review of: ------------------------ MIRCEA ELIADE: Indisches Tagebuch. Reisenotizen 1928-1931, 396 S., mit einer Abbildung, herausgegeben, aus dem Rumänischen übersetzt und mit einem Vorwort von Edward Kanterian, Eugen Diederichs Verlag 1996
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review of: ----------------------- JOACHIM-PETER STORFA, Die politischen Schriften des Mihai Eminescu. WUV-Universitätsverlag (Dissertationen der Universität Wien; Bd. 21), Wien 1995, 222 Seiten
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ROLAND KIRSCH: "Der Traum der Mondkatze"; Prosastücke; Herausgegeben von Richard Wagner mit einem Nekrolog von Herta Müller in der Edition Pixis bei Janus Press; Berlin und München 1996
More...The article belongs to the scope of pension reforms, however does not analyse different reform models but goes into the base of necessity to reform. The major attention is given to explore different and contradicting interests of pension system’s participants. The article claims that to reform pension system means to change the interests of its participants from antagonistic – which are in PAYG schemes – to cooperational. The latter can develop among individuals, business and communities only in more free, more flexible and less politically influenced social security system. The conclusion is made that in other case no economic and political means can resolve the inner tension of the pension systems and to achieve its long term viability as well as social value.
More...The purpose of the cultural elite members during soviet period was designated for the implementation of soviet indoctrination and legitimization of the regime. This task provided for those cultural elites not only the authority, symbolic capital and prestige among other societal groups, but also the strict mechanisms of control, censorship and public behavior. Even this model was valid for soviet Lithuania, the analysis of their relationship with the system in the late socialism reveals that local intellectuals and other cultural elite’s members who were part of soviet cultural establishment transferred to the multi-edge relationship with the system. By taking the case of soviet writers, several intellectuals circles could be identified and this deployment could be sustained as a reflection of the rest of cultural elite. These groups not maintained constructed different relationship with the system or national ideology, but also experienced the intensive struggle for the power in local cultural establishments. The group of ideologists gradually lost their influence to the group of conservatist, who in the 70–80 occupied main chairs in cultural institutions and who were more enthusiastic towards ethnic issues, but being a part of cultural nomenclatura they also found consensus with local party apparatchiks. Another part of cultural nomenclatura – ideologists could not also gained the public recognition as conservatists or the famous intellectuals from local intelligentsia circles (moderate writers), who have increased their authority for their talent and deep attachment to local and ethnic issues.
More...Book review: Eric H. Mielants, The Origins of Capitalism and the Rise of the West, Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2007.
More...The paper advances the deductive typology of the pathways of postcommunist transformation and their comparative qualitative analysis (QCA), using TOSMANA software. The typology is constructed using three politomic (4 values) variables to describe the causal conditions of postcommunist transformation. These variables are orientation of postcommunist transformation, economic mode of the exit from Communism, and political mode of the exit from Communism. Because of the space limits, the multi-value QCA (mvQCA) is performed only for the outcome „liberal democratic capitalism“ after the first decade of postcommunist transformation. Due to this time limit, the regularities derived by mvQCA are qualified as those of „rapid“ transformation. For this analysis, the data set including 29 cases is used. They are are instances of the 17 from the 64 pathways how communism can be transformed into liberal democratic capitalism. To assign the values to cases for the variable „economic mode of the exit from Communism“, the thresholds derived from the EBRD annual „Transition Reports“ were used. To assign the values for the variable „political mode of the exit from Communism“, the data and thresholds from the data set Polity IV (Polity IV Individual Country Regime Trends, 1946–2008) were used.
More...Book review: M. R. Sarkees, F. W. Wayman, Resort to War: a Data Guide to Inter-state Extra-state, Intra-state, and Non-state Wars, 1816–2007, CQ Press, 2010.
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Keywords: term(s); neologism(s); meaning; the etymology and use of terms; theoretical questions; usag; the acceptability of neologisms; the method of a Two-Cycle Model of Grammar; semantic relations in language and their dependence.
The problem of the article is the question of the spread of doubtful usage in which untested terms and unsorted new words appear. It is also a question of professional expertise, language and culture as they apply to the sensitive issues in usage. These observations and an assessment of some phenomena in modern Lithuanian and English usage have been made with resort to the concept of the functional nature of language. It has been taken for granted that the system of language is a system of meaning determined by the functions of language it has evolved to serve. The concept that actual usage only reflects the lexicogrammatical options the speaker had made from the system necessitated by the meaning he had intended to express has also a truth value for the author of the present article. In the context of contemporary questions of terminology, the basic aspects of the etymology of terms are considered and ways of the creation of current terms in Lithuanian are reviewed, which is backed up by the American criticism of the unacceptable practices. Parallels between terms and neologisms are drawn only to show the unacceptable usage in Lithuanian. The method of aTwo-Cycle Model of Grammar is applied to motivate the assessment of the unwanted neologisms in this language. The model use of physical terms in Lithuanian is resorted to to counter the vicious practices. The influence of terms on the systemic relationsin language and on its syntax is illustrated by analysing a few instances of scientific English usage. The significance of the conceptual meaning of terms is found to motivate deviations in the syntax of scientific English. But scientific usage is shown to merit praise otherwise and the culture of scientists to have thepotential to improve even general usage. It is assumed in conclusion that the speaker‘s concern with meaning can potentially oust undesirable usage together with his ungrounded psychological reactions to new terms and neologisms in general. The linguists are likely to earn a favourable attitude in the same conditions.
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Keywords: body; culture; values; education.
The article deals with the question what place takes the body in the culture. The author maintains that the phenomenon of body is the part of the cultural whole. The education of body culture is inseparable from the creation of our spiritual environment. According to the author, training of body is inseparable from ethical and aesthetical human aspirations. The author’s thesis is next: the body is a medium between consciousness and human world. He fellows phenomenological attitude’s that is developed with help of this thesis. The author develops holistic phenomenology of body with help of Plato’s theory of harmony between body and spirit. There is criticized attitude that body is educated as separated from human spiritual aspirations. The author investigates the influence of science and techniques to the body. The body is rehabilitated as a factor of spiritual culture in the article.
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Keywords: linguistic relativity; similar and differentpatterns; comparative analysis; globalization.
A survey of the theory of linguistic relativity, its development and major principles and statements are presented. Case studies of various words, word combinations and sentences expressing the same ideas and objects in English, Russian and Lithuanian are provided. They show the main differences between languages which present difficulties for learners of foreign languages. It is shown that linguistic relativity-based analysis helps to overcome these difficulties and to avoid many mistakes by providing the insight of the native speakers and developing more flexible thinking and linguistic guess. The theory of linguistic relativity also helps to reveal the specific character of every language which should be highly valued at the time of globalization.
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Keywords: intermediate language; denomination; derivatives; borrowings; word building; naming; synonymy; variance.
Basing upon the material collected the article aims at reviewing denomination of liturgical – ritual objects. As to their meaning names are divided into groups depending upon what they name – a sacral object or its parts, liturgical books or articles, ritual clothes, etc. Concerning their origin there are Lithuanian and non-Lithuanian words. The latters may come from one language or be received through languages – intermediates. The conclusion is made that Latin or other foreign words remain important in the Lithuanian language as there are no proper Lithuanian words to name liturgical objects. The article has both practical and theoretical value. The data presented can be used when studying general laws of term origin and building as well as explaining the adaptation of borrowings in the Lithuanian language. It is relevant to continue the studies of this subject in order to encourage the building of Lithuanian equivalents both in this field and in those which lack Lithuanian names.
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Keywords: acronyms; computer lexis; computer terminology; key names; pronouncing of acronyms; synonyms.
Computer becomes a widely used tool in everyday work and at home. Every computer user sees texts on its screen containing a lot of words naming new concepts. Those words come from the terminology used by specialists. The common vocabury between computer terminology and lexis of every day language comes into existence. The article deals with the part of computer terminology which goes to every day usage and the influence of ordinary language to computer terminology. The relation between English and Lithuanian computer terminology, the construction and pronouncing of acronyms are discussed as well.
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Keywords: assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning; portfolio for the assessment of non-formal and informal learning; metacognitive strategies.
The issue of assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning at the university has recently become an object of heated debates in academic communities in Lithuania. This paper analyses the concept of assessment at tertiary level, discusses the challenges that the assessment and recognition of non-formal and informal learning pose to universities, and proposes the format of portfolio for the assessment of non-formal and informal learning for academic credit. It presents the results of research into the usefulness of portfolio method in the process of adults’ preparation for the assessment and recognition of their non-formal learning at the university.
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Keywords: linguo-didactics; the types of language; colloquial language; the language structures; the set of exercises; the gradation of exercises.
The article deals with one of language communication forms–a colloquial language. The author considers a colloquial language as one of types of language activities which is integrated into other types language activities during the teaching process. As the language is the teaching subject, it is important to pay attention to the nature and essence of the language, to its constituent parts. Preparing the methods of teaching a colloquial language one should bear in mind the linguistics, psychological, psycho-linguistic and pedagogical regularities of language teaching and learning. The author refers to the methods scientific research and her own work experience and recommends to start teaching a colloquial language from the reception, i.e. from listening and comprehension. In the article the exercises are divided into aspective (preparatory) and communicative. These exercise have to be based on a scientifically researched system.
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Keywords: communicative German language; speciality term in German; peculiarities of speciality texts in German; grammar srtuctures of technical texts in German; subject vocabulary in German; loanwords in German.
In this article some peculiarities of scientific texts in German are analyzed. Value of accuracy, clearness, logic sequence in the language of science is emphasized. Vivid inadequacy of Lithuanian and German terms is accentuated. The attention is paid to the students to perceive, to undestand correctly and to apply loanwords. Both in higher educational institutions where training is conducted in Lithuanian and in vocational schools the use of general and special dictionaries are required when interpreting the terms, it is necessary to pay attention to the context. The emphasis is laid on the fact that it is undesirable to use loanwords as terms if a corresponding word in the Lithuanian language exists. The presented paper should be of practical importance for the work with the students.
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Keywords: terminology resources; term bank.
A European Commission project EuroTermBank - Collection of Pan-European Terminology Resources through Cooperation of Terminology Institutions - has been working already for two years starting from January 2005. Project coordinator was Tilde (Latvia), the project partners were: Institute for Information Management at Cologne University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Center for Language Technology at University of Copenhagen (Denmark), Institute of the Lithuanian Language (Lithuania), Terminology Commission of Latvian Academy of Science (Latvia), MorphoLogic (Hungary), University of Tartu (Estonia), Information Processing Center (Poland). EuroTermBank project has been focused on harmonization and consolidation of terminology work in new EU member states, transferring experience from other European Union terminology networks and accumulating competencies and efforts of the new EU countries. The result of the project is a centralized online term bank for languages of new EU member countries interlinked to other terminology banks and resources. The term bank is accessible via internet and it contains over 600000 terminological entries, in which there are more than 1, 5 million terms in 25 languages. It has a link with four external data bases: TermNet.lv, OLSTEN, MoBiDic and Lietuvos Respublikos terminų bankas. In EuroTermBank there are over 78 000 Lithuanian terms and their equivalents in other languages from 11 sources. Terms in this term bank are arranged according to subject fields from Eurovoc–an official multilingual thesaurus of the European Union. The address of EuroTermBank web page is www.eurotermbank.com.
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