Dėl terminų standartizacija, norminimas ir kodifikacija dabartinėje norminamojoje kalbotyroje
Regarding the relationship of the terms standardization, normalization, and codification in modern normative linguistics

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses the terms standartizacija (standardization), norminimas (normalization), and kodifikacija (codification) as well as their Lithuanian forms and synonyms (such as standartizavimas, normalizacija, kodifikavimas, and so on) through the prism of theoretical and practical needs of normative linguistics. The understanding of the concepts these terms denote varies in the works of modern Lithuanian and foreign linguistics; the terms and their relationships are not completely established as such either. As a result, the problem of managing the microsystem of these terms is being addressed in some publications of contemporary Lithuanian linguists. Yet any chance of a fully rounded discussion is reduced by the fact that sometimes reliance is made on isolated sources that, in their own right, restrict the field of problems relating to the usage of the terms. Ergo, the conclusions do not always carry a substantial degree of scientific accuracy and objectivity. The terms in question denote various aspects of regulation of the standard languages pertaining both to the exterior of the standard language as a variety of the national language (that is, the separation of the standard language from the other varieties), and to the interior thereof (that is, the crystallisation and management of the standard language norms). The article adopts a synchronic approach towards the subject of structuring these terms. The goal is to provide a theoretical description of the microsystem of concepts required to define the process of standardization of the standard language and the terms that denote them. To that end, the following objectives are set: 1) describe the main concepts of the elements (or stages) of the standardization process; 2) discussing the terms standartizacija, norminimas, and kodifikacija, as well as their variations and synonyms; 3) disclosing the mutual relationships of the terms that denote the (self-)regulation of language and providing an outline of their possible microsystem. With reference to Lithuanian and English sources, as well as one Latvian source of linguistics (The Glossary of Linguistic Terms), the article makes an inventory of terms denoting the (self-)regulation of the standard language: standartizacija (standartėjimas), standartizavimas; norminimas, normalizacija (normėjimas), and kodifikacija, kodifikavimas. The spontaneous development and conscious management of the standard language are distinguished on the basis of the nature of its (self-)regulation. Another distinction is made in terms of the micro- and macro-levels of these processes, which in one case include the strain of the standard language per se, in the other, its specific norms. Analysis of the mutual relationships of the terms in questions has revealed that some of the terms are overlapping, are synonyms of not-quite-identical meaning, or interact as a part and whole of the phenomena they denote. Notably, opposite to the English language where terminology affects that of other languages to a substantial extent, the Lithuanian language allows certain elements of word formation (in the case at hand, the suffixes -acija and -avimas) to signify the difference between a spontaneous act and an active action. This difference, however, is but a tendency rather than a strong regularity; therefore, when it comes to actual usage, formations of the suffix -acija are often used in both cases – just like in the English language. For the purposes of considering making the microsystem of the terms of normative linguistics clearer and more compact, we could suggest it be given the following guidelines in the terminology of Lithuanian linguistics: 1. Standartizacija (standardization): spontaneous establishment and self-development of the standard language as an individual variety. Standartizavimas: conscious selection of the standard language variety and generalised process of its management. 2. Normalizacija (normalization): the spontaneous process of the crystallisation of standard language norms. Norminimas: conscious management of standard language norms: investigation of usage, selection and assessment, written legalisation, and proliferation of norms. 3. Kodifikavimas (codification): one of the stages of the standardisation process: selection and written legalisation of standard language norms. Kodifikacija: the outcome of this process: the whole of the legalised norms and rules of the standard language. Such tendencies of usage do exist in Lithuanian linguistic literature and scientific texts, yet they call for a closer examination to be able to round up the discussion of the microsystem of the terms of this field that is acceptable to the current phase in the course of the development of the standard Lithuanian language.

• Details
• Contents