normomis aspektus (Miliūnaitė 2009: 117–120; Čėsnienė 2015: 163–165). Sociolingvistikoje variantiškumo tyrimai susiformavo į atskirą kryptį – variantų sociolingvistiką (Miliūnaitė 2009: 118), bet čia išplėtota variantiškumo samprata, regis, gerokai palietė ir kitas kalbotyros mokslo šakas. Štai ir Ž. Čėsnienės nagrinėjamas objektas – Europos Sąjungos dokumentų vertimuose besireiškiantys variantai – įvardijamas kaip leksiniai variantai, nors šiuo darbu iš esmės orientuojamasi į skolinių ir jų lietuviškų atitikmenų santykį, kurį leksikologijoje įprasta vadinti sinonimijos, o ne variantiškumo santykiu (pvz.: Palionis 1999: 188–192; Jakaitienė 2010: 127–130). Tokią plačią variantiškumo sampratą mėginama įtraukti ir į terminologiją (pvz.: Stunžinas 2017, 2018). Nevertheless, Lithuanian terminological scholarship has for quite some time employed a narrower conception of variation. The term variants, for example, is used in the 1994 article “Evaluation of Synonymy in Terms of Physics and Technology” (Kaulakienė 1994b). In discussing the diversity particularly characteristic of the initial stage of terminology development, the article mentions synonyms comprising Lithuanian words (e.g., gniužumas and spūdumas), synonyms comprising loanwords and Lithuanian words (e.g., atomas and pirmokas), as well as cases of synonymy arising from the resources of word formation, such as sutapimas, sutaptis and santapa, garinis vežimas, gariškasis vežimas, garo vežimas, garvežimis and garvežys. The article emphasizes that these are not synonyms but variants, explaining in a footnote that some Russian linguists call them absolute synonyms, others doublets, and still others variants, and that the article adopts the term variantai used by V. Danilenko (Kaulakienė 1994b: 52). This would suggest that the distinction between synonyms and variants Terminologija | 2022 | 29 95 in Lithuanian terminology, at least in the term’s emergence, may have been influenced by Russian linguistics, with which close ties existed at the time. However, another article published in the same volume—“The Terminology of Popular Science Articles on Physics in ‘Aušra’” (Kaulakienė 1994a)—suggests that the factors that may have influenced this distinction included not only Russian linguistic scholarship, but also the overlap and intersections of branches of linguistics. The cases discussed there are likewise divided into synonyms and variants, and the distinction is explained as follows: some concept names are morphologically related, such as geležinkelis and geležinis kelias, gelžkelis, ilgis and ilgumas, whereas others, e.g., klystugnė and žaltvykslė, are semantically related (Kaulakienė 1994a: 137). The former are said to constitute morphological variants, while the latter are “something like synonyms.” This points to an intention to use the terms synonyms and variants to distinguish phenomena at different linguistic levels, and perhaps to use the terms of the branches of linguistics that study those levels. In later articles, synonyms and variants are also listed separately (e.g., Kaulakienė 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007); among the latter are terms differing not only in suffixes but also in prefixes or endings (e.g., demagnetinimas and išmagnetinimas; griaustinis and griausmas; abscisa and abscisė), as well as terms with spelling differences (e.g., Džioulio dėsnis, Joulio dėsnis and Džaulio dėsnis), differences in the use of the pronominal form (e.g., atšokusi banga and atšokusioji banga), or other differences (Kaulakienė 2003: 113). A comparison of the two articles mentioned above suggests that the effort to distinguish phenomena at the morphological and semantic levels was not the sole basis for differentiating synonyms from variants. Only one article proposed taking this into account; the other, which notes that Russian linguists call cases such as sutapimas and sutaptis, skystas kūnas and skystimas absolute synonyms or doublets, shows that similarity or difference in meaning is also assessed—an opposition known from lexicology as that between absolute and partial synonyms (e.g., Palionis 1999: 189; Jakaitienė 2010: 127; VLEe). Reconciling these criteria is difficult, since terms with identical meanings may not only be different but may also share formal similarities (e.g., molekulė and molekula), and, conversely, terms sharing formal similarities may differ in meaning or in shades of meaning (e.g., apžiūrėjimo protokolas and apžiūros protokolas, juolab liudytojo parodymas and liudininko parodymas). Thus, in a 2004 article, no attempt is made to draw a strict boundary between synonyms and variants (Umbrasas 2004). The contradictions that arise in this process also encourage the refinement of criteria for distinguishing synonyms from variants, thereby shaping the current conception of term variation 96 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys Thus, Alvydas Umbrasas argues that the criterion of meaning, which posits a boundary between absolute and partial synonyms, is not relevant to terminology, since “both a term’s synonym and its variant denote the same concept”; he concludes that, to distinguish variants from synonyms in terminology, one must instead consider differences in expression, such as spelling, phonetic, morphonological, morphological, inflectional, inflectional-ending, and other differences (Umbrasas 2004: 101). This conception of variation, which is oriented toward expression and, at the same time, toward linguistic levels, takes hold in Lithuanian terminology: synonyms are considered to be different names or terms denoting the same concept, such as memuarai and atsiminimai, failas and rinkmena, plokščioji arka and lėkštasis skliautas (e.g., Stunžinas 2005: 8; Mitkevičienė 2015b: 2; Auksoriūtė 2018: 248), whereas variants are terms or different forms of a term that exhibit various expression differences, classified according to linguistic levels (phonetic or spelling, morphological, syntactic), e.g., humoras and jumoras, Biblija and biblija, krum ply s and krumplis (Mitkevičienė 2004; Zemlevičiūtė 2012: 106). However, cases related to word formation pose difficulties: unlike terms differing in spelling or phonetics, they cannot all be assessed in the same way, because, as the distinction established in word formation between derivational synonyms and derivational variants shows, some may differ in meaning, while others may differ in expression (see Vaskelienė 2013). Therefore, variants in terminology are defined as terms exhibiting only minor differences in expression, while terms distinguished by word-formational formatives are proposed to be treated as synonyms, that is, as cognate synonyms, given their often existing differences in meaning (Umbrasas 2004). Later, they are indeed treated as cognate synonyms, including such terms as elegiškumas and elegingumas, idealizacija and idealizavimas, pajuoka, pajuokimas and išjuokimas, among others (Mitkevičienė 2015b). Nevertheless, there are also cases in which differences associated with derivational devices do not change the essence of the term at all, e.g., klasikinė komedija and klasinė komedija, and these tend to be called variants (Mitkevičienė 2004; see also Stunžinas 2008: 126–128). However, this conception of variation that emerged in Lithuanian terminology is no longer the only one. As a conception prompted by sociolinguistic research gains ground, some terminological studies, as already noted, also begin to apply a broad-ranging concept of term variation, although in the Lithuanian tradition it was the concept of synonymy, rather than variation, that claimed a broader scope, as can be inferred from studies in the stylistic tradition (e.g., Župerka 2010, 2012). Yet, drawing on various works in foreign linguistics, increasingly Terminologija | 2022 | 29 97 The view is increasingly expressed that it is difficult to draw a line between synonyms and variants in terminology and that there is no need to do so; instead, the broader concept of variation, encompassing both synonyms and variants, is applied as a general category (e.g., Stankevičienė 2016; Didžiurgienė, Grigonienė 2019). A broad conception of variation that does not envisage a strict boundary between synonyms and variants would make it possible in terminology to resolve the question of cases related to word formation, but it does not allow for distinguishing features of variation in the expression plane. Foreign-language terminology studies that apply this conception show that it alone is insufficient: variation is subdivided in various ways, drawing boundaries different from those customary in Lithuanian terminology; for example, spelling, terminological, diachronic, and cognitive variants, abbreviations, and so forth are distinguished (León-Araúz et al. 2020). For now, however, as Ž. Čėsienė notes in her article, the concept of variation, being itself variable, apparently depends on the aim of the study: researchers “define variation in whatever way is most convenient for conducting a particular study” (Čėsienė 2015: 133). Lithuanian terminology studies suggest that variation is most often regarded as a measure for assessing whether terminology has become established: both terminology’s synonyms and its variants are used to determine whether the terminology of the field under study is still emerging or has already become established (e.g., Kaulakienė 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007; Zemlevičiūtė 2003; Stankevičienė 2012). If variation and synonymy are equally such measures, distinguishing between them would seem to be of little relevance. But the causes of variation and synonymy are hardly the same. Lithuanian terminology studies would not provide a clear answer to the question of whether these causes are shared. The causes of variation are scarcely examined in them. One might think that examining them is not really an object of terminology as a discipline. Nevertheless, an article published in the previous issue of Terminologija (Vaskelaitė 2021b: 195–201) highlighted the fact that there is at least a whole range of causes of terminological synonymy: the development of a science or its language, which brings forth more terms and, accordingly, synonyms; language contact or the influence of English; terminology planning or standardization, which not only reduce the number of synonyms but also lead to the emergence of new terms; factors related to the creation or use of terms, such as the creation of new terms out of ignorance, dissatisfaction, or distrust; and the addressee factor. One of the most recent articles also raises the influence of functional style (Mitkevičienė 2021). These causes are often mentioned when discussing both synonyms and variants, and are identified before their analysis begins (e.g., Stankevičienė 98 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys 2016); consequently, it is not always possible to say whether they are regarded as causes of synonymy alone or of variation as well. Nevertheless, at least one article suggests that factors such as the desire to name a concept more rationally, the creation of a new term despite existing names, the proposal of terms specific to various terminological approaches or schools, and linguistic interference are considered causes of both synonymy and variation (Kaulakienė 1994b: 53). Causes may be listed not only before undertaking a study of variants and synonyms but also after it; however, conclusions about synonyms and variants are likewise generalized—for example, by stating that the synonyms and variants examined reflect the development of linguistic terminology (Andriuškaitė 2000: 74). It is therefore also not always easy to determine which causes are considered causes of variation and which are causes of synonymy. In general, mentioning the causes of variation and synonymy together would suggest that no distinction is made between them. The apparent commonality of the causes would seem to be confirmed by studies focused solely on variation: they identify the same causes as those of synonymy. For example, after examining terminology from earlier periods, abundant morphological variants are likewise explained by the influence of foreign languages—German and Polish (Zemlevičiūtė 2012: 122); this influence is also cited in a discussion of present-day spelling variants in maritime terminology, though in this case Russian and English are mentioned (Drukteinis 2015). The cause identified by Asta Mitkevičienė would confirm that variation, like synonymy, may arise from terminology planning and standardization: variants indicate an attempt to find more correct forms of terms and to adapt loanwords to Lithuanian more consistently (Mitkevičienė 2004: 140). Since both variants and synonyms are often used to infer that terminology is not yet established, it follows that the lack of established terminology is also a cause of variation. The commonality of the causes would thus seem to be another factor supporting a broad conception of variation. However, some studies also identify one or another more specific cause of variation. For instance, spelling variants found in Varpas, first published in the late nineteenth century (Zemlevičiūtė 2009), as well as spelling variants in Keleivis, published in the early twentieth century (Zemlevičiūtė 2011), are explained by the lack of established spelling conventions—a different matter from the lack of established terminology, which is regarded as a cause of synonymy. Another study on the terminology of historical medicine mentions insufficient attention to expression: “The synonymy and variation of terms testify to the instability of the medical terminology of those years, and, I think, also to the fact that the writers’ main aim was to convey information about diseases, their symptoms and treatment in a popular way and in a manner comprehensible to the ordinary reader Terminologija | 2022 | 29 99 while paying less attention to expression” (Zemlevičiūtė 2018: 194). It is also stated here that some variants may be editorial or publishing errors. Gaps in editing, or perhaps even a lack of editing, are mentioned in an examination of variants found in an early twentieth-century literature textbook (Mitkevičienė 2004: 140), while typographical errors are recorded in works from various periods (e.g., Zemlevičiūtė 2012; Stunžinas 2017, 2018), although they do not seem to be generally regarded as spelling variants. Such particularity in the causes would indicate that a broad conception of variation that does not envisage subtypes and encompasses synonyms would not be a sufficient tool for revealing the specific nature of these causes. In Lithuanian terminology, studies of variation have focused chiefly on terminology from earlier periods, and the causes identified have consequently been based mainly on such material. This study aims to examine the causes of variation in terminology currently in use, selecting one type of variation—spelling variants. The research source consists of 12 astrology websites published online (ananta.lt; antropoteosofineastrologija.lt; astrodaiova.com; astrologe.weebly.com; astrologijosmokykla.lt; dharma.lt; sadhanacentras.lt; uranija.lt; vidineastrologija.lt; wolmer.lt; zachh.lt; zodiakas.com), including the astrology glossaries provided on two of them: Astrologijos terminų žodynėli (ATŽ) and Astrologijos sąvokas (AS). This field and source were selected because spelling variation is a particularly prominent feature of the astrology terminology used on astrology websites. In addition, astrology terminology, based on this source, has already been studied from the perspective of synonymy (Vaskelaitė 2021b), which will make it possible to assess the extent to which variation and synonymy share causes. For comparison, the same period is considered: texts published on astrology websites up to June 20, 2021. The aim of the study is to investigate the causes of spelling variation in the terminology used on astrology websites. Since the aim is to analyze causes, the study does not seek to list every series of variants found in the research sources; this article discusses only the most characteristic cases of spelling variation. 1. VARIANTS IN THE USE OF UPPERCASE AND LOWERCASE LETTERS Spelling variants are a particularly striking feature of spoken terminology, and variability associated with the use of uppercase letters is especially characteristic of it. Attention has already been drawn to this distinctive feature of astrological terminology in studies examining names written with an uppercase letter (Vaskelaitė 2021a, 2022); one of those studies 100 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys (Vaskelaitė 2022) drew specifically on astrology websites. Thus, when discussing this subtype of spelling variation, it remains to assess the cases examined from a terminological perspective and to recall the causes of variable uppercase use that began to emerge from those studies. In addition, the earlier study drew on only seven websites (Vaskelaitė 2021a), whereas the present study uses twelve, so it is necessary to check whether the tendencies and causes of uppercase use that began to emerge are also characteristic of the five additional sources. The relationship between proper names and terms is not entirely clear in Lithuanian scholarly works on terminology. More precisely, there seems to be a tendency to regard as terms only names that contain a personal-name or place-name component. Kazimieras Gaivenis mentioned terms whose secondary component is the surname of an inventor when discussing the grammatical configurations of two-word compound terms and the functions of their secondary components, for example: Fuko švytuoklė, Morzės raktas, Leideno indas (Gaivenis 2014 [1975]: 79). Nevertheless, in a 1994 article discussing problems caused by international nomenclature, the author was inclined to assess cautiously terms found in all fields of science, such as Doplerio greitis, Dekarto koordinatės, Adisono liga, Ebšeino sindromas—they are insufficiently motivated (Gaivenis 2014 [1994]: 217). Attention was also drawn there to their differing treatment in international nomenclature: the use of personal-name terms is prohibited in the international code of anatomical nomenclature, restricted to certain taxa in the international code of zoological nomenclature, and permitted without any restrictions in technical terminology. Laimutė Kitkauskienė (2011), discussing eponymous terms, mentioned names derived not only from personal names but also from place names. Jurgita Mikelionienė (2017) seems to have presented a broader notion of the eponymous term, i.e. she stated that these are names of concepts formed from proper words, but examined only proper names that had become common nouns, or, more precisely, the process by which they become terms, i.e. appellativization. Thus, proper names of non-personal and non-geographical origin tend not to be analyzed as terms. When discussing proper names of astronomical constellations, K. Gaivenis used only the term pavadinimas (name); he did not designate them as terms, and discussed essentially only constellation names used in Lithuania, such as Šienpjoviai, Sietynas, Parplys Kirminėlis, not all of which are still in use (Gaivenis 1990). Nevertheless, although the status of proper names of non-personal and non-geographical origin written with an uppercase letter is unclear in Lithuanian works on terminology, their status as terms is recognized in terminography. For example, in astronomy Terminologija | 2022 | 29 101 terminology dictionaries include names such as Mergelės žvaigždynas, Šaulio žvaigždynas, Jupiteris, Saturnas, Vega, Cerera, Didieji Grįžulo Ratai, etc. (e.g., Straižys 2003); proper names of non-personal and non-geographical origin are also included in other dictionaries. For example, in Krikščioniškosios ikonografijos žodyne one can find Apreiškimą, Nukryžiuotąjį, Paskutinę vakarienę, Paskutinį teismą, etc. (KIŽ 1997). Such names are common in astrology. The names of the seven components of the Zodiac are examples: Avinas, Jautis, Vėžys, Liūtas, Skorpionas, Ožiaragis ir Žuvys. They are of zoomorphic origin. These one-word names only appear to coincide with the names of astronomical celestial bodies, because, as has already been shown (Vaskelaitė 2021a, b), they differ from the names of astronomical Zodiac constellations in meaning, while two-word terms also differ in their head component: the astrological term is not Zodiako žvaigždynas, but Zodiako ženklas; correspondingly, the names Avino ženklas, Jaučio ženklas, and so on, are used. However, all Zodiac sign names—both those of zoomorphic origin and those of other origins (Dvyniai, Mergelė, Svarstyklės, Šaulys, Vandenis)—are written only with an uppercase letter and are therefore not variable with respect to uppercase use. Variation in uppercase use is also uncharacteristic of the horoscope-point names Juodasis Mėnulis ir Baltasis Mėnulis, which function in texts as synonyms of the one-word names Lilit and Selenos, nor of the names Rachu and Ketu, which denote the other two horoscope points and have several variant pairs. The precise circumstances in which a name originated are, of course, assessed not by terminology but by etymology; it is therefore worth noting only that in astrological texts Rachu and Ketu are associated with Indian mythology and explained as parts of a demon: Ketu is said to be the demon’s body, while Rachu is its head (Stonkutė 2020: 168). Another article states that Ketu means “flag” when translated from Sanskrit (Čeremышinas 2015). Such explanations would indicate that these names, too, are not of personal-name origin; nevertheless, in Lithuanian astrological texts they are written only with an uppercase letter, so variation associated with uppercase use is also uncharacteristic of them, although other kinds of variation do occur: four websites use Rahu (Astr, Dh, Vi, W), while one uses Lilith (Za). However, the term Zodiakas is variable: some websites tend to use the lowercase form, others the uppercase form, and some even write both Zodiakas and zodiakas in the same text. Although astrological texts also mention the astronomical Zodiac, in astrology this is divided into twelve parts 102 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys a symbolic structure is formed, which is represented in a circular diagram and is therefore also called the Zodiac wheel. The parts of this symbolic structure are Taurus, Aries, Gemini and other names well known from common usage, but in astrology these are not merely certain generalized character types; they are also parts of symbolic structures associated with corresponding domains. Consequently, the proposal to write the word zodiac with a lowercase letter when used to mean a character type or fate, as recommended on the basis of general usage, has not tended to take root in texts in this field (KB). On the other hand, instances of such spelling do occur, for example: “The Sun travels around the entire zodiac in one year” Aw, and these are cases of variant term expression. The parts of the structure are called Zodiac signs, but this term is also ambiguous: it is also used for character types, which in Western astrology are determined by which Zodiac sign the important astrological planet, the Sun, was in when a person was born. This duality of meaning has been identified as a cause of spelling variation: the association with the Zodiac encourages the term Zodiac sign to be written with a capital letter, whereas the desire to observe language norms may encourage lowercase spelling: zodiac sign (Vaskelaitė 2021a: 18–21). The consistency of spelling evident in some texts may indicate an effort to standardize the spelling. Texts from five additional websites consulted for this analysis confirm the identified tendencies in variation in the term’s spelling: spelling as Zodiac sign predominates on one website, while zodiac sign predominates on three (An, Dh, W); one website uses both forms: Zodiac sign and zodiac sign (Aw). This spelling would also support the observations made about uncertainty in the norms as a factor in spelling variation in astrological names: spelling norms for astrological names have not been codified, and normative works mention only astronomical names. The recommendation to use lowercase for Zodiac sign is given only for the term in astronomy (KB). There are no established spelling norms for other astrological names either. The spelling norms for proper names are oriented toward the object being named (i.e., different spelling is prescribed for astronomical, geographical, and mythological names, on the one hand, and various other names, such as historical names—of historical events and periods—on the other), but the group of astrological names is not mentioned; this lack of codification has been identified as a factor in the variation in spelling names in astrology (Vaskelaitė 2021a). For instance, five additional websites consulted, including the glossaries they contain, show that names such as Ascendentas An, Aw, ATŽ, Zo, Descendentas Zo, Terminologija | 2022 | 29 103 Sinastrija, Steliumas An, ATŽ, Zo, Soliaras An, AS, Vežimas, Sekira, Bisekstilis An, ATŽ, Zenitas, Nadyras Zo are written with capital letters, even though they clearly have the status of terms. On other websites, or even on the same ones, these terms are written with lowercase letters; thus, instances of capitalization might perhaps be explained as oversights, as part of general internet usage, which is characterized by both spelling and proofreading errors. However, an analysis of their use in printed publications also revealed a tendency to capitalize astrology terms (Vaskelaitė 2022), although all the publications analyzed had been edited by language editors. Capitalization of these terms is even more widespread in publications than on astrology websites. Variation was especially evident, however, in the spelling of multiword names in astrology, showing vacillation between two rules for spelling proper names: writing every word in a multiword name with a capital letter (except the generic word), as prescribed for names of astronomical objects or mythological beings, and spelling it according to the more general rule for proper names, under which only the first word of the name is capitalized (Vaskelaitė 2021a, 2022). This variation was most apparent in the spelling of the synonymous terms Rachu and Ketu. Rachu and Ketu have as many as three pairs of synonyms, which are generally all given in texts: Rachu – northern lunar node, Dragon’s Head, ascending (ascending) lunar node; Ketu – southern lunar node, Dragon’s Tail, descending (descending) lunar node. Yet, in addition to extensive synonymy, these cases are also characterized by variation. Instances of variant spelling of the metaphorically derived synonyms Dragon’s Head and Dragon’s Tail are virtually absent from the websites additionally consulted here, except in a glossary on one website, where dragon’s head and dragon’s tail are mentioned once (ATŽ). The terms Northern Node and Southern Node are generally capitalized, apart from obvious spelling errors (which will be discussed in Section 4), whereas another pair of synonyms—ascending karmic lunar node and descending karmic lunar node—is highly variable, with variation involving both capitalization and the number of components in the terms, as well as their syntactic structure. This yields a sequence of variants such as a(A)scending k(K)armic lunar node / k(K)armic a(A)scending lunar node, but texts also abound in instances of term shortening: k(K)armic lunar node, a(A)scending lunar node. The term descending karmic lunar node varies accordingly, and the term karmic nodes is also capitalized, for example: “Thus, first of all, these are K a r m i c 104 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys n o d e cycles” W. Even the main component of these terms, node, which is otherwise written with a lowercase letter, is sometimes capitalized, i.e. Ascending Lunar Node Aw, Zo. The causes of both the synonymy of these names and their variation have already been considered: attempts have been made to explain the synonymy through the convergence of different traditions in Western astrology (Vaskelaitė 2021b: 211); capitalization has been linked to possible Latin influence, since astrological terminology has close ties to Latin; the possibility of influence from other languages has also not been ruled out. The stylistic practice of capitalizing words, especially characteristic of astrology websites, and the spelling traditions for names in astronomy or mythology have also been mentioned (Vaskelaitė 2021a, 2022); however, in the absence of codified spelling norms for astrological names, the lack of such norms may also affect this variation (for more detail, see: Vaskelaitė 2021a, 2022)1. The spelling of other names relevant to astrology can also be linked to uncertainty in the codification of proper-name spelling. For instance, in setting out the rules for spelling proper names, the names of the primordial elements or principles are not mentioned among proper names (LKRS 1992: 54–60), while the additional websites selected for this analysis likewise highlight variation in their spelling: water element, air element, fire element, earth element and Water Element, Air Element, Fire Element, Earth Element Aw, Dh, W, Zo (these terms are not used on one website). Moreover, while the codification of proper-name spelling norms does not mention names of astrological events, it does include groups of names for historical events and holidays, prescribing that such names begin with a capital letter (LKRS 1992: 69). The application of this rule may be a factor in the capitalization of the names of some major astrological events, which astrology texts also refer to as holidays, for example: Spring Equinox, Autumn Equinox Am, Astr, Vi, New Moon Astr, Vi, Venus New Moon Vi, Lunar New Moon Am, and so on (Vaskelaitė 2021a). In general, the spelling of two-word names in astrology texts is more consistent, although it is difficult to determine which rule governs it: the general rule for spelling proper names, which prescribes capitalizing the name, or the rule for spelling astronomical names, which prescribes capitalizing every word in the name except the generic word, for example: Tau square, Grand Cross, Finger of Fate ATŽ, Arabic Part Aw, Year of the Cheetah, Year of the Bull W. On the other hand, the fact that 1 In general, the capitalization of terms is also discussed only in the newer publication on spelling-level norms, which appeared after the sources cited here—the 2022 compendium of spelling rules prepared by Rasūolė Vladarskienė and Palmira Zemlevičiūtė, Lietuvių kalbos rašyba: taisyklės, komentarai, patarimai. Terminologija | 2022 | 29 105 The fact that the writing of two-word names containing a generic word follows two rules for writing proper names may be a factor contributing to their relatively consistent spelling. Nevertheless, examples such as Tau Kvadratas Za, Meilės Burtas or Laimės Fortūna Aw, Dangaus Ugnis, Dieviškieji (Dangaus) Vandenys also occur on websites. 2. VARIANTS RELATED TO THE USE OF THE HYPHEN AND EN DASH Astrology websites show marked inconsistencies related to the use of the hyphen. Unlike the norm for writing astrological names, the norm for writing the hyphen has been codified. Norms at the level of spelling are codified in grammars, spelling rule collections, and resolutions of the State Commission of the Lithuanian Language; the rule in question is set out in the 1992 edition of Lietuvių kalbos rašyboje ir skyryboje (hereafter LKRS), the collection of spelling norms in force during the period analyzed here (LKRS 1992: 54–60). However, this norm, like the norms governing the use of the standard language in general, is primarily oriented toward general usage; consequently, no separate attention is given to the particularities of hyphen use in terms. Nevertheless, discussion of tendencies in hyphen use makes clear that this spelling mark causes uncertainty not only in specialized usage but also in general usage (e.g., Keinys 2005; Gudžinevičiūtė 2012; Drukteinis 2015). Two groups of terms on websites exhibit variants in hyphenation. One consists of compound terms naming the positions of two planets. Their names are single words: conjunction (alignment, conjunction), opposition, square, sextile, trine, etc. The positions of specific astrological planets are named by including the planets’ names. These are written with a hyphen: Jupiter–Neptune conjunction, Jupiter–Saturn conjunction, Neptune–Mars conjunction, Sun–Moon conjunction, Mars–Pluto sextile, Venus–Pluto sextile, Venus–Neptune trine, Mars–Uranus square, and so on. Astr, Aw, Ur, Za, Zo, for example: “But... a Saturn–Pluto and Jupiter–Plato conjunction will form, potentially signifying major transformations in political and economic life and heightened natural forces” Astr. Elsewhere, they are written with an en dash, for example: “On April 12, a Jupiter – Neptune conjunction formed” Antr. The LKRS, which sets out the rules for writing hyphens, does not discuss such cases of writing proper names. In discussing hyphenation, the focus is mainly on names formed from common 106 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variant(i)škumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys nouns, such as lecture–concert or concert–improvisation (preferably improvisation concert); the use of a hyphen between adjectives is also discussed, e.g., interrogative-relative pronouns, socio-economic system (LKRS 1992: 54–56). Personal names are also mentioned, such as Stuoka-Gucevičius, Kymantaitė-Čiurlionienė, as are country names, e.g., Čečėnija–Ingusija (LKRS 1992: 56–57), but proper nouns used in the genitive are not mentioned. In discussing the writing of common nouns, it is stated that nouns used in the genitive cannot be linked with a hyphen: “<...> genitives of nouns functioning as homogeneous modifiers but not denoting a single concept are likewise joined not by a hyphen, but by the conjunction and (or as well as), e.g., cellulose and paper factory (not cellulose–paper factory) <...>” (LKRS 1992: 55). Applying the analogy to proper nouns, one would conclude that Jupiter and Neptune conjunction should be written. However, only the individual names Jupiter and Neptune, taken separately, would not denote a single concept, whereas the full name Jupiter–Neptune conjunction refers to one of the conjunctions formed by astrological planets (cf. also Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, Neptune-Mars conjunction, Sun-Moon conjunction, etc.); thus, it denotes a single concept, and such an understanding or interpretation of the rule may be a factor behind spelling variation. Meanwhile, the impetus to use an en dash when writing these names for planetary positions may be that some resemble names indicating a starting and ending boundary. One such example is the name of the opposition Jupiter–Neptune opposition. Names formed with the word axis do indeed indicate a starting and ending boundary, such as the names denoting axes that may be drawn on a horoscope: Capricorn – Cancer axis, Leo – Aquarius axis, Aries – Scorpio axis, Virgo – Pisces axis Antr, Astr, Vi, Za, Zo, Gemini – Sagittarius signs axis, are more correctly written with an en dash, e.g.: “This eclipse will occur on the Gemini – Sagittarius signs axis, highlighting conflicts in worldviews and differences of interest within collectives and between states” W; “The Virgo – Pisces axis has strong potential, which can be unfolded through the virtues of this axis: order, cleanliness, chastity, sobriety, clarity <...>” Antr. But on a website that writes names such as Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, Neptune-Mars conjunction and so on with a hyphen, axis names are also written with a hyphen, e.g.: “The trends for the coming year will become apparent as early as December 2020, when two more distant planets—Jupiter and Saturn—move into Aquarius and several eclipses will form on the Sagittarius-Gemini axis” Astr. In Lithuanian spelling treatises, the use of the en dash was still relatively recently quite unclear. Until Terminologija | 2022 | 29 107 2022, when Lietuvių kalbos rašyba: taisyklės, komentarai, patarimai, prepared by Rasuolė Vladarskienė and Palmira Zemlevičiūtė, was published, this dash was regarded more as a punctuation mark than a spelling mark, since the spelling rules collection in force up to that point (LKRS) discussed only the hyphen in the section Rašyba, while the en dash was mentioned only in the section Skyryba. In keeping with this distinction, these variants too would probably have had to be discussed as punctuation variants rather than spelling variants. In the new spelling rules collection, however, this dash is discussed as a spelling mark and, moreover, in detail, under the name “range dash” (Vladarskienė, Zemlevičiūtė 2022: 241). Until then, only a brief rule had been formulated: “An en dash is written between two or more words or numerals denoting the boundaries of the place, time, quantity, or order of things and phenomena” (LKRS 1992: 234). The rule was illustrated only with examples such as diesel train Vilnius – Klaipėda, Surviliškis – Upytė – Panevėžys dirt road, Russian – Lithuanian dictionary, 1918 – 1919, 1 – 3 degrees below zero, etc. (LKRS 1992: 234). Thus, the question of how to write the names discussed here was not sufficiently clear, and the variations found on websites may reflect that uncertainty. Furthermore, as Stasys Keinys (2005) noted in his article, perhaps because of printing conventions, spaces were left before and after the dash in the LKRS examples. As can be seen, such spaces are also left when writing the names under discussion on astrology websites, which would indicate an effort to observe codified spelling norms. The writing of an en dash or hyphen in terms, and especially in astrology terms, is not discussed in the LKRS, apparently because the standardization of terminology is considered the responsibility of terminologists and terminographers. But the standardization and terminography of astrology terms are also challenging issues. There are no dictionaries of Lithuanian astrology terms, and international-word dictionaries, even the most recent one (TŽŽ 2013), tend to include only astronomy terms. One of the studies already published suggests that the reason may be an attitude toward astrology that is evident at least in encyclopedic publications: it is regarded as fortune-telling and superstition (Vaskelaitė 2020). In addition to the spelling variants discussed here, examples using a conjunction also occur on websites: Jupiter and Neptune conjunction, Jupiter and Saturn conjunction, Mercury and Saturn conjunction, Mars and Neptune square, Sun and Moon conjunction, Mars and Sun opposition, Moon and Sun opposition, Selena and Lilith opposition, Moon and Neptune square, Moon and Uranus sextile, Leo and Aquarius axis. Moreover, since terminology is used more freely on astrology websites than in scholarly texts, even more varied forms of expression occur, 108 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantų astrologijos terminijoje priežastys e.g.: conjunction of the Sun with Uranus Ur, union of Venus with the Sun Am, opposition of the Moon with Mercury Dh, union of Neptune into the Sun Ur. But they may also be instances of textual usage (for more on textual usage, see Mitkevičienė 2015a). 3. CASES OF VARIATION NOT PROVIDED FOR BY SPELLING NORMS Codified spelling norms do not provide for variants in the use of a dash or hyphen, but some cases of variation are anticipated when spelling-level norms are given. These are different ways of writing a numeral: a number may be written as a word or as a numeral, and the numeral may be either Roman or Arabic; suffixes may be added to an Arabic numeral (LKRS 1992: 80). Terms containing a numeral component are not the most characteristic type of term, and are therefore also uncommon in astrology texts. One group stands out here—the names of the twelve divisions of an astrological chart. They are called houses or homes, and this term, as has already been noted, is far from settled: both horoscope houses and horoscope homes are used, as are astrological homes or astrological houses; the short forms houses and homes are also used (Vaskelaitė 2020: 155). Thus, these are synonymous terms denoting specific house divisions, but they also exhibit variation in the writing of numerals, as well as other features of variation. The sets of variants consist of the following forms: first house – First house – I house – 1 house – 1st house, and correspondingly second house, etc. One website also uses a form not provided for by codified spelling norms, namely a Roman numeral with a suffix: I-th house or I-th house Zo, etc. (the relationship between spelling variants and spelling errors is discussed in more detail in Section 4 of this study). Spelling norms provide not only for writing numbers as numerals, but also for abbreviating words or names. In the works of foreign authors, where a broad conception of variation is applied, abbreviations are mentioned as a separate subtype of variation (e.g., León-Araúz et al. 2020). Lithuanian terminology studies do not discuss this type of variation, so it would be difficult to decide whether cases in which an English abbreviation is given alongside a Lithuanian term or name should be regarded as variants or synonyms, e.g.: Single Euro Payments Area and SEPA (from Single Euro Payment Area); transferable account and NOW account (English negotiable order of withdrawal). In astrology, however, several abbreviations are used that belong to the same language Terminologija | 2022 | 29 109 as the name being abbreviated, and they could be considered spelling variants. Such abbreviations probably occur in texts in this field because of the influence of astrological charts—horoscopes—presented in them. In an astrological chart, the most important points are marked with special symbols, and some with symbolic abbreviations. The points ascendant and descendant, which connect the horizontal axis of the circle, are marked Asc, Dsc, respectively, while the points connecting the vertical axis, whose names function as Latinisms in Lithuanian astrology terminology, Medium Coeli and Imum Coeli, are marked MC and IC, respectively. However, abbreviations of all four names are also used in texts; the latter two even more often as the primary variants, e.g.: “IC corresponds to midnight, MC to noon”; “This is the I house—Asc, the IV house—IC, the VII house—Dsc, and the X house—MC” Zo; “The midpoint of Venus and Jupiter joins MC” Aw. Thus, a term and its abbreviation form spelling variants: ascendant (Ascendant) and Asc, descendant (Descendant) and Dsc; Medium Coeli and MC, Imum Coeli and IC Am, An, Antr, Astr, Za, Zo, AS, ATŽ. These methods of abbreviation are also mentioned in publications that set out spelling norms. The most recent of these provides a classification of abbreviations that would allow the first group to be identified as symbolic abbreviations (Asc, Dsc), and the second as alphabetic abbreviations (Vladarskienė, Zemlevičiūtė 2022: 208–229). Thus, the use of abbreviations on astrology websites, like most of the ways they write the numeral component of a term, appears to conform to language norms and to reflect an effort to observe them. However, on some websites the abbreviations Asc and Dsc are written as ASC and DSC, e.g.: “If Chiron is conjunct ASC, a person may have a scar on their face”; “Also, in the horoscope of a successful person, these stars are conjunct the ASC and MC of their natal horoscope” Aw. But it is doubtful that this could be regarded as a spelling error or oversight—the capitalization may reflect a reasoned effort to standardize the abbreviations denoting the four most important points of the horoscope, i.e., ASC, DSC, MC, and IC; cf.: “Be sure to pay attention to which house of the horoscope the eclipse occurs in, and whether it touches important points of the horoscope (ASC, DSC, MC, IC) <...>” Aw. 4. THE INFLUENCE OF THE MEDIUM OF LANGUAGE USE In addition to the spelling variants discussed, websites contain obvious spelling or proofreading errors. In Lithuanian terminology, the relationship of both spelling and proofreading errors to variants is not sufficiently clear. The latter do not seem to be regarded as variants, although it is also observed that distinguishing them from variants 110 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variant iškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys nėra paprasta (pvz., Mitkevičienė 2004: 125). Kitur, išnagrinėjus variantus, nurodoma, kad kai kurie iš jų gali būti leidybinės ir redakcinės klaidos (Zemlevičiūtė 2018: 194). Tačiau dar kebliau brėžti ribą tarp rašybos klaidų ir rašybos variantų, o terminų ar pavadinimų rašymas, taikytas laikotarpiais, kai rašybos normos dar tik formavosi ir nebuvo nusistovėjusios, jos ir neleistų brėžti. Todėl tyrinėjant praeities laikotarpių terminiją kaip variantus įprasta minėti, pvz., ne tik pavardės rašymo variantus, tokius kaip Džaulio dėsnis ir Joulių dėsnis, Clarko elementas ir Klarko elementas, Omo dėsnis ir Ohmo dėsnis (Kaulakienė 2003: 113), bet ir tokius atvejus kaip kalambūras ir kalamburas, natūralistinė drama ir naturalistinė drama, formos tobulumas ir formos tobulumas, satyrikas ir satirikas (Mitkevičienė 2004: 127). Vis dėlto dabartiniu lietuvių bendrinės kalbos raidos tarpsniu, kai ilgumo ir trumpumo žymėjimo normos yra kodifikuotos ir perteikiamos kiekvienoje bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje, aiškinti pastarųjų atvejų rašybos normos nebuvimu ar nusistovėjimu nebūtų kaip, taigi, net jei terminologijoje tokie atvejai ir galimi aptarti kaip rašybos variantai, jų priežastys yra kitos nei rašybos formavimasis, jos normų nebuvimas. Šiame darbe emusiomis ryškėti priežastimis – kodifikacijos neaiškumais ar jos numatomais variantais – skirtingo balsių ilgumo žymėjimo irgi nėra kaip aiškinti. Kaip apibendrintą neatitikties kodifikuotosioms rašybos lygmens normoms, kurios yra nusistovėjusios ir nenumatančios rašybos variantų, priežastį būtų galima minėti kodifikuotųjų bendrinės kalbos normų nesilaikymą, o konkretesnė priežastis aiškės iš terminų vartojimo konteksto aptarimo. The medium in which astrological terms are used in this case is websites. Both proofreading errors and deviations from codified norms of spelling, punctuation, and other levels of language occur on all websites, including in the glossaries of terms presented on two of them—AS and ATŽ, e.g.: “Since Pluto is always oriented toward thought (= massive), social phenomena, in this case it may highlight diseases of collective alienation—the loss of connection with the Earth (nature), which we are in the process of destroying” Vi; “Things are not so simple with horoscope houses, and among other things for that reason (= and, among other things, for that reason), there are really quite a few systems of astrological houses (at least over 30)”; “<...> in the past this planet was taken into account when determining vocational (= vocational) orientation” Zo; “The press and Hollywood continue their attacks on Trump to this day, but they have all long since understood that this is a personality with whom (= a personality with whom) one has to reckon”; “In addition, Jupiter (= In addition, Jupiter) in the second house often indicates great financial success” Ur; Terminologija | 2022 | 29 111 “These are (= These are) the kinds of relationships that are simply fated, requiring one to repay certain debts, perhaps (= perhaps) from past lives <...>”; “Be careful when buying or selling something—you may (= selling—you may) acquire purchases that are important to you, but later you will probably (= later, probably, you will) be disappointed with them”; “Parents, bosses (= Parents, bosses) may demand too much of you” Aw; “Virgos are perfectionists <...> (= Virgos are perfectionists)”; “The ninth house—distant (= The ninth house—distant) countries, travel (= travel), contacts with foreigners <...>” Zo; “These are the most important houses in the horoscope (= horoscope) and in forecasting” ATŽ. Since proofreading errors and instances of noncompliance with spelling norms occur on all websites, this feature can be associated with the medium in which the terms are used—the internet, specifically websites. This assumption is supported by texts from printed publications—books, journals, and calendars—presented on some websites (Antr, Dh, Sa, W). In these, both proofreading and spelling errors are avoided altogether. Publications are edited by language editors and proofread before printing, which helps prevent proofreading and spelling errors. Research also reveals that the language used in the online (electronic) medium differs in this respect (e.g., Miliūnaitė 2008, 2010, 2018), even though Lithuanian authors have been reluctant to choose this medium, which has existed for quite some time, as one of the first objects of linguistic study. Astrology websites nevertheless vary greatly in the number of proofreading errors and in their conformity with codified language norms of spelling and punctuation: some contain few errors, others have more errors in only some texts, while some, in terms of conformity with the norms of standard language, could be considered to have approached the margins of standard language. This discussion does not attempt to determine how much disregard for codified standard-language norms is deliberate and how much is due to lack of knowledge, since that would require applying other research methods (e.g., a questionnaire survey), but one cause is obvious—lack of attention to form. For example, a hyphen is used instead of a dash, e.g.: “Fire signs—Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius”; “The fifth house—hobbies and talents” Aw; “Uranus-planet of change, eccentricity, novelty, revolutions, and upheavals”; “Opposition- also a disharmonious aspect <...>” Zo. Elsewhere on the same websites, a dash is used, which shows that the use of a hyphen is not a feature arising from a non-Lithuanian computer keyboard, e.g.: “The sixth house — health, routine, diet, or daily work” Aw. Such differences even emerge in adjacent sentences, e.g.: “The first 112 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantiškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys house (home) cusp is called the Ascendant, the cusp of the fourth house—IC (Imum coeli), the cusp of the seventh house- Descendant, the cusp of the tenth house—MC (Medium coeli)” Zo. No space is inserted before or after punctuation marks, or, conversely, spaces are left where they are not needed, e.g.: “Lunar nodes -the points where the Moon’s orbit intersects the ecliptic.]as it moves, the Moon is sometimes south and sometimes north of the ecliptic. The point where the Moon crosses from the southern to the northern part of the celestial sphere is called the ascending lunar node (or the North Node, or the Dragon’s Head), and vice versa- from the north to the south-Descending (or the South Node, or the Dragon’s Tail)” Zo. It is understandable that such features of language use also affect the use of terms or names. For example, names of astrological houses, already discussed, are also written with proofreading or spelling errors, e.g.: “And the second ruler of the fourth house is Jupiter, which is in the 2 -nd (= 2nd) house of finances” Ur. The use of the dash and hyphen in writing the previously discussed names of planetary positions (aspects) and horoscope axes, such as Sun-Moon opposition, may be associated with uncertainties in codification; however, no Lithuanian spelling rule provides that a space should be inserted on only one side when using a dash or hyphen. Therefore, isolated instances found on some websites, such as Sun –Uranus conjunction or Sun –Pluto conjunction, can only be explained by carelessness or lack of attention to form. Cases that should be explained as spelling errors, rather than spelling variants, are usually revealed by a narrower or broader context. For example, on one website the main component of the term lunar nodes is written with a capital letter, but both elsewhere on that site and in other texts on it, as well as on websites generally, the term is written with only its first letter capitalized, e.g., “The Lunar Nodes are interpreted differently. In Western astrology, the axis of the lunar nodes symbolizes the connection between a person’s individual evolution and the evolution of the surrounding world. A person participates in evolution, drawing on inner experience; the lunar nodes indicate a person’s tasks as a member of society. The lunar nodes are associated with karmic aspects. Astrologers believe that the lunar nodes symbolize our path of development” Zo, so it is clear that this isolated instance of capitalization (Nodes) arose from inattention and lack of attention to form. Compare also the sole instance of the main component of the term Black Moon being written with a lowercase letter: “He spoke about the Black Moon Lilith, which that day left in peace all the Scorpios who deeply hide their grievances within themselves and moved into the constellation Sagittarius. By the way, most painfully (= By the way, most painfully) Lilith bites when leaving a sign, so it is very possible Terminologija | 2022 | 29 113 …thing, that the few days before Valentine’s Day may have been particularly difficult for many Scorpios, or those (= those), whose Black Moon was in that sign at the time of their (= sign at the time of their) birth” Zo. A language-use environment characterized by such features may, of course, raise the question of how suitable it is as a research source for studying spelling variation. If the same lack of attention to expression were characteristic of all astrology websites, it would not be useful to examine the terminology used there from the perspective of spelling variation; however, only a couple of websites and some texts published on other websites stand out in this respect. The spelling tendencies of astrological names reviewed here were identified on the basis of neither those websites nor those texts. On the other hand, most of the tendencies highlighted here—namely, the tendency to write the numeral component of a term in one or another way allowed by spelling rules, the tendency to write an entire term as an abbreviation, and the tendency to capitalize certain astrology terms, with capitalization being used passively—are also confirmed by a couple of websites distinguished by exceptional inattention to expression. This would indicate that the causes of spelling variation in terms used in astrology texts are not only the environment in which the terms function, but also a factor that emerged in the first two sections of this study: uncertainties associated with codification. Incidentally, the tendency to capitalize astrology terms is also confirmed by material from astrology publications in print examined by the author of this article. CONCLUSIONS Lithuanian terminology studies do not generally examine the causes of variation separately, and existing studies of the expression of variation focus mainly on historical terminology. In examining it, spelling instability is most often cited as a cause. Indeed, Lithuanian spelling norms took shape gradually, and at certain historical periods they did not yet exist. However, it is difficult to speak of spelling instability at the beginning of the 21st century, when spelling rules have been established, are taught in secondary school, and spelling norms, like other norms of the standard language, are codified in normative works covering the level of spelling. Thus, the analysis of the spelling of terms on astrology websites carried out here also reveals factors of variation other than spelling instability. As it becomes clear, some inconsistencies in writing are caused by the language-use environment and the lack of attention to expression found within it. Printed publications are generally edited by language editors, and their proofs are read, which helps prevent spelling and proofreading errors, and this 114 Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Rašybos variantškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys helps prevent spelling or proofreading errors. The online environment, and websites in particular, is a domain of language use in which the publishing or editorial stage of posting texts is not necessarily applied, while the level of written-language use varies; this is reflected in the spelling of terms as well. One instance of spelling variation—namely, the variation in the expression of the synonymous terms Rachu (Rahu) and Ketu—encourages us to link variation to the synonymy of these two terms and, consequently, to the causes highlighted by an earlier study of synonymy, which showed that these astrology terms reflect the intersection of several different Eastern traditions. This study does not rule out previously considered causes of variation (associated with capitalization), such as the influence of Latin or other languages currently in use; however, the extent to which these truly determine the capitalization of astrological names and its fluctuations could be established by other kinds of research, for example, a comparative study of texts in several languages. The analysis of spelling tendencies on Lithuanian astrology websites carried out here reveals links between those tendencies and codified norms of the standard language: capitalization varies most in the field under study, yet even where capitalization is prescribed—namely, for writing proper names with a capital letter—the group of astrological names is not distinguished, nor are such names mentioned; the use of hyphens and dashes varies considerably, but the codification of hyphen and dash usage also raises uncertainties; the writing of numerals in terms varies, yet the codification of number writing provides for spelling variants; abbreviations are written in several ways on astrology websites, but several ways are also recorded in publications setting out spelling norms. This correspondence would suggest that websites seek to observe codified spelling norms, and that a possible cause of variation is uncertainty associated with codification. When spelling norms are established, astrology terms or names are not discussed; thus, the cause of spelling variation may be not only these uncertainties but also the lack of codification of spelling norms for astrological names. A factor that could reduce variation would be publications intended to standardize the vocabulary of specialized fields—terminological dictionaries—but no dictionaries of astrology terms are compiled, while dictionaries of international words include only astronomy terms. Attitudes toward astrology may have an influence on this. Only one type of terminological variation has been examined here—spelling variation. Nevertheless, this alone shows that astrology terminology varies considerably in terms of spelling. An earlier study using the same sources Terminologija | 2022 | 29 115 The study of the terms used did not reveal a high degree of synonymy among them, apart from certain terms, which would prompt the question of whether synonymy and variation really do provide an equally reliable basis for determining whether terminology is established or unsettled. However, this would require examining other types of variation as well. The fact that both synonymy and variation were studied on the basis of the same websites, yet no high degree of synonymy was found while orthographic variation was fairly extensive, would suggest that the medium in which terms are used has a greater influence on the latter phenomenon. That the causes of orthographic variation and synonymy differ is further indicated by another cause revealed by this study—uncertainties in codification relating to the spelling of terms and names. ŠALTINIAI INTERNETO SVETAINĖS Am – www.astrologijosmokykla.lt An – www.ananta.lt Antr – www.antropoteosofineastrologija.lt Astr – www.astrodaiva.lt Aw – https://astrologe.weebly.com Dh – www.dharma.lt Sa – www.sadhanacentras.lt Ur – www.uranija.lt Vi – www.vidineastrologija.lt W – www.wolmer.lt Za – www.zachh.lt Zo – www.zodiakas.com INTERNETO SVETAINĖSE TEIKIAMI ŽODYNĖLIAI AS – Astrologijos sąvokos: www.zodiakas.com ATŽ – Astrologijos terminų žodynėlis: www.ananta.lt LITERATŪRA Aliūikaitė Daiva, Mikulėnienė Danguolė, Čepaitienė Agnė, Brazaitienė Laura 2020: Lietuvių kalbos variantai: tyrėjo ir paprastojo kalbos bendruomenės nario perspektyvos, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas. Andriuškaitė Ramunė 2000: J. Balčikonio kalbotyros terminų sandara ir savitumas. – Terminologija 7, 59–75. Auksoriūtė Albina 2018: Informatikos ir kompiuterijos terminijos raida ir sinonimija. – Lietuviškos informatikos ir kompiuterijos terminijos tyrimai, aut. A. Auksoriūtė, J. Gaivenytė-Butler, S. 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Zemlevičiūtė Palmira 2012: Morfologiniai anatomijos terminų variantai XVII–XVIII a. lietuvių leksikografijoje. – Terminologija 19, 105–124. Zemlevičiūtė Palmira 2018: Medicinos terminija prieš 100 metų. – Terminologija 25, 147–200. Župerka Kazimieras 2010: Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos vartosenos variantai. – Kalbos kultūra 83, 348–358. Župerka Kazimieras 2012: Stilistika, Šiauliai: VšĮ Šiaulių universiteto leidykla. 118 Ramunė Vaskelaitė │ Rašybos variantškumo astrologijos terminijoje priežastys REASONS FOR ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIATION IN ASTROLOGICAL TERMINOLOGY Summary Although term variation is distinguished from synonymy in works on Lithuanian terminology, their causes are often mentioned as common. Most often, the prevalence of synonyms and variants is used to determine the formation stage of terminology. However, from the point of view of variation, one often examines the earlier periods, when the terminology was still in the process of formation. This article focuses on the current terminology that is used in online sites and examines one of the types of term variation – the orthographic variation. The astrology sites chosen as a research resource highlight several key aspects of orthographic variation. In online texts, the norms of standard language are not necessarily followed, and this medium is often characterised by spelling, punctuation, and proofreading errors and carelessness in expression, therefore some instances of spelling in astrology websites can be explained by the characteristics of the use of language in this space. An earlier study on synonymy based on the same astrology sites revealed that the terms used in this space are characterised by relatively similar tendencies in terms of synonymy. In this paper, the similarity of the cases of orthographic variation emerges, although in terms of adherence to spelling rules and attention to expression, the twelve researched sources are quite different. Comparing the instances of spelling variants with the codified spelling rules encourages us to pay attention to such a reason for orthographic variation as codification-related uncertainties. Gauta 2022-09-21 Ramunė Vaskelaitė Lietuvių kalbos institutas P. Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius E. paštas [email protected] Terminologija | 2022 | 29 119