DICTIONARY OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND MARKETING TERMS

In 1996, several large terminological dictionaries were published. One such dictionary was A. Poviliūnas’s German-Lithuanian Dictionary of Agricultural Enterprise Science and Marketing Terms.¹ This bilingual translation dictionary presents not only terms but also the names of certain international organizations. For polysemous words, it gives not all meanings, but only those used as terms. The dictionary is properly organized from a terminographical perspective: it has Lithuanian and German prefaces, a list of lexicographic sources, explanatory notes on the dictionary’s structure, and an index of Lithuanian terms. Optional components of compound terms are given in parentheses. A distinctive feature of this dictionary is that some Lithuanian terms are further explained in square brackets with rather long definitions, e.g.: Buchwert m book value [the cost of acquiring or replacing an asset, reduced by annual write-offs of fixed capital, or its market value on the balance-sheet date if that is lower than the acquisition or replacement cost], Gebrauchswert m use value [the value of farm assets used to continue the farm’s operations, calculated when ownership or tenancy of the farm changes], etc. In the preface, the dictionary’s author thanks the experts at the German firm AFC, who helped select the most important terms in this field and reviewed the German section of the dictionary.

The dictionary does not avoid synonyms, but neither does it overuse them. Nor does it include specialized abbreviations, symbols, or other elements of scientific language. Nevertheless, this dictionary contains far too many Lithuanian terms that are incorrect in various ways. Particularly careless are the names of tools and machines presented with agent-forming suffixes, e.g.: Dunggreifer m, Dunglader m manure loader (=manure-loading machine), Gebläsehächsler m, Schneidgebläse n chopper with pneumatic feeder (=feeder) [also Häckselgebläse n chopper with pneumatic feeder], Maishäcksler m maize chopper

¹ P o v i l i ū n a s A. Žemės ūkio įmonių mokslo ir rinkotyros terminų vokiečių-lietuvių kalbų žodynas. V., Margi raštai. 1996. 410 p.

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(=chopper), Obstentsteiner m stone remover (=pitter), Rübenköpfröder m leaf cutter with collector (=gatherer), Selbstfahr-Ladewagen m self-propelled loader wagon (=self-loading wagon), Strohbinder m straw baler (roll baler) (=straw-roll binder), Windfege f winnowing and sorting machine (=sorting winnower), and so on. The suffix -ėjas is also unsuitable in some names that do not refer to tools, e.g.: Samenverdünner m semen diluter (=diluent); Zuckeraustauschstoffe m pl sugar substitutes (=replacements); Stäubegerät n, Stäuber m dusting device (= dusting agent, dusting equipment), and so on.

The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language has ruled that the normative term is hipoteka (mortgage), not ipoteca. The reviewed dictionary (hereafter RD) is rife with ipoteca, e.g.: Bodenkredit m, Grundkredit m land (ipoteca) credit; Bodenkreditanstalt f, Bodenkreditbank f, Bodenkreditinstitut n land-credit (ipoteca) bank (institution); Grundpfandrecht n ipoteca; Grundstückskredit m (land) ipoteca credit; Hypothek f ipoteca [mortgage of real estate]; Hypothekenanstalt f, Hypothekenbank f ipoteca bank; Inhaberhypothek f bearer ipoteca, holder’s ipoteca; Maximalhypothek f ipoteca registered in the cadastre, with the maximum value of the land plot also specified; Mobiliahypothek f movable-property ipoteca (pledge, mortgage); Rentenbrief m mortgage-bank bond; Verkehrshypothek f ordinary ipoteca, etc. The State Commission of the Lithuanian Language has also ruled that the term should be technikos direktorius (“technical director”), not techninis direktorius, whereas the RD gives technikos direktorius as one of the meanings of Betriebsleiter m production manager, technical director. A ruling of the aforementioned commission (Vilnius, 1991) states that a hyphen is not written between syntactically unequal nouns when one of them (usually the second) has an explanatory, clarifying, or supplementary meaning and functions as an appositive, whereas the RD writes stiller Gesellschafter silent partner; Gesundungsfrucht f soil-cleansing plant, soil-sanitizing plant; Verarbeitungsbetrieb m processing enterprise, consumer enterprise; Verbraucherbetrieb m consumer enterprise.

The dictionary also contains various incorrect terms with atypical formations, e.g.: Agrargesetzgebung f agricultural lawmaking (=legislation); zinsloses Darlehen n interest-free (=non-interest-bearing) loan; alkoholfreie Getränke non-alcoholic (=alcohol-free) bever

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ages; direkter Handel m direct trade without intermediaries (=trade without intermediaries); Mitbesitzer m co-owner (=co-holder of property); Miterbe m co-heir (=co-inheritor); Produktion typengleicher Erzeugnisse production of homogeneous (=uniform) products; mittelfristige Schuld medium-term (=of medium duration) debt; zweischürige Wiese meadow mown twice (=a meadow cut twice) and so on.

The RD also frequently disregards the recommendations of Lithuanian language prescriptive works, especially the Dictionary of Contemporary Lithuanian (hereafter DCL) and Advice on Language Practice (hereafter KPP). For example, KPP 33 states that the word atleisti should not be used in the sense “to sell, issue, supply,” whereas the RD gives Abgabepreis m selling (release) price; Abgabewert m selling (release) value (price), and so on. The DCL gives amžinasis įšalas (“permafrost”), whereas the RD gives Dauerfrostboden m amžinas įšalas. The DCL gives only the word sandelis (“warehouse”), whereas the RD gives Düngerlager n fertilizer warehouse (storage); Futterlagerraum m feed warehouse (storage); Preis ab Lager free warehouse price; Reservelager n reserve warehouse, etc. KPP states that the word prailginti should not be used in the sense “to extend,” whereas the RD gives konsolidierte Schuld consolidated (extended-term, converted into indefinite-term) debt. The DCL gives the term akmens anglys (“hard coal”), whereas the RD gives Steinkohle f akmens anglis. In the DCL (as in many terminological dictionaries), the normative term is antpelnis (not viršpelnis) (“superprofit,” not “excess profit”), whereas the RD gives Surplusprofit n viršpelnis; Überprofit m viršpelnis, antpelnis. The DCL indicates that the spelling should be vakuuminis (“vacuum”), whereas the RD gives Vakuumsilo m vacuum silo. The DCL gives the verb susicukruoti (“to crystallize”), whereas the RD gives Zuckern n sugaring, crystallization. KPP states that the word vieningas should not be used in the sense “uniform, common, one,” whereas the RD gives Einheitspreis m uniform (standard) price; Einheitssteuer f uniform tax; Einheitszoll m uniform tariff, uniform customs duty, and so on.

Here and there, the RD also contains various inconsistencies, defective term forms, and unclear equivalents. For example, Erdnuß f peanut, arachis, but Erdnußkuchen m peanut cake; Extraktionsschrot m meal, press cake, Rapsschrot m rapeseed meal, but Schrot m shot, meal, Schrotkorn n shot, meal; Sojaschrot m soybean meal (coarse

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n); Mais m maize, but Stärkemais m starchy maize; Tiefackern n, Tiefpflügen n deep plowing, but Tiefpflugkultur f crop cultivation using deep plowing; grober Sand coarse sand (= coarse sand), but Grobsand m coarse sand; Henturm m hay (= silage?) tower; Ausbrüten n, Bebrüten n, Brüten n, Erbrüten n hatching (= hatching?), incubation, etc.

Linguist A. Salys once quoted the words of the German linguist W. Havers, saying that an ideal language does not exist and cannot exist. In every language, expressive means are sometimes lacking, while at other times—on the contrary—there is a certain abundance and surplus. We could say the same about German and Lithuanian. When selecting Lithuanian equivalents for German terms, in some cases existing words need to be sifted out, while in others neologisms must be coined or loanwords used. The author of the RŽ uses almost no neologisms, uses loanwords cautiously, but does a poor job of sifting existing words. Through his sieve fall both impeccable terms and all kinds of word-formation debris, calques unsuitable for terminology. It is precisely these latter words that do the most harm to the RŽ.

Kazimieras GAIVENIS

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