Angelė KAULAKIENĖ

Institute of the Lithuanian Language

COMPUTER TERMINOLOGY SYNONYMY: A FAULT OR A NECESSITY

The rapid development of computer technology and its establishment in almost all areas of human activity have brought forth numerous terms naming computer components, the architecture of computer systems and networks, data processing and transmission, software, its operation, and so on. It is therefore no coincidence that in recent years as many as four dictionaries of computer terminology have been published (K. Paulauskas and J. Jasinevičius, “Explanatory Dictionary of Computer Science” (K., 1995. – 370 p. – hereafter AKŽ); the explanatory English–Lithuanian terminology glossary “Informatics and Computer Equipment” (V., 1995. – 96 p. – hereafter IK); “Explanatory English–Lithuanian Dictionary of Computer Terms” (K., 1997. – 366 p. – hereafter AKTŽ); and the Lithuanian–English–Russian–German terminology dictionary “Informatics” (V., 1997. – 943 p. – hereafter I). These works collect and inventory current computer terminology.

Since the period of development of computer terminology spans only a quarter of a century (the first “Russian–Lithuanian–English Dictionary of Computing Terms” was published in 1971 and for a long time was the only one in this field), it can be regarded as the initial stage in the formation of computer terminology, whose main features are synonymy and variation, e.g.: Eng. file: failas, rinkmena AKŽ 61; byla, rinkmena IK 35; failas / rinkmena / AKTŽ 87; failas (syn. byla, rinkmena) I 86; byla see failas I 42; rinkmena see failas I 307; Eng. hardware: aparatūra AKŽ 22; aparatinė įranga AKŽ 84; techninė įranga IK 39; 1. aparatūra; aparatinė įranga; aparatinės priemonės. 2. techninė įranga; techninės priemonės AKTŽ 104; aparatūra (cf. aparatinė įranga) I 17; aparatinė įranga (cf. techninė įranga, aparatūra) I 121; techninė įranga (cf. aparatinė įranga, aparatūra) I 124; Eng. software: programinė įranga AKŽ 84; programinės priemonės AKŽ 175; programinė įranga IK 76; programinė įranga; programinės priemonės AKTŽ 201; programinė įranga I 123 etc.

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The terminology of other scientific fields has developed in a similar way in Lithuania. For example, during the first stage in the development of physics terminology, which covered the years 1850–1900, one concept was often named by two or three, and sometimes even four, synonyms, forming synonym groups¹ (see Table 1).

Table 1. Types of representation of synonym groups in physics terminology

Two-synonym group

both Lithuanian

Lithuanian, borrowed

borrowed, Lithuanian

both borrowed

error or fault (A)*

vedinimas or ventiliacija (F)

maliavos or daktai darantieji (A)

bombarda or armota (A)

silk bladder or orkulkė (K)

naugės or metolai (A)

telegraph or tolrašis (K)

example, or doll (Š)

metals or naugės (Š)

volume, space (T)

substance, material (A)

resonator, echoer (T)

–

compressibility, compressibility (T)

weight, physical (A)

thermometer, heater (T)

free (loose) electricity (T)

firstborn (atom) (A)

gas (gases) (P)

–

light (visible) rays (F)

heat meter (thermometer) (A)

telephone (talking device) (A)

lantern (beacon) (Š)

imagination (photography) (Š)

spektyvas (binoculars) (Š)

¹ Kaulakienė A. Fizikos terminijos raidos tarpsniai // Lituanistica. 1997. Nr. 3 (31). P. 66-73.

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Group of three synonyms

three Lithuanian terms

two Lithuanian terms, one borrowed

one borrowed, two Lithuanian terms

two borrowed, one Lithuanian term

–

–

positive or affirmative (real) image (Š)

galvanic force or galvanic battery or galvanic pile (K)

existence, state, condition (T)

comparative, apparent, relative motion (T)

form, shape, gender (T)

–

gas elasticity, resilience, rigidity (T)

meridian, noon line, midday (T)

–

hardness table, grade (scale) (T)

–

–

Four-synonym group

four Lithuanian terms

Lithuanian, three borrowed terms

–

–

splinters; shards, fragments, splinters (T)

–

tough, rigid, stiff, elastic bodies (T)

–

pile, reservoir (tank), tank (T)

Five-synonym group

five Lithuanian terms

one borrowed term, four Lithuanian terms

–

–

tilt; leaning; inclination; slope; sway (T)

–

–

temperature (warming, heat gain; warmth; heat) (T)

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*Letters indicate sources:

K – Keleivis iš Karaliaučiaus broliams lietuvininkams žinias parnešą (1849–1879). A – Auszra, Laikraštis išleidžiamas per Dra. Basanaviczų (1883–1886). F – I. Končius. Fizika: Fizikos vadovėlis gimnazijoms [Rankraštis]. P – S. Neris. Populiariškas rankvedis fizikos. V., 1905. Š – K. Šakenis. Fizika. 1920, d. 3. T – Terminai fizikos reikalams, Lietuva (1923–1924).

A similar situation exists in the current computer terminology of other countries. For example, in Croatian computer terminology², 11 equivalents are used for computer, 10 for printer, 13 for hardware, 10 for software, 10 for display, 5 for keyboard, 3 for interface, and 3 for menu (see Table 2, which was presented during the aforementioned conference).

Table 2

computer

kompjuter, kompjutor, (elektroničko) računalo, (elektronički) računar, računač, obradnik, rednik, (obradni) stroj

printer

printer, štampač, štampalo, ispisivalo, pisač, pisalo, pisaljka, tiskač, tikalo, tiskaljka

hardware

hardver, očvrsje, sklopovlje, sklopovi, strojevina, sklopovska oprema, sklopovska konfiguracija računala, materijalna osnovica, sklopovska podrška, sklopovska osnova, oprema, željezarija, računala oprema

software

softver, software, napudbina, softverska podrška, programska podrška, napudbena sredstva, programska biblioteka, programska oprema, programi, računalna podrška

display

pokazivač, predočnik, ekran predočnik, cijev za podataka, prikazni uređaj, prikazna jedinica, indikatorska naprava, ekran, zaslon, video-jedinica

keyboard

keyboard, kibord, kejbord, tipkovnica, slovište

interface

interfejs, medus(k)op, sučelje

menu

meni, jelovnik, izbornik

² Mihaljevic M. Recent Developments in Croatian Computer Terminology / / Towards a European Terminology. International Conference. Budapest. 1998. P. 31–32.

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Thus, it can be argued that synonymy and variation in the initial stage of Lithuanian computer terminology are a natural part of its development. The current state of computer terminology is undoubtedly determined by several factors.

First, the abundance of partly English synonyms³. Second, the vast influx of new computer concepts, about which even specialists in Lithuania often disagree. This raises the question of choice: which term should be selected—a loanword or a Lithuanian equivalent, or should both be used interchangeably?

According to the principle of linguistic purity formulated by our pioneering terminologist, Prof. S. Šalkauskis, namely, that borrowing “is justified for terminological purposes above all when the term being expressed cannot be obtained either by adapting a word from ordinary speech or by forming a new term through compounding or derivation”⁴, in such cases it is apparently necessary to propose a Lithuanian equivalent for the loanword, especially since indigenous neologisms have been coined to name new concepts since the time of F. Kuršaitis (approximately since 1860). Even the French linguist M. Breal (M. Bréal), in his “Essay on Semantics” (1897), had occasion to compare French with Lithuanian in this respect.

Thus, the aforementioned and other synonyms in computer terminology may compete with one another for a time. Undoubtedly, only time will show which of them become established. Users will be able to choose: a chip, an (unarmoured) integrated circuit, or a microchip; a display, a monitor, or a visual display unit; a driver or a device driver; a file, a document, or a data file; switching, changeover, or transfer, and so on. But what should be done when there is nothing to choose from, when loanwords are being forced upon users, for example: hostai, kursor(i)us, panelis, pikselis, portas, routingas, routeris, svopingas, utilitas, and so on.

The principle of linguistic purity does not mean that all loanwords currently in use must now be abandoned or that new ones must be excluded from terminology. Terms, like words in the standard language, should be standardized through variants and synonyms. Therefore, the first step is to bring existing Lithuanian equivalents of loanwords back into use

³ Paulauskas K., Jasinevičius R. Aiškinamasis kompiuterijos žodynas. K., 1995. P. 5.

⁴ Šalkauskis S. Raštai. V., 1991. T. 2. P. 39.

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equivalents and create more Lithuanian neologisms that could compete with borrowings⁵. Otherwise, due to the uninterrupted (sometimes even abundant) and uncontrolled influx of borrowed computing terms, a situation may arise in which the entire terminological vocabulary of computing becomes borrowed. Therefore, such a state of computing terminology should be considered abnormal, since it would violate one of the most important principles of terminology—the principle of priority for native terms.

Received 1999 10 07

SYNONYMY IN THE TERMINOLOGY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE: FAULT OR NECESSITY

Summary

The present period of the development of Lithuanian computer science terminology should be viewed as the primary stage. Appearance of synonyms and variants at this stage is a natural process, which is partly determined by the abundance of English synonyms and the question of selecting borrowed terms or Lithuanian equivalents. Terms of computer science are standardised through the variants and synonyms, first of all by including already existing Lithuanian equivalents of borrowings into usage and creating more Lithuanian neologisms, which could compete with borrowings.

⁵ Gaivenis K., Kaulakienė A. Ekstralingvistiniai terminų norminimo principai // Kultūra ir visuomenė. Mokslo darbai. K., 1996. T. 3. P. 42–51.

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