doi.org/10.35321/term28-09

Causes of Synonymous Expression in Astrological Terminology

RAMUNĖ VASKELAITĖ

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

ORCID id: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6063-9699

ABSTRACT

Terminological synonymy is one of the most widely discussed issues in terminology. As empirical studies show, it can be both an object of research and a particular aspect of research. When a particular field of terminology use is examined from this perspective, the prevalence of synonyms is often taken to indicate the stage of development that the terminology of that field has reached: whether it is still emerging, advanced, or more or less established. This article, which is also an empirical study, focuses on an object that has attracted far less attention from researchers of terminological synonymy: the causes of synonymy. By discussing typical and atypical cases of synonymous expression in astrological terminology, the article examines the extent to which they can be explained by the set of causes identified in works on terminology, and the extent to which that set could be refined or expanded on the basis of this terminology.

KEYWORDS: terms, astrology, synonyms of terms of different origins, synonyms of terms of the same origin, single-word terms, multi-word terms, textual usage.

ABSTRACT

Synonyms of terms is one of the most widely discussed topics of terminology. As illustrated by empirical studies, it can be both a research object and a certain aspect of research. When addressing one or another field of the use of terms from this perspective, the level of the spread of synonyms is often identified as the factor showing the stage of development in which the terminology of a particular sphere actually is: still developing, advanced or perhaps more or less settled. This article, which is also an empirical study, focuses on the reasons of synonymy, which have so far received far less attention from the researchers specializing in the synonyms of terms. By discussing the typical and atypical cases of synonymous expression in the terminology of astrology, the article investigates to what extent they can be explained by the set of reasons specified in terminological works and how much the given set of reasons could be revised and supplemented on the basis of the terminology of this particular field.

KEYWORDS: terms, astrology, heterogeneous synonymous terms, homogeneous synonymous terms, one-word terms, multi-word terms, textual usage.

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INTRODUCTION

For the sake of economy, terminological synonymy will henceforth be referred to as synonymy, and synonyms of terms simply as synonyms. Synonymy is undoubtedly one of the most widely discussed issues in terminology. It is true that theoretical discussions of it in Lithuanian terminology are far fewer than empirical studies. It would be difficult to list all of the latter, but there is no need to, since reviews of these studies have been provided by other researchers (Zemlevičiūtė 2001: 35–38; Mitkevičienė 2015a, 2020; Auksoriūtė 2018: 247–248). For now, then, it will suffice to mention the main fields examined from the perspective of synonymy: physics and technology, computing and informatics, literary studies and linguistics, philosophy and religion, construction and architecture, medicine and botany, economics and law, and upholstery and chemistry.

This article takes up astrology. Its aim, however, differs somewhat from that usually pursued in empirical studies of synonymy. In a number of such studies, synonyms used in a particular field are examined: their types are discussed, and synonym series are counted and analyzed in terms of their composition, length, and so on (e.g., Kitkauskienė 2005; Šilobritaitė 2007; Stunžinas 2010). Other studies assess the prevalence of synonyms and use it to determine the stage of development that a terminology has reached (e.g., Kaulakienė 2002, 2003, 2006; Kaulakienė, Rimkutė 2008). It has long been observed that synonyms abound in the initial stages of terminology formation and decrease as terminology develops (e.g., Kaulakienė 1994b: 51; Gaivenis 2002: 125). Thus, on the basis of this pattern, the prevalence of synonyms is used to determine whether the terminology of a particular field is still taking shape, has reached a more mature stage of development, or is fully mature. This article focuses on another object that has received far less attention from researchers of synonymy: the causes of synonymy.

This is not to say that these causes are never mentioned. They are listed in various works on terminology. However, the few theoretical discussions of the issue merely enumerate the causes (e.g., Keinys 1980: 98–102; 2005a: 45–46), while empirical studies likewise mention them as general factors, often before beginning to examine synonyms (e.g., Kvašytė 2000: 76; Stankevičienė 2012: 22). Only rarely, among other conclusions, do they offer one or two statements about what caused synonymy among the terms of the field under study. Such works generally do not set out to establish this. In fact, I have not found a single empirical study in which this aim is explicitly formulated. This article sets out to do so: its aim is to examine the causes of synonymous expression in astrological terminology.

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Clearly, in order to draw conclusions about the causes, the facts themselves—that is, synonymous expressions—must be examined. However, when the focus is on causes, it is not necessary to mention every instance of synonymy found in the source under study, or every synonym series of each type, specifying its length and composition. Only the instances of synonymous expression most characteristic of the source will be examined. Examining them is one of the tasks of this study, and it is undertaken in the second and third chapters. Another task, to be addressed first (in the first chapter), is to review the causes of synonymy most commonly identified in works on terminology. Once a set of causes has been established and the synonymy of a specific field examined, it will be possible to determine which of those causes can account for synonymous expression in astrological terms, or perhaps to establish which causes listed in terminology studies could be refined or supplemented on the basis of this terminology. This should become clear in the conclusions chapter. The principal methods used in this study are analysis, the comparative method, and synthesis. It should be noted that the study examines Lithuanian astrological terminology and focuses on the set of causes of synonymy emerging from Lithuanian terminology studies. Comparing synonymous expression itself, and the causes underlying it, with data from foreign languages and linguistics would be a subject for separate studies.

The source under study is the same one used to examine astrological terms by origin in the previous issue of Terminologijos (Vaskelaitė 2020). It consists of twelve websites on Western astrology (ananta.lt; antropoteosofineastrologija.lt; astrodaiwa.com; astrologe.weebly.com; astrologijosmokykla.lt; dharma.lt; sadhanacentras.lt; uranija.lt; vidineastrologija.lt; wolmer.lt; zachh.lt; zodiakas.com)¹. Also included are the short glossaries of terms provided on two of them, namely zodiakas.com and ananta.lt: Astrologijos sąvokos (hereafter AS) and Astrologijos terminų žodynėlis (hereafter ATŽ), respectively. Some time has passed since the previous article was submitted, however, and new texts have been published on some websites in the meantime, so the earlier sample is supplemented with new material (published up to June 20, 2021). As before, for brevity the websites are referred to as “websites” and designated by the same abbreviations. Their explanations are provided in the list of sources.

The choice of source under study is largely determined by a factor already highlighted: the problematic relationship between astrology and science (Vaskelaitė 2020: 129). Before

¹ Some websites also publish texts on other fields (ananta.lt; antropoteosofineastrologija.lt; dharma.lt; sadhanacentras.lt; uranija.lt; wolmer.lt; zachh.lt); only texts concerning astrology are selected from these.

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Although astrology was taught at universities for several centuries, it is currently not recognized as a science, at least in Lithuania; consequently, no academic programs in this field, textbooks for higher education institutions, or Lithuanian dictionaries of astrological terms are being produced. Websites are perhaps the main written source for the development of terminology in this field. As the study of single-word terms alone has shown, terms are used abundantly on these sites and are defined and explained; astrology websites are therefore a fairly convenient source for terminological research.

1. CAUSES OF SYNONYMY

One cause of synonymy may be inferred from the statements already mentioned: synonyms are most characteristic of the initial stage of terminology formation, and their number decreases over time. In Lithuanian linguistics, this development has perhaps been observed most extensively in studies of physics and computer science terminology (Kaulakienė 1994a, b, 1997a, b, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009; Kaulakienė, Rimkutė 2008; Auksoriūtė 2018), where many facts have been found to confirm it. However, research into the terminology of other fields also confirms this. For instance, many synonyms are found in sources from earlier historical periods, when the Lithuanian terminology of more than one field was still taking shape or continuing to develop (e.g., Zemlevičiūtė 2003, 2004, 2018b; Mitkevičienė 2007, 2014, 2015b), while studies of more recent sources, or comparisons of them with older ones, reveal the transition to a smaller number of synonyms (e.g., Zemlevičiūtė 2001; Vladarskienė 2015; Auksoriūtė 2018). On the basis of these studies, one might hypothesize that if synonyms abound in terminology that has not yet taken shape, then the cause of synonymy must be the incomplete formation or lack of stabilization of terminology. Yet there is no need to formulate this hypothesis, since researchers of synonymy often state it directly. For example, the abundant use of synonyms in computer science terminology leads to the conclusion that the terminology “is not fully stabilized and established” (Celišienė 2011: 29). This cause is not discussed in greater detail. Only a couple of articles explain that synonymy in the initial stage of terminology formation indicates that not only the terms but also the concepts themselves and their scope are not yet sufficiently clear (Kaulakienė 1994b: 51; Kvašytė 2000: 76), and that this is a manifestation of variation in naming (Kaulakienė 1994a: 140).

Nevertheless, the abundance of synonyms is revealed not only by studies of terminology from earlier periods, but also by more than one current field or subfield of terminological use: cybersecurity (Stunžinas 2017), names of cryptocurrencies

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vartojimo aplinka (Stunžinas 2018), ekonomika plačiąja prasme (Stankevičienė 2016). Žinoma, dabartinė terminija irgi gali būti dar tik besiformuojanti arba, kaip iš sinonimų gausos nusprendžiama apie ekonomikos terminiją, vis dar besiformuojanti: „<...> ekonomikos terminija, nors ir turi senas tradicijas, dar yra kuriama ir tikslinama“ (Stankevičienė 2016: 69). Vis dėlto negali būti taip, kad iki šiol dar tik formuojasi ar vis dar formuojasi visų sričių terminija. Tačiau sinonimų randama kone visose srityse, jei tik jas imamasi tirti sinonimijos požiūriu. Negana to, kai kurie darbai atskleidžia, kad laikui einant sinonimų tik daugėja (Gaivenytė 2000; Kazlauskaitė 2000), nemaža jų nė kitose kalbose (Kvašytė 2000; Stankevičienė 2012), o tai jau prieštarautų savaiminio mažėjimo teorijai ir keltų klausimą dėl daugėjimo priežasties. Tačiau ši sinonimijos priežastis straipsniuose taip pat įvardijama – kaip mokslo ar mokslo kalbos raida. Štai sinonimijos požiūriu ištyrus viso XX a. fonetikos terminus ir antrojoje XX a. pusėje nustačius sinonimų išplitimą, jis aiškinamas paties fonetikos mokslo išaugimu, kuris lem iąs naujų terminų poreikį (Kazlauskaitė 2000: 28). Palyginus fizikos terminus dviejuose fizikos terminų žodynuose ir pastebėjus, kad naujesniame dalis sinonimų išnyko, bet atsirado naujų, kaip šio padaugėjimo priežastis įvardijama ne mokslo, o mokslo kalbos raida (Gaivenytė 2000: 66). Ištyrus sinonimus ir variantus Juozo Balčikonio Rinktiniuose raštuose, apimančiuose kalbininko viso gyvenimo darbus, ir jų radus taip pat ir vėlesniuose darbuose, kaip priežastis nurodoma mokslo raida: lietuvių kalbos mokslas per tą laiką labai kito, buvo plėtojamos tradicinės kryptys, kuriamos naujos teorijos, taisyklės, randami nauji kalbos tyrimo atžvilgiai (Andriuškaitė 2000: 68). Mokslo kalbos polinkį į tarptautinius terminus kaip dvikalbių sinonimų atsiradimo pamatą minėjo ir Jonas Klimavičius (1975: 91).

Another cause of synonymy is also explicitly identified: language contact (Stankevičienė 2016: 66–67). On the basis of data from contemporary Lithuanian, it is naturally more common to note not reciprocal contact but the influence of a single language—English. Thus, studies of computer science terms indicate that their synonymy is determined by the abundance of English synonyms and the massive influx of new concepts; by the absence of state institutions for standardizing the language of science and technology in England and the United States; and by the fact that many identical or very closely related concepts are created simultaneously in numerous research centers and are often given different names (Kaulakienė 2000: 53; 2006: 23; Grigas 2008: 33; Kaulakienė, Rimkutė 2008: 34).

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Studies that emphasize the development of terminology toward a reduction in synonyms would suggest a spontaneous, self-regulating process. However, more than one study also links the decrease in synonyms to the editing and standardization of terms (Kaulakienė 2007: 108; Šilobritaitė 2007: 155; 2010: 77), which would indicate an external influence. Mention of this factor naturally raises the question of what, after all, determines the reduction in synonyms: the spontaneous development of terminology or its editing? At least studies of historical terminology would suggest that the two need not be contradictory. For instance, the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was no longer a period in which medical terminology was being created, and at the same time, during the national revival movement, there was an effort to use Lithuanian terms; terminology was therefore deliberately edited, and this is probably why the 1889–1906 issues of Varpas contain many synonyms (Zemlevičiūtė 2009). The very principle of term editing, “one term—one concept,” may also have emerged in response to the observable tendency for synonyms to decrease spontaneously. Another question is how practicable this principle is, given that synonymy is encouraged by such objective causes as scientific development and language contact. Perhaps for this reason, in recent years, with scientific development truly intensive and the influence of English particularly strong, the principle of one term for one concept has increasingly come under discussion (see Mitkevičienė 2020).

However, the editing and standardization of terms are identified not only as causes of a decrease in synonymy, but also as causes of its emergence. For example, such a cause is noted in studies of terms in catechisms from both the sixteenth century and the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries, and is specified as the catechism authors’ effort to purify the language (Rimkutė 2007: 143). Analysis of the medical terms used in Antanas Vileišis’s articles would also highlight this cause (Zemlevičiūtė 2003: 103), while Asta Mitkevičienė, having studied literary terms, clearly formulates the idea that “synonymous terms are both a cause of term editing (the search for the most appropriate term) and its result (for a time, most often in different sources, several terms are used to denote the same concept)” (Mitkevičienė 2015b: 19). This idea is developed further in a theoretical study of synonymy (Mitkevičienė 2020). It is true that it is not always clear what authors mean by term editing and what they mean by standardization. However, a couple of studies mention disagreement among specialists who create terms, or their unwillingness to agree on what and how to adapt into Lithuanian (Kaulakienė 2006: 24; Kaulakienė, Rimkutė 2008: 34), which is presumably associated with term editing.

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The desire, identified in other articles, to name a concept much more rationally than before (Kaulakienė 1994b: 53; Stunžinas 2005: 15) should probably be linked to the creation or use of terms. Stasys Keinys listed similar causes: “<...> due to ignorance of terms used by other authors, or because they are unsuitable or untrustworthy, people create their own terms” (Keinys 1980: 98); “<...> one term suits some people better, whereas others tend to use another term for the same purpose” (Keinys 2005b: 255); “the term user’s inclination, command of their own language, or other causes, such as familiarity with a word (from one’s native dialect or otherwise)” differ; neologisms are created or calques are produced (Keinys 1980: 100–101; 2005b: 255). In one article, Kazimieras Gaivenis, mentioning the two most common causes of synonymy in the language of science, likewise identified one related to use: synonyms arise as a secondary means of naming when an author does not know or is unsure which term to choose (Gaivenis 2005: 201). It is true that, when listing causes related to the creation or use of terms, attention is generally not drawn to the fact that term users (and creators too, if they are not terminologists) may lack terminological knowledge. This seems to have been recognized to some extent only in a study of the naming of cryptocurrencies, which identified causes of variation in this field such as failure to understand essential distinguishing features, attempts to make do with translations of English terms, and use of terms with meanings other than their own (Stunžinas 2018: 142). It is self-evident to terminologists that these are shortcomings in the creation or use of terminology; however, this may be less clear to specialists in a given field seeking an equivalent for an English term, and all the more so to ordinary language users.

The causes mentioned above are explicitly identified in terminological studies. Others are only more indirectly apparent, and one such emerging cause could be summarized as the addressee factor. For example, in the aforementioned study of terms in catechisms, when discussing cases in which a loanword is given alongside a Lithuanian word, such as duona (ostija), stebuklas (čiūdas), it is suggested that this was probably intended to offer equivalents that would be understood by everyone (Rimkutė 2007: 139). In a study of synonymous expression in the newspaper supplement Sveikata, attention is drawn to the fact that the supplement was intended for the general public and published to popularize medical knowledge; this was probably why the authors did not make a great effort to avoid synonyms (Zemlevičiūtė 2004: 98). The addressee factor would also be indirectly indicated by discussion of the ways terms are explained in popular-science texts—as one way of explaining them to readers

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būdų minimas sinonimų vartojimas (Pet­rėnienė 2003: 49). O apžvelgus 1918 m. periodinėje Lietuvos spaudoje skelbtų populiarinamųjų publikacijų terminų sinonimus adresato veiksnys nurodomas gana tiesiogiai: „Medicinos, sveikatos ir gydymo temomis rašantiems autoriams reikėjo įsivaizduoti savo adresatą – paprastą lietuvių skaitytoją, taigi dalykinę informaciją jie turėjo pateikti populiariai ir suprantamai, vartoti daugiau lietuviškų terminų, kurie būtų žinomi ir aiškūs skaitytojui“ (Zemlevičiūtė 2018b: 193). K. Gaivenis, be jau minėtos terminų sinonimijos priežasties, minėjo, kad sinonimai gali būti teikiami kaip terminų istorijos šaltiniai, t. y. šalia norminių paminimi tie, kuriuos praeityje vartojo žymūs mokslininkai (Gaivenis 2005: 201). Tokią priežastį taip pat būtų galima sieti su adresato veiksniu, tik šiuo atveju veikiausiai orientuojamasi ne į paprastą skaitytoją, o į dalyko žinovą, specialių žinių ar jų poreikį turintį adresatą.

Synonymy is studied on the basis of both texts and terminological dictionaries, but researchers have not compared the influence of these media for presenting terms on the frequency or number of synonyms. The influence of textual usage is mentioned in only a few studies. For example, examining synonyms in dictionaries, J. Klimavičius has argued that “the use of synonymy between international and Lithuanian terms in the texts of scholarly works has its own specific features. Texts contain more borrowings that have already been displaced from the language system, neologisms that are only just taking root, and, in general, greater diversity, fluctuation, and dynamics of change” (Klimavičius 1975: 93). S. Keinys has also pointed out that “it is easy to understand that standardizing and harmonizing terms in dictionaries (and, if desired, eliminating synonyms altogether) is much easier than ensuring that at least throughout the literature on a given subject only the terms provided by the dictionary are used” (Keinys 2005b: 255). The claim that synonymy is more prevalent in texts than in dictionaries was made in an empirical study by A. Mitkevičienė (2015b: 18); in another, theoretical study, she discusses separately the problems of identifying synonyms and indirectly reveals the possible influence of textual usage in comparison with non-textual usage (Mitkevičienė 2015a: 51–56).

In other studies, while this influence is not emphasized, even less attention is paid to the influence of genre or functional style, although the aim of writing clearly and explaining terms would seem to be more characteristic of works of popular science or journalism than of scholarly works. This cause of synonymy, too, can be discerned more indirectly. For example, in terminology representing living language—in Mykolas Miežinis’s four-language dictionary (Labanauskienė 2014) and two dictionaries by Jurgis Pabrėža (Labanauskienė

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2004)—many synonyms are found, and features of living language (imagery, expressiveness) are even mentioned as a source of synonymy in its analysis (Labanauskienė 2004: 154). That synonymy is a characteristic feature of folk terms is demonstrated by Robertas Stunžinas’s (2010) study of construction terminology.

Overall, however, the set of causes of synonymy appears to be relatively small. Moreover, causes are usually cited as applying to synonymy in general, although various types of synonymy are distinguished. For instance, derivational and lexical synonyms are distinguished (Mikelionienė 2004: 273; Keinys 2005b; Stunžinas 2010), as are cognate and non-cognate synonyms (Umbrasas 2004; Mitkevičienė 2014, 2015b, 2018), and, by composition, one-word and multiword term synonyms (Zemlevičiūtė 2001; Mitkevičienė 2005). Synonyms are often classified on the basis of term origin as synonyms of international and Lithuanian-origin terms (Klimavičius 1975; Kazlauskaitė 2000; Zemlevičiūtė 2001, 2004, 2018b); where the scope includes not only international words but other borrowings as well, synonyms of terms of different origins are distinguished in opposition to synonyms of terms of a single origin (e.g., Andriuškaitė 2000; Šilobritaitė 2007, 2008, 2009). In studies of synonyms, hybrid terms with non-Lithuanian roots are often also classified as borrowings (Stunžinas 2010; Mitkevičienė 2015b; Stankevičienė 2016), although from the perspective of term origin it is meaningful to distinguish borrowings from hybrids.

It is true that some studies examine only one particular type of synonymy, so conclusions drawn on the basis of such analyses might seem to apply only to that type. For example, a study of synonymy between international and Lithuanian terms concludes that it was driven by the development of phonetics (Kazlauskaitė 2000: 28); elsewhere, synonyms of terms of different origins are linked to standardization (Rimkutė 2007: 143) and to the addressee factor (Rimkutė 2007: 139). However, the same causes are also mentioned in studies that do not examine only synonyms of terms of different origins. For example, the development of science is cited as a cause after examining cases in which terms of a single origin (Lithuanian) are used synonymously (Andriuškaitė 2000: 68). Or, Vilija Celiešienė explains synonymy among terms of different origins in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Computing as the result of English influence (Celiešienė 2011: 28), while Gintautas Grigas draws attention to cases in which several Lithuanian terms are created for one English term (Grigas 2008: 33), thereby revealing that English is also a cause of synonymy among terms of Lithuanian origin.

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Incidentally, the causes of variation, too, are often listed as general causes—not only for different types of synonymy—even though Lithuanian terminological studies tend to distinguish synonyms from variants. For example, having listed separately the synonyms and variants found in Konstantinas Šakenis’s textbook Physics, including among the latter cases differing in the use of pronominal forms, Angelė Kaulakienė concludes that “the phenomena of synonymy and variation, associated with variation in the naming of terms, show that the terminology of physics at the time was still being created and displayed all the characteristics of a formative stage of terminology” (Kaulakienė 2002: 74). In Lithuanian terminological studies, synonyms and variants are defined somewhat differently², but the former are generally described as different terms denoting the same concept (e.g., Mitkevičienė 2015b: 2; Celišienė 2011: 25), and the latter as terms with minor differences in expression (e.g., Umbrasas 2004: 101) or different forms of the same term (e.g., Mitkevičienė 2004: 124). On the other hand, distinguishing synonyms from variants is not straightforward, and some more recent Lithuanian terminological studies do not seek to distinguish them too sharply, using either synonymy (Umbrasas 2004: 101–102³) or variation (Stankevičienė 2016⁴) as the more general concept. The extent of the common ground between the causes of these two kinds of variation would require separate investigation; this article focuses solely on the causes of synonymy. The question of the boundary between synonymy and variation, however, cannot be avoided.

2. SYNONYMY OF TERMS OF DIFFERENT ORIGINS

The article published in the previous issue of Terminologija showed that the basis of one-word astrological terminology consists of borrowings with Greek or Latin roots—that is, true international words⁵—and a smaller group of Lithuanian-origin terms. This would mean that synonym sets of one-word terms could consist either of international and native terms, or of

² Sinonimo ir varianto sampratos yra išsamiai aptartos A. Mitkevičienės (2004: 121–124; 2005: 40) straipsniuose.

³ “In general, variants are part of synonymy in the broad sense, so there is no great need in terminology to draw a strict boundary between them, since both concern the naming of the same concept” (Umbrasas 2004: 101–102).

⁴ “In this study, term variants are understood to include both synonyms and words with the same meaning but different forms, serving the same function and differing only in expression (Gaivenis, Keinys 1990; Umbrasas 2004)” (Stankevičienė 2016: 66).

⁵ Although the project adopted by the VLKK in 2007 envisages treating as international words those used in several major languages (English, German, French, Russian) as well, borrowings of Latin and Greek origin have nevertheless long been regarded as international terms (see Žemlevičiūtė 2018a: 153–154).

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international terms, or terms of exclusively Lithuanian origin. Synonyms of the latter two types are scarce in the source under study; therefore, in explaining the causes of synonymous expression in astrological terminology, the main focus will be on the synonymy of international and Lithuanian terms. Nevertheless, in examining one-word terms, several loans of other origins were also found, so it is more precise here to examine not the synonymy of international terms, but that of loanwords and terms of Lithuanian origin, which is commonly called synonymy of terms of different origins. In this study, loanwords will be understood as terms with a non-Lithuanian root (or several roots).

2.1. Typical cases

SYNONYMY OF ONE-WORD TERMS

One of the more striking cases of synonymy among one-word terms of different origins is the synonymous expression of the term conjunction. This international term is generally used when listing aspects formed by planets, while its Lithuanian equivalent, junction, is common in texts (Am, Antr, Astr, Dh, Vi, W); joining is also used (Aw, Ur, Za, Zo), and on one website this aspect is called parallel (Aw). All the other planetary aspects, however, are mostly named with terms of classical-language origin, and attempts to replace them with Lithuanian equivalents occur only sporadically. For example, square or quadrature is also mentioned as quarter on only a couple of websites (W, Dh). The harmonious aspect trine, also referred to on websites as trigon, is mentioned as triangle on only two websites (Aw, Zo). Another harmonious aspect, sextile, is called hexagon on just one website (Aw). It also uses names for a couple of less common types of aspect, namely semisquare and semicycle (Aw), while sesquiquadrate is also called one-and-a-half square on this website (Aw). These cases of synonymy might seem to invite an explanation in terms of attempts to Lithuanianize loanwords, but the other aspects—and most often these ones as well—are named on websites with terms of Latin-root origin. It is particularly unclear why a fairly consistent exception is made for the term conjunction: its Lithuanian equivalent is used on many websites. The causes of both this exception and the sporadic cases of synonymy mentioned above may become clearer if these cases are considered alongside other instances of synonymous expression.

Among one-word terms, synonymous expression is also characteristic of the term stellium: texts tend to use cluster (Astr, Ur, W), grouping (Dh, W), and also planetary cluster (Astr, ATŽ, Dh, Vi, W, Zo) and planetary grouping (Astr, Dh, W). An earlier article had already drawn attention to this,

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kad į tarptautinių žodžių žodynus terminas steliumas neįtraukiamas (Vaskelaitė 2020: 140). Tiesa, iš to straipsnio aiškėjo, kad į tarptautinių žodžių žodynus astrologijos terminų išvis nelinkstama įtraukti, tačiau kiti astrologijoje vartojami terminai (pvz.: konjunkcija, konfiguracija, kvadratūra, opozicija, sekstilis, ekliptika, tranzitas, egzaltacija, ingresija ir kt.) įtraukiami kaip kitų sričių terminai ar bendrosios vartosenos žodžiai, o tai teiktų pagrindo kelti prielaidą, kad steliumo, planetų susikaupimą viename ženkle įvardijančio termino, atitikmenį svetainėse siekiama teikti manant, kad tai skaitytojui mažiau žinomas terminas. Kita vertus, ir paties termino vartotojo jis gali būti nesiejamas su antikinėmis kalbomis, tarptautinio žodžio statusu ir todėl mėginamas keisti.

The use of other one-word terms does not show this tendency. Apart from conjunction and stellium, only solstice has a one-word Lithuanian equivalent: websites also use solstice (Am, Antr, Astr, W, Za, Zo). Thus, of the 53 one-word terms based on classical languages recorded in the previous study, only conjunction, stellium and solstice are more commonly replaced by one-word Lithuanian equivalents. Among the several other loanwords recorded in that study, only cross has one-word synonyms: origin is used on several websites (Sa, Vi, Zo). However, cross is a long-established loanword from Polish, and in this case synonymous expression is not driven by an effort to Lithuanianize the term.

Since, compared with the previous study, this study also includes new material published on websites, the set of one-word terms expands by several more terms. For example, one website lists composite and combine as synonyms; both are loanwords, and the English terms—Composit and Combine, respectively—are given in parentheses after the abbreviation Eng. (Antr). Elsewhere, Chiron, usually called asteroid on websites (Am, Astr, Dh, Vi), is called a planetoid (Am), again forming a synonym set of two loanwords. Several new one-word terms are included in the glossary AS (quintile, biquintile, querent, quesited, cazimi, antiscia, apogee AS), but they are used neither on the website providing the glossary nor on other websites, so no tendency to replace them with Lithuanian equivalents becomes apparent.

But, of course, synonyms can be formed not only by one-word terms.

SYNONYMY IN MULTIWORD TERMS

Either the head or the dependent element of a multiword term may be used synonymously. Nevertheless, the source examined reveals that the head is not prone to synonymous use. The head of some of the terms in use—

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—is a word of Latin or Greek origin used as a single-word term: planeta, ciklas, horoskopas, astrologija and so on. If a single-word term has no synonyms, the head of the corresponding species term is likewise used non-synonymously. For example, no synonymous head forms occur in the terms artimosios planetos, tolimosios planetos, didieji ciklai, mažieji ciklai, Mėnulio ciklas, Saulės ciklas and so on. Synonymy is likewise atypical of Lithuanian-origin heads: the terms pavasario lygiadienis Am, Antr, Astr, Vi, W, Zo, rudens lygiadienis Am, Antr, Astr, Dh, Vi, Zo, Saulės užtemimas, Mėnulio užtemimas Am, Antr, Astr, Aw, Dh, Sa, Ur, Vi, W, Za, Zo, Mėnulio jaunatis Am, Dh, Vi, W, Zo and so on are used. The only exception is a marked tendency on one website to call one of the main types of horoscope gimimo žemėlapis, although the single-word term horoskopas is used there Zo. It is the latter that is included in the glossary provided on that website, while the explanation also uses gimimo (natalinis) horoskopas AS.

Conversely, if synonymous expression is characteristic of a single-word term, then the head of a term formed from it also has synonyms. However, as has already become clear, instances of synonymy in single-word terminology are rare; accordingly, among terms formed on that basis, synonymous heads occur only in žiemos solsticija and žiemos saulėgrįža Am, Antr, Astr, Vi, W, vasaros solsticija Astr and vasaros saulėgrįža Am, Antr, Astr, Vi, W. Among the other terms, synonymous heads are characteristic of užtemimų periodas Antr, Astr, Ur, W, Za, Zo (or užtemimo periodas Ur, W) and užtemimų laikotarpis Antr, Astr, Za, Zo, as well as retrogradinis periodas Antr, Vi, W and retrogradinis laikotarpis Antr, Vi, Za, Zo. In some instances, retro periodas Vi is also used. However, the words periodas and laikotarpis, though not astrology terms, are also used synonymously on websites (e.g., “The choice made during this p e r i o d will be tested in various ways, each person in their own way and in their own areas of life” Antr and “This p e r i o d is a time of inner transformation and opportunities for change, both for each individual and for society as a whole” Antr), which suggests that the synonymy of terms may be influenced by synonymy among non-terms. A. Mitkevičienė has mentioned this possible cause: after examining the terminology of interwar literary studies, she observed that some base words from which terms are derived have synonyms, and argued that this is a linguistic cause of some synonyms (Mitkevičienė 2015b: 23). A similar case in the usage examined here is variation in groups of terms formed with the words pozicija and padėtis: on websites, the words pozicija and padėtis are used synonymously, and similarly—

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—planetų pozicija and planetų padėtis Antr, Astr, Sa, Vi are used. The terms Saulės pozicija, Marso pozicija, Lilit pozicija and so on are widely used synonymously on websites; Saulės padėtis, Marso padėtis, Lilit padėtis and so on are also used.

Synonymy is more characteristic of dependent elements of terms, though again only in some cases. It has already been mentioned that the terms kryžius and pradas are used synonymously on several websites. However, classifying the Zodiac by crosses or elements also implies three species terms whose dependent element is an adjective with a Latin root: fiksuotas kryžius (pradas), kardinalus kryžius (pradas), mutabilus (mutabelinis) kryžius (pradas). No attempt is made to replace two of the adjectives with Lithuanian equivalents, while mutabilus Am, Astr, Sa, W, Zo or mutabelinis Astr, Zo is also referred to as kintantis Sa, Aw or kintamas Aw, e.g.: “A possibly somewhat less well-known, yet no less important, way of classifying signs in astrology is into three elements, or more precisely, the so-called crosses: cardinal, fixed and m u t a b l e (c h a n g e a b l e)” Sa. Zodiac signs can be classified in this way, so the terms kardinaliniai, fiksuoti ir mutabeliniai or kintami zodiako ženklai are used, e.g.: “C h a n g e a b l e s i g n s most lack perseverance and firmness in pursuing their goals” Aw.

A similar exception is made when naming types of astrology. Their names generally consist of two borrowings: elektyvinė astrologija Am, An, ATŽ, Ur, Zo, evoliucinė astrologija Antr, Ur, Vi, W, Za, Zo, mundaninė astrologija An, Am, Sa, Zo, and so on. However, attempts are made to replace the adjectival element in the names of two types of astrology with Lithuanian equivalents: chorarinė Am, Astr, ATŽ, Ur, Zo (horarinė Ur) astrologija is also called klausimo astrologija Am, AS, Zo, while natalinė astrologija Zo is referred to as gimimo astrologija, gimimo (natalinė) astrologija or natalinė (gimimo) astrologija Zo. Variation in the latter term may be influenced by the relationship between concepts and the pursuit of systematic terminology: types of astrology are related to types of horoscope, and horoscope types are mostly named using terms with a Lithuanian-origin dependent element (vaiko horoskopas Sa, Za, suderinamumo horoskopas An, Zo, and so on). At least the term gimimo horoskopas Am, An, Antr, Astr, Aw, Dh, Ur, Vi, Za, Zo is used on many websites (only three mention natalinis horoskopas Antr, Astr, Aw in isolated instances), so the naming of an astrology type may be guided by the name of the corresponding horoscope type. Moreover, on a couple of websites, radiksas Aw, Zo is given as a synonym for the term gimimo horoskopas. The glossary on one website also indicates that another synonym is the widely used term asmeninis horoskopas: its entry states, “Also called the Natal or Birth horoscope” ATŽ. The explanation of other terms also mentions nataliniai taškai, natalinės planetos ATŽ.

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Although the case mentioned could be explained by a desire for systematicity, it should also be noted that neither the adjectives natalinis, -ė, nor chorarinis, -ė, nor mutabilis, -i, nor steliumas are included in dictionaries of international words, while a cross-section of current usage provided by the Google system would reveal that these words are not widespread either in general usage or in the terminology of other fields. This would support the assumption made when discussing the term steliumas that synonymy may be prompted by a desire to provide readers with an equivalent for a less familiar word or term. On the other hand, variations in morphological form (mutabilis and mutabelinis; the quality is named mutalumas Astr, Zo) might suggest that certain words with international roots can enter websites via intermediary languages (cf. English mutable), and authors may therefore regard them as foreign words and attempt to replace them.

Exceptions applying to only one of the terms are also made when using terms denoting types of aspects. Aspects are classified on websites according to two different criteria, and one such classification entails the term pair minoriniai aspektai ir mažoriniai aspektai An, Antr, Astr, Dh, Za, Zo. Indeed, this classification is uncommon, so the pair of terms is not found on every website. Nevertheless, no synonyms occur for the first term, while the adjectival component of the term mažoriniai aspektai is also given in Lithuanian, for example: “In astrology, five m a i n (called m a j o r) aspects are used most often” Zo. The sentence quoted could also help explain the exception made for only one of the type terms—the term minoriniai aspektai is less relevant in astrology. It is somewhat harder, however, to explain the exception made on websites when classifying aspects according to their beneficence. This entails the term pair harmoningi aspektai ir neharmoningi aspektai Am, Antr, Astr, Dh, Zo, W, but even when the classification is presented, and especially in texts, the second member of this pair is also called įtempti aspektai Am, Astr, ATŽ, Aw, Zo, įtampos aspektai Antr, Vi, Sa, negatyvūs aspektai Am, Antr, neigiami aspektai Aw, Sa, Ur.

Synonymous expression is characteristic of another pair of adjectival components. In discussing cases of synonymy among the main components, it was already noted that retrogradinis periodas and retrogradinis laikotarpis are used synonymously. However, several other terms have also been formed with the adjective retrogradinis, -ė, of Latin origin: retrogradinis judėjimas Am, Antr, Astr, Sa, Vi, W, retrogradinė fazė Am, Antr, Astr, Za, Zo, retrogradinė planeta Am, Antr, Astr, ATŽ, Dh, Sa, Ur, Zo. All are related to explaining the phenomenon in which, as viewed from Earth, a planet appears to move backward. Since this phenomenon applies to most planets, terms such as retrogradinė Venera, retrogra- are also widely used.

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dinis Saturnas, retrogradinis Merkurijus, and so on. The phenomenon in which planets move normally is described using another adjective: direktyvus (direktyvinis) judėjimas Am, direktyvinė fazė Am, Antr, Astr, or direkcinė fazė Astr, direkcinis Marsas, direkcinis Merkurijus, direkcinis Neptūnas, and others. Lithuanian equivalents are also used, for example: “In reality, the planet continues to move in its usual direction, while backward motion is our visual perspective as seen from Earth, arising from the different speeds at which planets move” Antr; “On August 19, Mercury turned from retrograde (backward) motion to direct motion” Ur. Explanations of these astrological phenomena on websites reveal particularly extensive possibilities for non-terminological synonymy. For example, the term retrogradinis Marsas may be replaced by an expanded postmodifier: “Mars, which was moving backward, had been holding back active developments for the time being” Astr. Cf. also: “Mercury, the messenger of the Zodiac, the divine Mediator, will this time move backward in Gemini, the sign it rules” Vi. Such possibilities, in turn, may be a cause of terminological synonymy. On the other hand, as the examples suggest—“On September 10, Mars turned retrograde and will move this way for about two months,” “As Venus moves retrograde, that is, backward, to where it has already been, we seem to return to the past” Antr, or “Mercury will become direct (that is, begin moving forward) from August 19” Astr, among others—the influence may go in both directions: terminological synonymy can affect non-terminological synonymy.

Cases in which the main or secondary components of other terms are replaced with a single-word Lithuanian equivalent are only isolated. For example, alongside the less common term Mėnulis be kurso Am, Sa, Zo, one website also uses the synonym tuščias Mėnulis Am. One glossary lists the term astrologinis (žvaigždinis) dydis AS, although it is not used either on the website providing the glossary or on other websites. The same glossary also lists pasirinkimo astrologija AS, among others, as a synonym for the term elektyvinė astrologija.

SYNONYMY OF ONE-WORD AND MULTIWORD TERMS

Websites also contain relatively few cases in which a one-word term has multiword synonyms.

A more notable case concerns the equivalents of the term septeneras (septeneris) Am, Astr, which is used on only two websites. In one sentence, septyniukė Astr is used as an equivalent, but elsewhere two-word terms are used: “From

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Since ancient times, 7 planets of the Solar System visible to the naked eye have been known: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. They are called the great seven (or the septener)”; “Thus, Babylonian civilization gave us the zodiac signs, the system of seven planets—the great septener—and the first horoscope” Astr. As can be seen, the equivalent is not established, but at the same time there is a tendency to explain the term to the reader, thus orienting it toward the addressee. However, in one instance the loanword septeneras is mentioned after the Lithuanian term has been used, which may indicate that the text is oriented toward an addressee with specialized knowledge of astrology.

Similar postpositive usage is also characteristic of the loanword soliaras Am, An, Antr, Astr, ATŽ, Dh, Ur, Vi, W, Za, Zo (two websites use solaras Sa, Antr), e.g.: “An analysis of astrological trends for the year usually consists of an interpretation of the horoscope for the moment of a person’s Solar Return, the so-called solar (Latin solaris—sunny)” Antr; “If you want to order an individual forecast for the year—a Solar Return—it is best to do so at least a month before your birthday” An. However, this term is common on websites (used on 11 websites), and its usage shows that it is also polysemous: it denotes a type of horoscope, a forecasting method, and an astrological phenomenon. A synonym is often used in the latter sense: Saulės grįžimas Sa, Vi or Saulės sugrįžimas An, Vi, Za. Thus, in this case, the reason for synonymy may be an attempt to differentiate a polysemous term. A. Mitkevičienė mentions this possible reason in her study of interwar literary terms (Mitkevičienė 2015b: 19).

The term sinastrija is also polysemous. An earlier article already noted that on websites this term denotes a method, a branch of astrology, and a type of horoscope, with different equivalents of the term being provided; however, the type of horoscope is also often called suderinamumo horoskopas or sinastrinis horoskopas (Vaskelaitė 2020: 147). Thus, the reason, or at least the impetus, for this case of synonymy may likewise be an attempt to differentiate a polysemous term. On the other hand, there is also a tendency to explain the term to the reader, e.g.: “Whether people are suited to be together is revealed by Synastry—a compatibility horoscope” An.

However, neither such an intention nor polysemy can explain the synonymy of the term denoting the 12 parts of a horoscope. Although there are texts in which houses predominate An, Dh, Ur, W, astrologiniai būstai, horoskopo būstai, astrologiniai namai, and horoskopo namai are often used not only on the same website but also in the same text, as is namai,

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e.g.: “Astrological houses (houses) are defined as an imaginary division of the ecliptic into 12 sectors representing different areas of life, in which planets manifest, certain circumstances, or people we encounter. Thus, if the zodiac signs show how a planet expresses its energy, the houses show the area of life in which it manifests most strongly. First and foremost, horoscope houses indicate a particular area of life” Zo. This would suggest that the term is not established. The synonymy of the term vidurinės planetos Astr, Dh, vidurinio nuotolio planetos, vidutinio nuotolio planetos Astr could also be explained by its lack of standardization.

In one glossary, the terms didysis trinas and trigonas are given as synonyms AS, while didysis trikampis is also used once in the text Zo. The definition provided in the glossary (“An aspect configuration consisting of three trines connecting three horoscope points”) would suggest that trigonas is not considered a synonym of trino on this website; however, the term didysis trinas is not used on this website, and didysis trikampis Zo also occurs only once, so this case of synonymy is likewise isolated, occurring only on this website. Astrological concepts are explained particularly thoroughly on this website, so it uses more terms than other websites; consequently, cases of synonyms from different origins are also more frequent than on other websites: arabiški taškai (parsai), piktos planetos are called metafaktoriais Zo, and so on.

2.2. Atypical cases

Proper names are particularly characteristic of the terminology of the field under study, but four of them—Lilit and Selena, Rachu and Ketu—are characterized by atypical synonymy. These are the names of four mathematically calculated horoscope points, which are often mentioned in texts alongside the names of planets. However, the distinction is also emphasized: planets are real celestial bodies, whereas these objects do not exist as material celestial bodies; they are calculated as the relationship between planetary orbits. In this context, the phrases fiktyvi planeta or fiktyvios planetos Am, Dh, Sa, Ur, W, Za, Zo are used, but these are rather contextual synonyms (on problems in identifying synonyms, see Section 3). Indeed, the phrase fiktyvūs taškai Antr, Astr, Vi, Zo tends toward terminological usage, and its synonyms used in texts include karminiai taškai Astr, ezoteriniai taškai Dh, W. These are cases of subordinate-component synonymy.

The names of specific karmic points exhibit a different kind of synonymous usage—they do not occur in texts without a synonym. For the first oppositional pair—Lilit (on one website Lilith Za) and Selena—the synonyms are Juo-

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Moon and White Moon. Even if the text uses Lilith or Selena, at least the first time it is mentioned, the synonym is also necessarily given, e.g.: “Until November 21, the Sun will move through Scorpio together with Selena, or the White Moon” W; “The White Moon, or Selena, spends about 7 months in each sign” Sa; “On August 6, 2018, Lilith (the Black Moon) entered the zodiac sign of Aquarius” Am. In addition, synonyms may form a phrase whose components are linked by an appositive–head word relationship, e.g.: “Donald’s natal Black Moon Lilith is right in Sagittarius” Ur.

The second pair of karmic points is collectively called lunar nodes, while the members of that pair, Rachu (in some websites, Rahu Astr, Vi) and Ketu, are the ascending lunar node and descending lunar node. However, the lunar nodes are also called karmic nodes or karmic points; correspondingly, Rachu is the karmic ascending lunar node, and Ketu the karmic descending lunar node. These phrases are also used as terms, but they display both spelling and syntactic variation, e.g.: “The program brought by the Descending Karmic Lunar Node (or Ketu) should not be treated as the main one” Sa; “Ketu, or the Karmic Descending Lunar Node, expresses what we have already learned” Astr. There are also instances in which synonyms are linked by an appositive–head word relationship, e.g.: “The Karmic Node Rachu moved from the zodiac sign of Aquarius into the zodiac sign of Capricorn, while the Karmic Node Ketu moved from the zodiac sign of Leo into the zodiac sign of Cancer” Sa.

However, the members of this oppositional pair have still more synonyms: Rachu is called the northern lunar node and Dragon’s Head, while Ketu is the southern lunar node and Dragon’s Tail. These synonyms, too, are mentioned in the same texts, e.g.: “For about a year and a half, until August 21, the Karmic Node Rachu, or Dragon’s Head, was in Aquarius, while the Karmic Node Ketu, or Dragon’s Tail, was in the zodiac sign of Leo” W; “It is also called the Ascending Lunar Node, Rachu, or Dragon’s Head” Ur.

In terminological studies, variation is often considered alongside synonymy, and both kinds of variation are frequently identified as signs that terminology has not yet become established (e.g., Kaulakienė 2000; Zemlevičiūtė 2004). However, these terms cannot be considered unsettled from the perspective of synonymy, because the same synonyms are used on all the websites. Nor can these cases be explained by other commonly cited causes of synonymy, such as the development of a science or its language, the influence of English, the regulation or lack of regulation of terms; neither can they be explained by causes associated with the creation or use of terms, such as an author’s preferences or lack of awareness of terms used by other authors.

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such as the development of a science or its language, the influence of English, the regulation or lack of regulation of terms, nor can they be explained by causes associated with the creation or use of terms, such as an author’s preferences or lack of awareness of terms used by other authors.

The terms lunar orbital nodes or nodes, as well as Ascending Node, Descending Node, are used in astronomy. For instance, nodes (and Descending Node, Ascending Node) is included in the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Astronomy (Straižys 2003). In explaining astronomical concepts of the Moon and eclipses, the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia also uses lunar orbital nodes or orbital nodes, nodes, defining the term as “the points where the Moon’s orbit intersects the plane of the ecliptic” VLEe. The term lunar nodes is explained similarly in astrology, e.g.: “The points where the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic. The point at which the Moon passes from the southern to the northern half of the celestial sphere is called the ascending lunar node (or the Northern Node, or Dragon’s Head), and conversely, from north to south, the Descending Node (or Southern Node, or Dragon’s Tail)” Zo; this would indicate that one of the synonyms is associated with naming an astronomical phenomenon⁶. Some other synonyms for Rachu and Ketu can be explained by information available on astrology websites. An earlier study also noted that articles on astrology explain the karmic points Rachu and Ketu as planets in Vedic astrology, and that their names are associated with a powerful demon split in two after a disc was hurled at him: Rahu was his head, and Ketu his tail (see Vaskelaitė 2020: 152)⁷. Selena and Lilith are associated with the Avesta—that is, Persian astrology: “Karmic nodes are known in all astrological traditions, whereas Selena and Lilith are found mostly in Avesta (Persian) astrology” Astr. Moreover, descriptions of the history of astrology presented on some websites (Astr, Antr) emphasize that Western astrology is not the heritage of a single tradition, e.g.: “Hellenistic astrology was essentially a product of Mesopotamian and Egyptian astral religions and Greek astronomical calculations based on the works of Ptolemy” Antr. This suggests that these atypical instances of synonymy should be linked to the intersection of different traditions that merged in Western astrology.

Atypical synonymy is also characteristic of another pair of terms denoting horoscope points. Although websites contain equivalents midheaven and heaven’s bottom, zenith and nadir, or descriptive definitions of the term (about

⁶ The origins of astronomy can be traced to astrology—as also noted in dictionaries of astronomical terms, e.g.: “In ancient times, astrology helped give rise to astronomy” (Straižys 2003).

⁷ This is indicated in articles on astrology published in the Chicago Aid (Čeremисinas 2015a, 2015b).

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(see section 3), nevertheless the unadapted Latin terms Medium Coeli and Imum Coeli and their abbreviations predominate, for example: “The cusp of the first house (home) is called the ascendant, the cusp of the fourth house—IC (Imum coeli), the cusp of the seventh house—the descendant, and the cusp of the tenth house—MC (Medium coeli)” Zo; “IC (imum coeli, the bottom of the sky) is the lowest point, where the Sun is at midnight” Astr. This synonymy is determined by the prominent Latin heritage in astrology, also evidenced by the monosyllabic terms discussed in the previous article, among which words of Latin origin are numerous. Incidentally, website texts also contain other abbreviations of Latin-origin terms; for example, abbreviations of the terms ascendentas and descendentas are used: Asc and Dsc, ASC and DSC (e.g., “If Chiron is conjunct ASC, a person may have a scar on their face” Aw), since it is customary to mark various points on a horoscope in this way.

3. TEXTUAL USAGE AND ITS INFLUENCE

Although Lithuanian terminological scholarship tends to distinguish synonyms from variants, as already mentioned in section 1, this is not easy to do. Some cases do not have a clearly defined place either among synonyms or among variants.

These are cases in which the same concept is named by both a shorter and a longer term, such as skystas kūnas and skystimas, skystis or neigiamasis žodelis and neigtukas. In earlier studies, these were distinguished from synonyms and called variants (e.g., Kaulakienė 1994b: 52; 2003: 112–11; Andriuškaitė 2000: 73–74), as were terms that differ in derivation, spelling, or other respects, such as chemiškas ekvivalentas and cheminis ekvivalentas, Džaulio dėsnis, Džaulio dėsnis and Jou­lio dėsnis (Kaulakienė 2003: 112–113). Later, only terms with minor differences in expression came to be considered variants, while cases such as skystas kūnas and skystimas began to be grouped with synonyms and treated as common-root synonyms (Mitkevičienė 2015b, 2018). However, cases in which a term shortened by omitting a certain number of its components is used in a text, e.g., elektrometrų apdanga – apdanga, are mentioned neither among synonyms nor among variants. They have been described as “terms used in a distinctive way” (Kaulakienė 2003: 115) and as long and short forms of terms (Mitkevičienė 2014: 181, 183; 2015a: 53–54). They are also discussed as long and short forms of terms in A. Mitkevičienė’s detailed article, which, in discussing problems in identifying synonyms in texts, also indirectly highlights instances of terms’ textual use. Such cases are characteristic of the usage under study, as are some of the problems of synonym identification discussed or left unmentioned in the article.

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Long and short forms of terms are cited as one such problem. In the usage under study, some instances of term shortening are easy to identify, e.g.: “The Moon’s nodes also indicate the direction in which a person should develop and describe the forms of their evolution. Both nodes show how a person should act going forward” Za. However, the relationship between the terms Zodiako ženklo valdovas and valdovas is less clear: although the glossary does include Zodiako ženklo valdovas ATŽ, texts most often use only valdovas Antr, Aw, Dh, Vi, Zo⁸. And the terms aspektai tarp planetų, horoskopo rektifikacija AS are essentially listed in only one glossary; websites use aspektai, rektifikacija.

The term ženklas is clearly the result of shortening the term Zodiako ženklas, while names of specific signs, e.g., Liūto ženklas, Vėžio ženklas, result from shortening the terms Liūto zodiako ženklas, Vėžio zodiako ženklas. However, the same texts also use Liūtas, Vėžys in parallel, and these cases would more appropriately be considered not short forms but (common-root) synonyms, as with Ugnies stichija and Ugnis, Vandens stichija and Vanduo. Yet all three designations are common in the texts (e.g., Vėžio zodiako ženklas, Vėžio ženklas, Vėžys), so the boundary drawn between shortening and synonymy is rather awkward. Moreover, it is not always easy to determine whether a term is a long or short form. For instance, another group of proper names functions essentially only as one-word terms: Venera, Marsas, Neptūnas, Plutonas and others. Usage such as “The planet Mars shapes the will” Ur is rare, so the one-word names of planets can no longer be regarded as the result of term shortening. Nor can the term Zodiakas, used on all websites, be regarded this way, since zodiako ratas is used synonymously on only one website: “All these celestial bodies follow the same path as they move, which in astrology is called the zodiac circle. The Zodiac is a band of the celestial sphere approximately 16 degrees wide, through whose middle the ecliptic (the Sun’s path) runs, touching 13 constellations.” Vi. On the other hand, zodiako ratas is used here as an astrological term.

As another problem in identifying synonyms in texts, A. Mitkevičienė’s article mentions terms that may differ in their motivational feature. There are few such cases in the usage under study. Notable examples are artimosios planetos Astr, Sa and asmeninės planetos Astr, as well as vidurinės Astr, Dh, vidurinio nuotolio

⁸ Attention has already been drawn to such cases in discussing astrological one-word terms by origin, since they raise the question of whether a term should be classified as one-word or multiword (Vaskelaitė 2020: 155–156).

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planets and social planets Astr, Zo. However, differences in the motivating feature are revealed by the explanation of a term on one website: “The inner planets are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus and Mars. They are called personal because they express a certain personal component of a human being” An. On the other hand, the selected sample helps bring them to light. For instance, a single-use occurrence—“The retrograde period of the outer planets is not shown in the chart, because the retrograde period of slow planets has no particular effect, unlike the retrograde motion of fast planets (the septener)” Am—might lead one to conclude that fast planets is a synonym of septener. However, an explanation given on another website (“Since ancient times, seven planets in the Solar System visible to the naked eye have been known: the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They are called the great seven (or the septener)” Astr) reveals that the motivating feature of the term septener is not a property of the planets, but their number. Thus, the phrase fast planets is not a synonym of the term septener.

Explanation of terms is a characteristic feature of the usage under study. Terms are explained in texts in various ways, for example: “If you do not know your time of birth and do not commission its correction, you can order an astropsychological portrait—this is called a cosmogram” An; “Various planets form certain geometric figures with one another, which are called aspects” Aw; “Quadrants (a quarter of the Zodiac circle corresponding to an astronomical season) show at what stage of life we express ourselves most as individuals” Zo; “Mutable Zodiac signs, also called changing Zodiac signs, bring transition, adjustments, and a break in situations” Sa. Explanation might seem to raise another problem in identifying synonyms—it is not always easy to determine whether a particular phrase is a term or merely a descriptive designation of a term, known as a periphrasis (Mitkevičienė 2004: 54–55). Nevertheless, the sample selected for the study generally helps avoid these ambiguities. The 12 different websites, including two that provide glossaries, make it sufficiently clear whether a phrase used is a term or merely a descriptive designation of a term—a periphrasis. For instance, the phrase Sun’s path used in the sentence “The Zodiac is a band of the celestial sphere approximately 16 degrees wide, with the ecliptic (the Sun’s path) running through its middle, touching 13 constellations” Vi could cause ambiguity; however, the term ecliptic is used on almost all the websites Am, Antr, Astr, Dh, Ur, Vi, W, Za, Zo, and the definition or explanation of this term provided there (e.g.,

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“The apparent Sun’s path across the celestial sphere over the course of a year is called the ecliptic” Zo) reveals that Sun’s path is merely a descriptive phrase.

Nevertheless, the websites are not entirely uniform in terms of genre and style. They include texts directly concerned with explaining astrological concepts, which might represent popular-science or even scientific style, but they also publish informational notices about astrology courses and course syllabi. A large portion of the websites consists of detailed discussions of astrological trends for a month or year and various astrological phenomena. Such texts also show a tendency to explain terms, but at the same time to seek vividness and expressiveness, for example: “The Zodiac circle is arranged in such a sequence that each sign lays the foundation for the next. Without passing through and understanding the first, you cannot unlock the next. These are steps to Heaven, where every step is very important. Some of them are easier to overcome, while on others one may remain stuck for a long time. This is shown by the content of each zodiac sign, that is, the planets within them, each of which tells its own story” Antr. The pursuit of expressiveness leads to the use of various lexical and syntactic synonyms, which also gives rise to some problems in recognizing terms. For instance, the Latin-based terms ingression Am, Antr, Astr, and transit Am, Antr, Astr, Aw, Ur, W, Zo—the first referring to a planet’s entry into a particular Zodiac sign, the second to its movement through that sign—may be avoided in texts of this style because of the opportunity to use words figuratively and other devices (e.g., movement through a particular sign is called movement, traveling, going). Accordingly, it is difficult to assess the occasional equivalent journey (“Although the Sun’s journey through Sagittarius always brings optimism, dynamism, and expansion in various processes, this year <...> karmic processes will be more strongly expressed” W; “This year Jupiter returned to its domain in Sagittarius after a 12-year journey” Vi) as an astrology term—a synonym of transit. This may simply be an instance of contextual synonymy prompted by the pursuit of expressiveness.

If the aim of this study were to count with great precision the synonym series of all types, the cases discussed would make it difficult to provide a highly accurate number. That, however, is not the aim here; rather, this section makes clear that the usage under study is particularly characterized by a tendency to explain terms while also seeking vividness and expressiveness. This, together with the exceptions made in Section 2 for some terms of Latin or Greek origin, or their components (conjunction, stellium, mutable, chorarinis, natal), would encourage us to associate these not so much with a desire to replace borrowings with Lithuanian equivalents as with an orientation toward the addressee—perhaps the aim is to provide equivalents for less familiar words of

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ancient-language origin. On the other hand, it also becomes clear that astrology websites do not constitute a uniform medium for the use of terms in terms of style or genre: some texts are closer to popular-science writing, others to journalism. Overall, however, they provide far greater opportunities for using lexical and grammatical synonyms than texts in scientific or administrative style, and, as the discussion of the use of the adjectival modifiers retrograde, directive showed, this may also be a factor encouraging terminological synonymy.

Another point to mention is a further variation in the research source: the websites differ in how closely their published texts conform to language norms. Although almost all contain various proofreading errors and other slips characteristic of the electronic medium, a couple of websites stand out for their particularly high number of errors in proofreading, spelling, and other levels of language. Terminology is an inseparable part of language; therefore, the lack of linguistic editing of texts also affects the use of terms. For example, a glossary on one of these websites gives the term ruler of the horoscope house (astrological house) AS, with a word order atypical of Lithuanian. The fact that the same glossary also lists the term ruler of the astrological house (house) separately would already indicate that terminographic or terminological principles have not been applied, which may in turn be due to lack of awareness or insufficient knowledge of them. This could also explain a case of synonymy in which the term horoscope is included in the glossary and a type such as birth (natal) horoscope is distinguished in its explanation, while the term birth (natal) chart AS is also listed.

Thus, synonyms are used both in the texts and in both glossaries of terms. Admittedly, there are fewer of them in the glossaries than discussed in this article, which seems to correspond to the claim found in terminology studies that synonymy is more characteristic of texts, and also suggests that glossaries serve to organize terms and, at the same time, reduce synonymy. For instance, of the 53 terms included in AS, seven are presented with synonyms: astrological house (horoscope house), ruler of the astrological house (house), astrological (sidereal) magnitude, grand trine (trigon), birth (natal) astrology, birth (natal) chart, ruler of the horoscope house (horoscope house). Of the 39 terms included in ATŽ, five are presented with synonyms: horoscope houses – astrological houses, angular houses (houses), cadent houses (houses), succedent houses (houses), synastry (compatibility). However, not all the terms discussed in the article are included in those glossaries. For instance, neither includes conjunction, solstice, major aspects, harmonious aspects, retrograde

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motion, direct motion, retrograde phase, direct phase, septener or synonyms of these terms. In addition, glossaries of synonyms make extensive use of synonyms when defining or explaining terms. For instance, one glossary gives the synonym minor planets when defining the term asteroid (“An asteroid or minor planet is a small (up to 1,000 km in diameter) Solar System body orbiting the Sun” Zo), although this synonym is not used either on this site or on others. The term radix, which is not used on other sites, is also given here and identified as one of the synonyms of the term horoscope. Under the term ruler of an astrological house (domicile), types of house rulers are mentioned, one of which is called both real and actual house ruler. Another glossary, under the term lunar nodes, states that “[T]he ascending and descending lunar nodes are also called the north and south nodes, or the dragon’s head and tail” ATŽ. Under the term weak planetary position, the synonyms exiled planet and planet in exile, fallen planet, and debilitated planet, among others, are given. Thus, these glossaries are not so much a factor in terminological management that reduces or increases synonymy as a reflection of the synonymy characteristic of the astrological terminology used in texts.

GENERALIZATION AND CONCLUSIONS

As in most terminology fields currently in use, astrological terminology features synonymous expressions, arising primarily from the use of a loan term alongside a Lithuanian term. However, only certain terms or their components stand out for their synonymous use, while other cases of synonymy between a loan term and a native term are mostly isolated, occurring on individual websites.

Although the causes of synonymy tend to be identified in general terms, in some accounts the synonymy of terms of different origins is associated with language contact and, more recently, with the influence of English. However, no direct influence of English is evident in the terminology examined. Equivalents are sought not for English-origin terms, but for terms of Latin or Greek origin; moreover, Latinisms (Medium Coeli, Imum Coeli) or their abbreviations (MC, IC, Asc, Dsc, etc.) are used. Admittedly, some may have entered via English or another intermediary language (e.g., mutable cross), and this may reflect an effort to replace a loan term with a Lithuanian one and, correspondingly, be a cause of terminological synonymy. However, the circumstances in which terms are introduced cannot be inferred from website usage alone. This would require investigating other sources in which astrological terms are used, such as translated publications, of which only a few are published, but some are translated from both English and German.

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Overall, however, there is little tendency in the usage examined to replace terms formed from ancient-language elements with Lithuanian equivalents. Only a few cases common to most websites stand out (conjunction – joining, union, parallel; stellium – cluster, grouping, planetary cluster, planetary grouping; septener – the great seven; solar return – return of the Sun), while other cases occur only sporadically and on individual websites (square (quadrature) and quarter; trine, trigon, and triangle; sextile and hexagon, etc.). Although such exceptions could be associated with a tendency toward linguistic purism, the analysis nevertheless highlights as an especially important feature of the terminological environment under study a tendency to explain terms to readers. This would also encourage associating these exceptions less with an effort to Lithuanize loan terms than with the addressee factor—the aim of presenting the reader with a clearer term.

Another characteristic of the source under study is the pursuit of vividness, expressiveness, and persuasiveness, which prompts the search for lexical and syntactic synonyms. Although this can make it difficult to identify some synonyms, it may also motivate or account for the synonymy of certain terms (retrograde period and retrograde interval; retrograde motion and backward motion; planetary position and planetary placement). This characteristic is not equally typical of all websites and texts. Nevertheless, even if some texts are closer to popular science writing and others to journalism, they are neither scientific nor administrative in style, and this creates more scope for non-terminological synonymy. As it turns out, such variation also occurs among terms sharing a component or root (lunar nodes and nodes; Cancer zodiac sign, Cancer sign, and Cancer). These cases are associated with textual usage; however, to clarify the more specific causes of such variation, it would be useful in future to examine more broadly the influence of text genre and functional style. The astrological websites and texts examined here do show certain differences in style and genre, but these are not significant enough to permit drawing a clearer distinction or investigating such influence.

Some of the instances of synonymy identified, such as the synonymous use of the terms solar return and synastry, can be explained by another cause mentioned relatively rarely in terminological research—the effort to avoid a term’s polysemy. The usage examined, which also revealed an atypical case of synonymy in which synonyms are not used in texts independently of one another (Selena and White Moon, Lilith and Black Moon; Rahu and ascending lunar node, karmic ascending lunar node, north lunar node, Dragon

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Head; Ketu and descending lunar node, karmic descending lunar node, south lunar node, Dragon’s Tail), also highlights a cause of synonymy not mentioned at all in Lithuanian terminological research: the influence of several different traditions.

The presence or absence of language planning may also have some influence on synonymy, although this factor is manifested more as terminological variation. Frequently cited subjective causes may also play a role, such as differing preferences of term creators or users and uncertainty about which term to use. In addition to the causes already mentioned, these could explain isolated attempts on individual websites to replace terms based on ancient languages. The websites also reveal a barely mentioned cause of synonymy: uneven and insufficient knowledge of the principles of terminology management, although this is apparent only on the basis of a few websites.

At the level of all the websites, however, the cases of synonymy are fairly consistent and few in number. This would confirm the fact, already suggested by the one-word astrological terms examined in the previous article, that this field of terminology, which is neither studied nor developed in scholarly works, has a fairly well-defined set of concepts that are becoming established, together with the terms denoting them. Thus, although terminological research most often associates synonymy with terminological instability, explained as uncertainty in naming, this is not the main cause of synonymy in the terminology of the field examined. Only a few cases are more closely associated with it (astrological houses and astrological domiciles, horoscope houses, horoscope domiciles; mid-range planets, middle-distance planets, intermediate-distance planets).

Nor can the synonymy found on astrological websites be explained by another commonly cited cause of synonymous expression—the development of science or its language. These websites are not a domain in which the language of science is used, and astrology is not generally recognized as a science. Websites are a specialized domain of terminology use; consequently, the development of astrology as a specialized field, rather than the development of a scientific discipline, could be considered a cause of the synonymy found there. Its role could be established more reliably only through diachronic studies of synonymy. Overall, however, relatively few instances of synonymy emerge, suggesting that the development of astrological terminology on websites is more likely to reduce synonymy than to increase it.

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ŠALTINIAI

INTERNETO SVETAINĖS

Am – www.astrologijosmokykla.lt

An – www.ananta.lt

Antr – www.antropoteosofineastrologija.lt

Astr – www.astrodaiya.com

Aw – https://astrologe.weebly.com

Dh – www.dharma.lt

Sa – www.sadhana centras.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

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REASONS OF SYNONYMOUS EXPRESSION IN THE TERMINOLOGY OF ASTROLOGY

S u m m a r y

Synonyms of terms is one of the most widely discussed topics of terminology, but little attention is paid to the reasons of synonymy. Though they are given, but the considerations of theoretical type only list them, while empirical studies frequently also limit with mentioning them as general reasons, often even before the actual study of synonyms. The conclusions as to what determined the synonymy in the terminology of the field in question are rarely drawn.

Based on the terminology of astrology, the article focuses on the reasons of synonymous terms. After selecting twelve websites on the topic of Western astrology as the source of the study (ananta.lt; antropoteosofineastrologija.lt; astrodai.va.com; astrologe.weebly.com; astrologijosmokykla.lt; dharma.lt; sadhanacentras.lt; uranija.lt; vidineastrologija.lt; wolmer.lt; zachh.lt; zodiakas.com), including small glossaries given in two of them, it is analysed what determined the occurrence of the synonyms of terms in the above sources. What is more, the reasons of synonymous terms mentioned in Lithuanian terminological works are reviewed and a certain set of them is compiled.

Heterogeneous synonymous terms, i.e. borrowed and Lithuanian terms, are discussed as the major characteristic feature in the source under study. Terminological works mention language contacts and the influence of English as the reasons of such synonymy; however, with respect to the studied source, the cases of heterogeneous synonymy encompass the terms deriving from ancient languages rather than English. The analysis highlights the tendency to explain terms to the reader as an especially prominent feature of the studied context in which the terms are used. It also encourages us to connect certain cases where the terms deriving from ancient languages are substituted with Lithuanian equivalents with the factor of the addressee rather than the attempt for language purification, i.e. the intention to give a clearer term to the reader.

Another peculiar feature of the source under study – the attempt for vividness and expressiveness – is also the reason of synonymy of certain terms. The texts of the websites are not absolutely identical from the perspective of genre and functional

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Ramunė Vaskelaitė | Sinoniminės raiškos astrologijos terminijoje priežastys

style, but they represent freer styles, and such a context does not only create conditions for synonymous terms but also other cases of variation whose relationship with synonymy is not absolutely clear in Lithuanian terminological works.

The analysis also underlines other reasons of synonymy, which are less commonly mentioned in terminological works, such as avoiding the polysemy of terms, insufficient knowledge of terminology management principles, etc. Besides, it highlights the case of atypical synonymy identified in the terminology of astrology where the term is not used without synonyms, and considers the reason of such usage.

Gauta 2021-07-13

Ramunė Vaskelaitė

Lietuvių kalbos institutas

P. Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius

E. paštas [email protected]

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