Projects / Programmes
A MODERN NORMATIVE GUIDE IN PRINT, ELECTRONIC, AND WEB VERSIONS
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.05.00 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H352 |
Humanities |
Grammar, semantics, semiotics, syntax |
| H353 |
Humanities |
Lexicology |
| H590 |
Humanities |
Baltic and Slavonic languages and literatures |
Slovenian writting system, Slovenian orthography, on-line dictionary, electronic dictionary, language standardization
Researchers (6)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
The project A Modern Normative Guide in Printed, Electronic, and On-Line Versions will produce a normative dictionary available to users in print, on CD, and the website www.pravopis.si on the basis of modern linguistic, lexicographic, methodological, and language-technology scholarly points of departure and by using the language information technologies of the Amebis company. By publishing the dictionary in various media, we wish to stimulate the use of normative dictionaries by the widest possible circle of language users and thus achieve a rise in language culture and a higher level of literacy among Slovenians, including Slovenians living across the border and emigrants that are losing contact with their native language. The most basic purpose of a normative guide with a prescriptive function is to provide a systemic description of writing conventions in the form of rules, and to make these rules specific in the dictionary alongside selected vocabulary. Because of the expansion of new phenomena and words denoting these phenomena, society has constantly increasing needs; it demands a clear and popular, as well as handy and practical language manual. Studies to date demonstrate that the developmental dynamics of a language must be constantly monitored, and language changes must be updated as much as possible in thematically specialized language manuals. In standardizing the written form, the already established principles defined by the normative rules are followed to a great extent; in addition, living use and established normative practice are taken into account. The work connected with the modern normative guide is planned to be carried out in four phases: concept preparation, production of the “Pravopis” web portal, and production and publication of the modern normative guide. In the normative guide to be created within this project, existing normative rules will be adapted to the demands and knowledge of a non-professional user. The list of headwords will be shortened to relevant material in terms of normative rules, and one-third of the words in the dictionary will be new words that have not yet been included or standardized in dictionaries. The structure of the dictionary articles will focus on the word’s written representation – that is, on the headword, its basic and derived irregular forms, special grammatical features, the part-of-speech label of the headword, and special normative features. The editing of the dictionary articles will be based on a corpus approach. The lexicographic standardization of new vocabulary in Slovenian is highly relevant to the majority of literate language users and has a significant impact on them. The project in which the research organization and the research and development center actively participate is designed as a construction of a normative database; this contributes to the development of language tools, such as spellcheckers and translation programs. In the long run, these tools will be of key importance for protecting Slovenia’s rich cultural heritage within a united Europe.
Significance for science
The project group’s findings represent the first theoretically substantiated and practically illustrated solution to preparing the CONCEPT OF A SPECIALIZED NORMATIVE DICTIONARY; that is, a dictionary that will only contain issues that are problematic from a normative perspective. In the lexicographic concept of a special dictionary for spelling problems, which is one of the results of the project, it is emphasized that this cannot be created as a secondary lexicographic work; that is, a condensed explanatory dictionary with an emphatic normative function. The task of a new generation of normative dictionaries is for their design to take into account the broadest possible circle of language users in their active use of the language (i.e., encoding), which means that the macrostructure should therefore indicate words and phrases that are problematic to write, and the microstructure should especially provide information that users need in active language use. Whereas the definition of the microstructure information content has traditionally varied greatly in Slovenian normative works and has depended on social context, in the new millennium the concept of the microstructure information content must be based on objective study of users’ needs.
Despite the project’s applied orientation, considerable attention was also directed as part of the project toward the PROBLEM-BASED APPROACH to issues in written Slovenian for which the solution suggested in contemporary normative rules or dictionaries is a reason for significant discrepancy between the norm and codification. The current normative rules were systematically examined from this perspective, problematic solutions were presented, and suggestions were made for resolving these issues in the future. The proposals for changes are based on solutions from original research articles by members of the project group and other linguists that were intensely involved in language standardization issues from 2001 to 2011.
For linguistic research in Slovenia, the main findings are that lexicographic activity must be carried out using updated sources of material that ensure the authenticity of linguistic information, and that it is necessary to redefine variant linguistic means and to do away with obsolete prohibitions. For lexicography as a linguistic field, an important finding for the future is that because of the accelerated developmental dynamics of the language it is also necessary to update lexicographic works faster and more thoroughly, in which traditional lexicographic and grammatical approaches must be combined with modern software tools that not only allow quicker insight into linguistic material, but also make it possible to analyze it
Significance for the country
The normative guides represent the basic tools for use of in Slovenian at all communication levels: in everyday writing and speech, the public media, the economy, public administration, education, science, and culture. The electronic 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. The basic Slovenian linguistic works, among which a modern Slovenian normative guide certainly belongs, contribute to raising the level of the national language and are part of non-material cultural heritage protection. All of the project’s activities are part of the "Preservation and Development of National Natural and Cultural Heritage and Identity;" digitalization not only contributes to more effective preservation of the material collected, but also facilitates its presentation and promotion. Online publication enables direct cooperation with users. The online version is of utmost importance to Slovenians living in neighboring countries and those living in other countries where they do not have direct access to Slovenian literature. The online version of the dictionary that will be created within the proposed project, as well as dictionaries in general, not only brings their native language closer to them, but also helps them keep up with changes in modern Slovenian, including codification changes. Indirectly, such language contact strengthens their national awareness and affiliation to the Slovenian ethno-linguistic community.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2008,
2009,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2008,
2009,
final report,
complete report on dLib.si
