Projects / Programmes
The Slovenian Language in Synchronic and Diachronic Development
January 1, 2004
- December 31, 2008
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.05.00 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H350 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Keywords: contemporary and historical Slovenian lexis, word-formation, syntax, terminology, vocabulary, lexis, lexeme, lexicology, lexicography, explanatory general/specialised/terminological dictionaries, mono- and multilingual dictionaries, semantic definitions, one- and multiword dictionary entries and subentries, dictionary articles, card material, collections of electronic texts; term, Slovenian terminology, terminography, dictionary of botany, general technical dictionary, dictionary of theatre, dictionary of geography, dictionary of legal history, dictionary of art history, dictionary of wood-working, dictionary of bee-keeping, dictionary of gemology, terminographical handbook, handbook of technical language; dialectology, Slovenian dialects, linguistic atlas, phonetics, phonology, phonological description, dialectal dictionary, accent, tonemics, sound archive, collections of dialectal material; etymology, etymological dictionary, comparative linguistics, comparative method,
Researchers (31)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
The research programme comprises: dictionaries and linguistic monographs that are being produced on the basis of the only and unique classical and electronic collection of materials, either in the domain of the contemporary standard Slovenian language or Slovenian technical terminology, atlases and dictionaries relating to the dialectology of Slovenian, historical dictionaries of the Slovenian language with the relating monographs, the etymological dictionary of the Slovenian language and the building of the corpus of the Slovenian language. An inevitable basis for the most announced dictionary works, especially for the compilation of dictionaries of the contemporary standard Slovenian language and technical terminological ones, is infrastructural activity (research as well as the classical and largely electronic collection of materials resulting from the research), included into the programme Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
In addition to mastering lexicographical methods, dictionary work requires wide linguistic knowledge, comprising the knowledge of grammar, linguistic theories and especially the linguistic domain which the dictionary belongs to. Finally, it should be pointed out that dictionary work explicitly calls for teamwork in lexicological and lexicographical solving of language/linguistic questions, and for applicative transfer of language/linguistic knowledge into lexicographical practice.
The compilation of monolingual explanatory dictionaries of Slovenian requires constant follow-up of the latest linguistic findings as well as their practical verification or realization.
Lexicographical works and dictionaries are of extreme importance for modernization, strengthening and expansion of linguistic culture in Slovenia, as well as for the recognition of Slovenian activities in the European Union.
The programme comprises interdisciplinary research of Slovenian terminology and terminography from the aspects of word-formation, stylistics, semantics, comparative linguistics, the making of a Slovenian lexicographical handbook and a handbook of Slovenian technical language, the creation of naming system and the compilation of multilingual, normative, explanatory dictionaries.
Synchronic and diachronic research of Slovenian dialects in the entire Slovenian ethnic space is focussed on the production of linguistic atlases (Slovenian, Slavic, European) and dialectal dictionaries, monographic descriptions of local speeches or dialects, the study of the history of dialectology, and the making of collections of dialectal material. The aims of the researches of this period are those of fulfilling the obligations of international projects (the General Slavonic Linguistic Atlas and the European Linguistic Atlas) and expanding the collections of the materials.
In addition to the completion of the etymological dictionary of the Slovenian language, a systematic and continuous research of the origin and etymology of the entire Slovenian lexicon (of common and proper names), also enables monographic presentation.
One of the ongoing long-term tasks of Slovenian historical lexicography is also that of compiling a dictionary of the language of 16th century Slovenian Protestant writers - one that depicts the standard Slovenian language at the time of its creation. The integral inventory of the vocabulary used in the 16th century Slovenian Protestant works is being compiled.
The motivation underlying the research of the text corpus of the Slovenian language is that of new achievements in quantitative linguistics of world languages, especially English, and comparable results of the past researches of Slovenian textual and lexicographical electronic collections.
Significance for science
The research program Slovenski jezik v sinhronem in diahronem razvoju (The Slovenian Language in Synchronic and Diachronic Development) covers the production of basic and specialized lexicographic works and linguistics studies in the following areas: contemporary standard slovenian, slovenian technical terminology, slovenian dialectology, history of slovenian,etymology and onomastics, and language technologies. The work performed by the program group is basic and of key importance to the development of all disciplines (also) dealing with Slovenian – that is, Slovenian and Slavic studies, and comparative and general linguistics. The users of all functionally motivated varieties of language express an interest in our lexicological and lexicographic findings; however, from the viewpoint of linguistics, primarily the individuals and institutions in science, culture, and education in Slovenia and abroad use these results for comparative and constructive purposes. Lexicographic works contribute to the faster development of new linguistic disciplines; the necessary lexicological and lexicographic knowledge contributes significantly to the development of linguistic technologies. Lexicography provides a great deal of general linguistic knowledge and enables suitable methodological training. Normative studies contribute to better accessibility of concrete normative solutions and a faster development of language tools, which will help Slovenian users in their everyday work (e.g., spellcheckers and translation programs). Terminological dictionaries preserve the Slovenian character of individual disciplines and ensure that their terminology develops in Slovenian. Because these disciplines are generally multilingual, they enable international scholarly and professional cooperation, as well as convey Slovenian research achievements to foreign-language environments and vice versa. Due to the specific location of its ethnic territory, Slovenian dialects are extremely informative within Slavic linguistics and are often a source for explaining the history of many linguistic phenomena. In addition, they are a rich source for etymological, comparative, and contrastive studies of Slavic languages and the entire Indo-European family. In accentology, the preservation of tone in some Slovenian dialects demands special attention; this is an important source for the extremely topical reconstruction of Slavic, Balto-Slavic, and Proto-Indo-European paradigmatic accentology. ¸ The linguistic knowledge provided by etymology and onomastics studies will be applicable in further etymological and onomastic research on Slovenian, as well as other Slavic and Indo-European languages. These research achievements are a source of information for European national comparative linguistics and Indo-European studies in general, regardless of which research center around the world the studies are performed at. In addition, they are a source of information for other specialized linguistic disciplines, such as dialectology, terminology, grammar, and orthography, as well as for non-linguistic disciplines, such as archeology, history, law, and ethnology. With its informative dimension, provided by full excerpts, and its original presentation methods, the Slovar jezika protestantskih piscev 16. stoletja will serve as a methodological example to other nations. Within a broader scale, the basic significance of the research results is the preparation of an important part of the basic infrastructure that is urgently required in developing improved scholarly disciplines, such as machine translation, machine comprehension of natural language, and language synthesis and recognition.
Significance for the country
In addition to the fact that Slovenian national identity is based primarily on its language, the wide applicability of the results of Slovenian lexicography does not allow Slovenian lexicography to be equated with all other linguistics and disciplines in terms of its value; on the contrary, its basic national importance – that is, its national value – must be recognized. The program group generally carries out long-term lexicographic projects that the Slovenians should already have (like the English, German, French, Russians, and Poles), but still do not because of a lack of funding and, consequently, a lack of appropriate staff. The lexicographic works represent the basic tools for appropriate use of genres (social functions) in Slovenian at all communication levels: in everyday writing and speech, the public media, the economy, public administration, education, science, and culture. The dictionaries present our most valuable cultural heritage – that is, language – in a modern manner and in a form that enable transparent applicability of the results in both everyday life and for scholarly purposes. They enable a higher level of multi-genre communication, and at the same time serve as international indicators of linguistic awareness as well as overall education and cultural awareness at the national level. From this point of view, they also contribute to equal treatment of Slovenian in international circles. The development level of individual languages is also measured with the number of various lexicographic works. In this regard, Slovenian is somewhere in the middle. By producing the planned dictionaries, it will move up the scale, which will also raise its international profile. As teaching aids, the planned dictionaries will be applicable at all levels of formal education; the cooperation of junior researchers in their production is a unique experience not only for future lexicographers, but also future linguists of other specializations. Organized professional terminology is the basis for any discipline in all three forms of manifestation – that is, in the economy, the training of personnel, and science. The terminological dictionary represents the most transparent presentation of the state of the terminology of individual disciplines; it documents the existing state and preserves the normativity of the standard Slovenian technical language. The development of the awareness of linguistic diversity in Slovenian, research on its most intimate variation (i.e., dialect), and its juxtaposition with the Slavic and European environment has a strong impact on the cultural development of individuals and society. Over decades, the Fran Ramovš Institute of the Slovenian Language ZRC SAZU has collected and kept unique material collections from across all of Slovenian ethnic territory. These are a true treasury of cultural heritage. With scholarly analysis, and professionally presented in Slovenia and internationally, these collections consolidate and strengthen national identity. Knowing the origins and development of one’s own language and lexicon is undoubtedly an essential factor in strengthening national identity because knowing one’s own roots is a condition for a nation's healthy self-confidence and its successful and equal coexistence in Europe and beyond. Research is also one of the sources of popular presentations, which are applicable especially in schools and various media. Slovenia’s socioeconomic and cultural development will be much more promising if its native language continues to be effectively used in the future. The planned studies will reduce the efforts required for producing errorless texts in Slovenian. Monitoring the lexicon of Slovenian as a native language, especially the degree of borrowing in the lexicon and the word-formational specifics of new lexical material, and regular identification and recording of its diversity, variegation, and vitality are important elements in strengthening national identi
Most important scientific results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
