Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje

RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ Institute of the Lithuanian Language ORCHID id: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5725-7796 RESEARCH AREAS: normative linguistics, functional stylistics, sociolinguistics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35321/bkalba.2024.97.08 CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE PREPOSITION TARP IN ADMINISTRATIVE LITHUANIAN KEYWORDS: the preposition tarp, prepositional constructions, attributive constructions, administrative language, syntax. ABSTRACT The article examines the use of the preposition tarp in administrative Lithuanian. Although this preposition is not common, certain doubts about its use have arisen under the influence of English, mediated through translations of EU documents. Research has revealed that constructions with this preposition became more prevalent in documents from the early 21st century. Their use depends on a fairly precisely defined meaning of a particular limitation, being surrounded by something, or mutual relations, and normative recommendations are based on this as well. Attributive constructions are more characteristic of administrative language, and their use is also related to the ability of the modified noun to govern constructions with the preposition tarp. ABSTRACT The article analyses the usage of the preposition tarp in the administrative Lithuanian language. Although this preposition is not common, certain doubts about its usage have arisen due to the influence of English, which comes through translations of documents of the EU institutions. Research has revealed that the constructions with this preposition became more prevalent in the documents from the early 21st century. Their usage depends on a fairly precisely defined meaning of a certain limitation, presence in the middle of something or inter-relations, and normative recommendations are based on that as well. Attributive constructions are more characteristic of administrative language, and their usage is also related to the capacity of the modified noun to govern constructions with the preposition tarp. 160 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 INTRODUCTION Language change is most clearly reflected in rapid changes in vocabulary; other levels of language change much more slowly. Changes in syntactic phenomena become apparent only when comparing texts written in different centuries. At the beginning of the 21st century, when assessing the impact of globalisation on language, it is worth examining the characteristics of how prepositions function in contemporary language. This time, a closer examination of the use of the preposition tarp in administrative Lithuanian was prompted by translators at European Union (EU) institutions, who discerned a possible influence of English on the use of this preposition in translated EU documents. The article therefore examines in greater depth the characteristics of the use of constructions with the preposition tarp in administrative Lithuanian. The preposition tarp is a secondary, relatively uncommon preposition. A comprehensive description of the use of Lithuanian prepositions at the beginning of the 20th century was provided by Jonas Jablonskis (1928) in the book „Linksniai ir prielinksniai. Jų vartojimas mūsų kalboje“. Later grammatical descriptions and dictionaries, as well as studies of preposition use in Lithuanian, drew on this linguist’s insights, expanding and refining them. Since this preposition is not very common, there are generally not many issues concerning the appropriateness of its use in standard language; perhaps for this reason, it has attracted relatively little attention from language researchers. The aim of the article is, after discussing the semantics of constructions with the preposition tarp as described in Lithuanian dictionaries and other language publications, as well as recommendations concerning the use of tarp in language-standardisation publications, to identify the distinctive features of constructions with this preposition in administrative Lithuanian. To achieve the article’s aim, the following objectives were set: to establish the semantics of the preposition tarp by reviewing its descriptions in Lithuanian dictionaries and other language publications; to examine the recommendations concerning the use of tarp in language-standardisation publications and the reasons behind them; and, using semantic, syntactic, and quantitative analysis, to identify changes in the use of constructions with the preposition tarp, their semantic features, and recommendations for their use. Research methods: semantic, syntactic, and quantitative analysis. The research sources are legal acts and other documents published in the Register of Legal Acts (hereinafter TAR), and Lithuanian translations of documents published on the European Union’s legal portal EUR-lex. Usage over the past five years (2018–2023) was investigated; the Corpus of the Contemporary Lithuanian Language (hereinafter DLKT) was also used to obtain an overall picture. RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 161 The relevance of the study is revealed by the need to determine changes in contemporary administrative language, which is influenced by the language of translated EU documents. 1. THE MEANINGS OF THE PREPOSITION TARP IN LITHUANIAN DICTIONARIES AND OTHER LANGUAGE PUBLICATIONS In Lithuanian grammars (LKG III, DLKG), constructions with the preposition tarp are described as capable of entering into verbal phrases and denoting place, limited time, and an object; LKG discusses separately nominal phrases with constructions involving the preposition tarp. Constructions with action nouns (including those with prepositions) were examined in detail by Jurgis Pakerys (2006), while the synonymous possibilities of prepositional constructions were analysed thoroughly by Elena Valiulytė (1998). The meanings of the preposition tarp are defined concretely and precisely in LKŽₑ and DLKŽ₈ₑ. Both dictionaries distinguish 8 meanings of this preposition. DLKŽ₈ₑ states that the preposition tarp is used to denote: 1. a place bounded by two objects: He placed a chair between the wardrobe and the window. The road between Vilnius and Kaunas. He is standing between the doors (in the doorway). 2. a place situated among many similar objects, surrounded by them: The ship got stuck among the ice floes. We live among the forests. 3. a period of time bounded by two moments: Between one and three o’clock at night. 4. limits of possible variation: Their number varies between five and ten. 5. relations of similarity, difference, opposition, etc.: There is much in common between them. Peace among nations. 6. reciprocal actions: They consulted among themselves. While we were talking among ourselves. An argument broke out between them. 7. participants in a division: Divide the property among the heirs. 8. people with whom regular contact is maintained: He lives among artists. He moves around among journalists. Similar meanings are distinguished in LKŽₑ, which indicates that constructions with the preposition tarp can denote being or an action taking place in an area bounded by certain objects; similar objects or people among whom an action takes place; relations of familiarity; a specified group of objects or people from which something stands out in some respect; people who are connected and interact with one another; people, objects, or phenomena being compared or contrasted; limits of possible extremes; and a period of time. Jonas Šukys (1998: 512–517) also distinguishes similar, but more generalized, meanings of the preposition under discussion. The linguist states that constructions expressing three meanings—place, time, and quantity—are associated with boundaries; a special manner meaning occurs less frequently (e.g., write in parentheses); constructions can also denote objects between which there is a discrepancy 162 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 or communication, while prepositional constructions of all meanings, when characterizing a noun, become attributive. The meanings of the preposition tarp are systematized further in KP S2 (2003: 107). Four meanings are distinguished: place, time, quantity, and object. However, three nuances of the preposition’s locative meaning are discussed separately: 1) between several objects (e.g., Place a chair between the wardrobe and the window); 2) surrounded by something (e.g., I spent my life among books); 3) with a nuance of familiarity (e.g., Discontent arose among those gathered). It is emphasized that the time expressed by a prepositional construction is bounded by two moments, that quantity is likewise bounded by a certain amount, and that the object meaning is described as denoting relations between objects. The descriptions of the meanings of the preposition tarp presented above show that in Lithuanian this preposition most often denotes various circumstances bounded by certain limits or indicating surrounding, as well as an object expressing mutual relations. The characteristic semes of this preposition are ‘a certain limitation’, ‘surrounding’, or ‘mutual relations’. In J. Šukys’s (1998: 512) view, ‘[T]he general meaning of the preposition tarp is being bounded or surrounded by something. Together with the genitive and the word governing this construction, tarp acquires more specific meanings’. This generalization could be further refined by noting that constructions with the preposition under discussion are used only when it is necessary to indicate a connection or interaction between two or more objects. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE USE OF CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE PREPOSITION TARP Based on the development of preposition standardization presented in the “Language Advice” section of the “E. kalba” website (KPₑ), it is evident that the first corrections of constructions with the preposition tarp appeared in KPP₂ (1985). The current recommendations are formulated most clearly in KP S2 (2003: 109), which lists three verbs with which constructions involving the preposition tarp are not recommended to express an object: išsiskirti tarp ko (= skirtis iš ko), e.g.: He clearly wanted to distinguish himself among them (= from them); rinktis tarp ko (= rinktis iš ko), e.g.: One will have to choose one among several proposals (= from several proposals); skirtis tarp ko (= skirtis iš ko), e.g.: He differs among everyone (= from everyone). And skirstyti tarp ko is considered a construction to be avoided, e.g.: The aid has begun to be distributed among the affected residents (— to the affected residents). Given that one of the authors of the cited booklet is J. Šukys, it is not at all surprising that similar RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 163 vartojimo rekomendacijos pateiktos ir šio kalbininko knygoje (Šukys 1998: 516). Tiesa, šiame leidinyje galima rasti ir daugiau taisymų, bet jie neaktualūs administracinės kalbos vartosenai. KancKP contains no corrections to constructions with the preposition tarp; apparently, when this publication was being prepared1, there were no major problems with the use of the preposition tarp in administrative language. Later, EU institutions’ translators expressed doubts about the appropriateness of this preposition in the titles of treaties and agreements, noting a possible influence from English, and therefore the construction with the preposition tarp was included in AKA as one to be avoided: „Concluded is the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism between the Kingdom of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, Ireland <...> and the Republic of Finland (–the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism of the Kingdom of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, Ireland <...> and the Republic of Finland); cf. English <...> the Treaty <...> between the Kingdom of Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Estonia, Ireland <...> and the Republic of Finland. Documents governing the language of EU legislation stipulate that the title in a document heading should be translated not as a treaty between, but as whose treaty.“ On the basis of recommendations in the language-guidance publications discussed above, which were formulated with regard to the meanings of the preposition described in dictionaries and the characteristic semantic features identified, AKA also recommended avoiding constructions with the preposition tarp in certain cases, for example: a) avoid using it to indicate direction, e.g.: Employees who commute to work between Sweden and Denmark (–from Denmark to Sweden and from Sweden to Denmark; to Sweden and to Denmark); Requests for reimbursement of the local assistant’s travel between the Parliament’s three places of work (–to the three places of work) are submitted to the relevant secretariat department before the start of the mission; b) selection between is not recommended because of the verb from which it is derived, which is assessed in this way, e.g.: Second-language selection between (=from) three languages; Selection between (=from) domestic and imported products is unrestricted and depends solely on commercial considerations. c) avoid using it in the noun phrase exchange of data between, e.g.: Exchange of data on medication errors that cause an adverse reaction, including exchange of data between the competent medicines control authorities and those responsible for patient safety institutions (–including the exchange of data by the competent medicines control authorities and institutions responsible for patient safety). 1 The first edition of KancKP was published in 1993. 164 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 Thus, as can be seen, the normative recommendations are based on the semantics of the preposition tarp examined in Section 1 and its capacity to form constructions; the main recommendation is to correct an inappropriately marked object. EU document translations also contain constructions with verbs (važinėti, vežioti and the like) that express a dubious meaning—more precisely, direction—or attributive constructions with the same nuance of meaning. 3. USAGE FEATURES OF CONSTRUCTIONS WITH THE PREPOSITION TARP IN ADMINISTRATIVE LANGUAGE This section provides a more detailed analysis of the usage features of the preposition tarp in administrative language by comparing different periods. It discusses frequency of use, identifies which meanings of the constructions under consideration are characteristic of administrative language, examines the structure and semantics of attributive constructions, and considers their competition with other means of expression. 3.1. Frequency and meanings of constructions with the preposition tarp DLKT data suggest that constructions with the preposition tarp are more frequent in other areas of language use than in administrative language (see Table 1). TABLE 1. Use of the preposition tarp in DLKT Source: http://tekstynas.vdu.lt/tekstynas/advanced.search. Thus, according to DLKT data, tarp is used in journalistic writing 10 times more often than in administrative literature. This may be due to its fairly strictly defined meaning, which is most often suited to designating specific things: the preposition tarp is not very suitable for generalized expression in administrative language, although it is very useful when it is necessary to define a precisely delimited location of an action. RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 165 As noted, the use of the preposition tarp in administrative language at the end of the 20th century did not pose any significant problems. Therefore, to determine whether its infrequent use, among other factors, might have been responsible, an attempt was made to establish how frequently this preposition was used. For this purpose, documents published in TAR in different periods were compared (see Table 2). TABLE 2. Use of constructions with the preposition tarp in documents published in TAR Date of document adoption Number of documents published Documents in which constructions with the preposition tarp were used number ratio, percent 1993-01-01–1997-12-31 18 135 1 590 8,8 2023-01-01–2023-09-01 18 018 3 665 20,3 The data in Table 2 show that over a period of approximately 30 years, the number of constructions with the preposition tarp in administrative Lithuanian has more than doubled. These figures are, of course, only approximate, as the number of documents—not instances of use—was counted (TAR does not provide the latter); nevertheless, the trend is clear, so it can be said that constructions with the preposition tarp are used more frequently at the beginning of the 21st century than at the end of the 20th century. One reason for the increase in these constructions may also be their semantics, as in administrative language they most often denote interaction or a connection between objects, and regulated cases of this kind increased particularly after Lithuania joined the EU: extensive cooperation makes it necessary to precisely establish and describe the relations between various objects or subjects. To determine the meanings of constructions with the preposition tarp in contemporary administrative Lithuanian, the use of these constructions was examined in documents published in TAR and adopted from 2018-01-01 to 2023-09-012. Constructions with the preposition tarp occurred in 32,057 documents (in some of them more than once). To determine the frequency of the meanings of constructions with the preposition tarp, instances of these constructions in 1,000 documents published in TAR (2023-06-14–2023-09-01) were examined (see Table 3). 2 The publication date in TAR is given for the cited examples; it may be later than the date on which the document was adopted. 166 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 TABLE 3. Meanings of constructions with the preposition tarp in documents published in TAR Meanings Object Adverbial modifiers Place Time Attributive constructions Explanatory parts of the sentence with the construction tarp jų Total Frequency Units 370 207 51 1445 225 2298 Percent 16 9 2 63 10 100 The documents examined show that in administrative language, constructions with the preposition tarp that form part of verb phrases may be used with the following meanings: 1) object, e.g.: Mediation is also provided between a resident and family members, relatives, and friends to restore or maintain relationships TAR, 2023-06-19, No. 12125; <...> the company is small, with limited resources and a staff shortage; information needs to be coordinated between entities located in different countries <...> TAR, 2023-09-07, No. 17697; Similarly, this method is also applicable to a loss arising from controlled transactions, to allocate it among associated persons, if such a loss were also allocated among non-associated persons TAR, 2020-10-22, No. 21932. Table 3 shows that this is a fairly characteristic meaning in administrative language; such instances account for about 15 percent of the meanings of other prepositional constructions; 2) place, e.g.: Periods are placed between the number of a section and that of a subsection and after the subsection number TAR, 2023-05-15, No. 9138; Under point 4 of paragraph 5 of Article 10 of the Law on Land of the Republic of Lithuania, state-owned land plots are sold without auction if they are interspersed between private land plots and do not exceed the size set by the Government, to the owners of those plots TAR, 2022-12-23, No. 26536; The lowest unemployment rate in the city of Telšiai is recorded among the areas examined, so it can be said that the city offers fairly favourable conditions for working <...> TAR, 2023-09-07, No. 17729. Constructions expressing a place adverbial account for about 9 percent of the instances of use (see Table 3); 3) time, e.g.: Between sessions of the Seimas, in urgent cases, the President of the Republic is entitled to make such a decision while convening an extraordinary session of the Seimas to consider the matter TAR, 2022-12-23, No. 26607; Between meetings current matters may also be discussed and the commission members’ opinions expressed RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 167 sent by email TAR, 2022-05-02, No. 9115; the fewest instances of this usage were found, only about 2 percent (see Table 3). Constructions with the preposition tarp in these meanings, when modifying nouns, are attributive; their characteristics in administrative language are discussed in the following subsections. This meaning is most characteristic of administrative language, accounting for about 63 percent of instances (see Table 3). This is a feature of administrative language, determined by the specific nature of this field of use: administrative language is characterized by nominal expression, as it is often necessary to describe not specific but generalized regulated actions or their circumstances. Explanatory sentence constituents introduced by the words tarp jų (“among them”) are highly characteristic of administrative language; this is a standard formulation that makes it possible to specify the scope of the concept being described. It accounts for about 10 percent of the instances examined (see Table 3), for example: Municipal administration employees (including workers), taking into account the complexity, scope and nature of the functions or tasks performed, may be granted the following additional payments TAR, 2023-01-11, No. 505; The procurement organizer must specify in the application–task: <...> the requirements for the qualifications of suppliers, including requirements for individual suppliers submitting a joint application or tender <...> TAR, 2023-01-13, No. 685. Only a few instances of non-normative use of tarp in verbal constructions were found in TAR documents, for example: <...> the aim of the reorganization is to improve the efficiency of the budgetary institution’s operations and management, its administration and the quality of services provided, and to rationally distribute functions between institutions (–functions to institutions) <...> TAR, 2020-01-31, No. 2157; <...> it was not established how the common-use part was to be distributed among the co-owners (–to the co-owners), giving them the opportunity to buy it out TAR, 2022-12-29, No. 27194; Gifted student – a person studying at a general education school, talented, motivated, possessing exceptional abilities and standing out through their achievements among (=from) peers of similar experience and background at national or international olympiads TAR, 2023-09-01, No. 17253. 3.2. Structure and semantics of attributive constructions In administrative language, the preposition tarp stands out because attributive constructions, that is, constructions modifying nouns, account for more than half of its instances (63 percent). Noun phrases with constructions involving the preposition tarp consist of a head constituent, the preposition tarp, and a dependent constituent, for example, cooperation between departments. The dependent constituent must be either in the plural genitive form 168 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 (e.g., distance between buildings, contradictions between pieces of evidence, relationship between phenomena), or two or more words or phrases denoting interacting entities must be joined by the conjunction and (e.g., dispute between employees and the employer, difference between goods and services, relationship between a person’s activities, health, quality of life and natural disposition). The semantics of attributive constructions is associated with the meaning of the verbs from which the head words of the constructions are derived. In assessing whether such constructions are normative, the governing properties of the nouns’ base words are taken into account. DLKG (2006: 519) states that in noun phrases, “[P]repositional phrases with the genitive are attached to nouns derived from verbs <...> that govern the corresponding construction <...>; adjectives <...>.” However, the example cooperation between a writer and a translator given in LKG III (1976: 216) (cf. the writer and translator cooperate) shows that converting a verbal phrase into a nominal one may entail certain departures from the usual government pattern. To determine the frequency of attributive constructions with the preposition tarp, instances of these constructions were examined in 1,000 documents published in TAR (2023-06-14–2023-09-01). The documents examined contained 1,445 attributive constructions with the preposition tarp. Table 4 presents the words most frequently used to form attributive constructions in documents published in TAR, that is, those with a frequency of more than 1 percent. TABLE 4. Words most frequently used to form attributive constructions with the preposition tarp in documents published in TAR No. | Head constituent of the construction | Number of instances | Frequency of use, percent | 1. | distance | 58 | 4 | 2. | cooperation | 42 | 3 | 3. | dispute | 156 | 10 | 4. | contradiction | 38 | 2 | 5. | distribution | 113 | 8 | 6. | relationship | 136 | 9 | 7. | ratio | 61 | 4 | 8. | contract | 217 | 15 | 9. | difference | 82 | 6 | 10. | other words | 542 | 39 | Total | 1445 | 100 RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 169 As can be seen from Table 4, most attributive constructions are formed with the words sutartis and ginčas, because these words denote important concepts frequently used in the administrative sphere. In documents published in TAR, most attributive constructions have an object-related nuance: of the 9 words with which the most frequent attributive constructions are formed (Table 4), no fewer than 8 form constructions with an object-related nuance, e.g.: All disputes between the parties concerning the performance of the Agreement shall be resolved through consultations and negotiations in good faith TAR, 2023-06-26; In the event of a contradiction between two expert conclusions, an economic examination should have been commissioned, but this was not done, resulting in an inadequate investigation of the circumstances of the case TAR, 2023-09-08, No. 17830; The information collected helps to understand how semantic connections between a pupil’s existing and newly acquired experience are formed, and to reflect on the learning process and the causes of successes and failures TAR, 2023-08-31, No. 17187. Most often, the head element of such constructions is a deverbal noun, e.g.: divide between town and countryside TAR, gap between labour market needs and workforce qualifications TAR, cooperation between institutions, organisations, and state and municipal authorities TAR, coherence between pre-primary and preschool education programmes TAR, data exchange between a person and customs TAR, discrepancy between the transaction price and the average market value of the property TAR, disagreement between an employee and an employer TAR, trade between EU countries TAR, contradiction between the data in separate accounting registers TAR, relations between residents and the eldership TAR, ratio of applications recommended and not recommended for funding TAR, relationship between employee productivity and salaries TAR, a transaction between parties TAR, interaction between the private and public sectors TAR, material flow between different levels of the system TAR, transport links between the district centre and more remote areas TAR, a written agreement between institutions TAR, a peace agreement between two private entities TAR, mediation between a person and their environment TAR. Constructions describing a noun in terms of place or time occur less often, e.g.: <...> minimum distance between buildings must be at least 10 m TAR, 2022-12-08, No. 25108; <...> spaces between bars must not exceed 20 mm TAR, 2023-06-23; If a complaint is submitted to the Seimas, the period between sessions of the Seimas is not included in the time limit for considering the complaint TAR, 2023-01-04, No. 157; The period between reports is the period from the time the trading and/or service vending machine is switched on and all preparations for operation are completed 170 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 until the next report is printed (recorded) or the meter data are recorded<...> TAR, 2023-06-27. In EU documents, attributive constructions of the preposition tarp stand out when their head element is an international word; the use of these constructions is likely also encouraged by the influence of English, e.g.: Information on the implementation of the budget of the Horizon Europe programme, including information on COST, <...> as well as the financial balance between the Union and all associated countries (cf. English financial balances between the Union and all associated countries) OJ L 167I, 2021-05-12, p. 1–80; Finally, a cross-border dialogue between various national forums promoted by the European Commission could be established (cf. English dialogue between different national forums), so that experience in promoting business transfers in EU Member States could be shared OJ C 486, 2022-12-21, p. 9–14; <...> the application of such measures shall not constitute arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination between the Parties (cf. English discrimination between the Parties), where similar conditions prevail OJ L 11, 2018-01-14, p. 23–1079; <...> these [recommendations] should promote the coordination of measures between Member States (cf. English coordination of measures between Member States) OJ L 314, 2022-12-06, p. 26–63. Many more international words used with the preposition tarp can be listed. Constructions with an object-related nuance include: distance between judicial authorities and other branches of government EUR-lex, extradition between Member States EUR-lex, secure communications channel between the ETIAS Central System and the AIS Central System EUR-lex, collision between European Union rules and national rules EUR-lex, armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh EUR-lex, communication among all the company’s employees EUR-lex, communication between national- and local-level authorities EUR-lex, consultations between competent authorities EUR-lex, leading position among neighbouring countries EUR-lex, competition between ports and maritime transport operators EUR-lex, contacts between members EUR-lex, contracts between exporters and their suppliers EUR-lex, migration between EU countries EUR-lex, judicial proceedings between the institution and the appellant EUR-lex, rotation between groups EUR-lex, synergy between civil and defence research EUR-lex. Constructions with a locative or temporal nuance include: road infrastructure between the Union and Turkey EUR-lex, transport RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 171 between Turkey and north-eastern Asia EUR-lex, period between the expiry date of the option and the reporting date EUR-lex. There may be several reasons why the preposition between is used in these cases. First, the Lithuanian equivalents of these international words can take a construction with the preposition between: cf. distance / interval between, communication between, dispute / conflict between, balance between, relations / contacts between. Another consideration is that not all international words have Lithuanian equivalents; in such cases, the choice of the preposition between is determined by the compatibility of the meanings of the preposition and the international word when the aim is to describe an object while emphasizing the nuance of mutual relations, e.g.: channel between, migration between, rotation between, synergy between. 3.3. Competition between constructions with the preposition between and other phrases In some cases, J. Šukys suggested preferring forms of expression other than constructions with the preposition between: “The manner of performing an action should not be specified where it would be more appropriate to emphasize the subjects, e.g.: The lease agreement was signed between the company representative and the university rector (– the agreement was signed by the <...> representative and the <...> rector) (Šukys 1998: 515). However, such corrections were not included in KancKP. But there, instead of intercity agreement, it is suggested that one use an agreement between cities or a cities’ agreement, and instead of an interbank agreement, an agreement between banks or a banks’ agreement. Thus, KancKP justifies the use of the phrase agreement between as an acceptable option in administrative language, alongside the genitive construction. However, later Pranas Kniūkšta (2005: 160–162), when describing variants of phrases with the words agreement and accord, does not include constructions with the preposition between.” This phrase is assessed differently in AKA (see also Section 2). It states that agreement between is to be avoided in document titles; moreover, “this preposition is also unsuitable for naming the parties to an agreement (outside a document title); they are identified by the genitive, e.g.: Proceeds under the cooperation agreement between Switzerland and the European Atomic Energy Community (=Cooperation Agreement between Switzerland and the European Atomic Energy Community). The cited publication recommends avoiding the preposition between in agreement titles as well, and preferring the genitive construction: The Agreement between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders 172 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 (– Agreement between the Governments of the States of the Benelux Economic Union, the Federal Republic of Germany and the French Republic on the gradual abolition of checks at their common borders). Sometimes it would be better to replace a construction with the preposition between with a genitive construction for the sake of smoother syntax, especially when two prepositional constructions governed by the same main element come together, e.g.: I would like to add that, in my view, this situation is similar to a discussion between the employer and the employee about what changes are needed (cf. a discussion by the employer and the employee about what changes are needed) 62017CC0041, 2018-04-26. However, a construction with the preposition between is preferable when its dependent constituent is expanded or the head constituent has agreeing or non-agreeing attributes, e.g.: In addition, an official, participatory dialogue between the responsible national authorities and local and regional authorities OL C 461, 2018-12-21, p. 5–15; <...> identify any other circumstances that may give rise to an actual or potential conflict of interest between the persons referred to in Article 8(4) of Regulation (EU) 2020/1503 OL L 287, 2022-11-08, p. 1–4; A fully liberalised, well-functioning retail electricity market would promote price and non-price competition between existing suppliers and encourage new entrants to enter the market, thereby increasing consumer choice and better meeting their needs OL L 158, 2019-06-14, p. 125–199. Constructions with the preposition between are unsuitable when a one-way rather than a reciprocal interaction is meant, e.g.: <...> it is important to ensure that migration between the southern neighbouring countries and Europe (– from the southern neighbouring countries to Europe) should be orderly and managed on the basis of the principles of solidarity, balance and shared responsibility, while combating the smuggling and trafficking of human beings OJ C 125, 2023-04-05, p. 154–165. CONCLUSIONS Based on descriptions in dictionaries, grammars, and other language publications, the general meaning of the preposition tarp is being bounded or surrounded by something, and marking relations between objects. Constructions with this preposition are used when it is necessary to indicate a connection or relationship between two or more objects, as well as a bounded period of time or place, or being surrounded. RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 173 Normative recommendations are based on the semantics of the preposition tarp and its capacity to form constructions; they mainly recommend correcting the object that is incorrectly marked. Translations of EU documents also contain constructions with verbs (važinėti, vežioti, and so on) with a questionable locative (more precisely, directional) meaning, as well as attributive constructions with the same nuance of meaning. In light of the clarified semantics of the preposition, it should be noted that constructions with tarp are unsuitable for marking one-way, rather than reciprocal (multilateral), interaction between objects. The study showed that over approximately 30 years, constructions with the preposition tarp became more than twice as frequent in administrative Lithuanian. One possible reason for the increase in these constructions is that, given the specific nature of administrative language, their capacity to denote interaction or connections between objects is put to use, since broad cooperation often requires the relationships between various regulated objects or subjects to be precisely established and described. Analysis of the use of constructions with the preposition tarp shows that attributive constructions account for more than half of all instances (about 63%), since nominal expression is often needed in administrative language to describe generalised regulated actions. Constructions with tarp can also express an object, and less frequently a place or time. Explanatory sentence elements introduced by the words tarp jų (‘among them’) are particularly characteristic of administrative language; this is a standard formulation that makes it possible to specify the scope of the concept being described. Constructions with the preposition tarp may compete with other forms of expression, especially genitive phrases; for the sake of clarity and fluency, one should avoid describing a noun with two constructions involving different prepositions. In 21st-century administrative Lithuanian, constructions with the preposition tarp became more frequent because they make it possible to express more precisely various nuances of meaning involving mutual relations, particularly nuances of object meaning in attributive constructions. ŠALTINIAI AKA – Administracinės kalbos aktualijos, sud. L. Murinienė, R. Vladarskienė, 2014. Prieiga internete: https://administracinekalba.lki.lt/index.php?meniu= pradinis. EUR-lex – Europos Sąjungos teisės aktų ir kitų viešų dokumentų bazė „EUR-lex“. Prieiga internete: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/lt/index.htm. 174 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 KancKP 2021 – Kanceliarinės kalbos patarimai (internetinis leidimas), sud. Pranas Kniūkšta, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas. Prieiga internete: http://kanceliariniaipatarimai.lki.lt/. DLKT – Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos tekstynas. Prieiga internete: http://tekstynas.vdu.lt/tekstynas/. TAR – Lietuvos Respublikos teisės aktų registras. Prieiga internete: https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/index. LITERATŪRA DLKG 2006 – Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos gramatika, red. V. Ambrazas, Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos centras. DLKŽ8e – Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos žodynas (internetinis), vyr. red. S. Keinys, 8-as patais. ir papild. leid., Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas, 2021. Prieiga internete: https://ekalba.lt/dabartines-lietuviu-kalbos-zodynas/. Jablonskis Jonas 1928: Rygiškių Jono „Linksniai ir prielinksniai. Jų vartojimas mūsų kalboje“, Kaunas: „Sakalo“ B-vės leidinys. Kniūkšta Pranas 2005: Administracinė kalba ir jos vartosena, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas. KPe – Kalbos patarimai. Prieiga internete: https://ekalba.lt/kalbos-patarimai/. KPP2 – Kalbos praktikos patarimai, sud. Aldonas Pupkis, vyr. red. Z. Zinkevičius, 2-as patais. ir papild. leidimas, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1985. KP S2 – Kalbos patarimai 2: Sintaksė: Prielinksnių ir polinksnių vartojimas (S2), sud. R. Miliūnaitė, teksto aut. Aldonas Pupkis, Jonas Šukys, Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas, 2003. LKG III – Lietuvių kalbos gramatika 3: Sintaksė, vyr. red. K. Ulvydas, V. Ambrazas, A. Valeckienė, Vilnius: Mokslas, 1976. LKŽe – Lietuvių kalbos žodynas, 1–20 (1941–2002), red. kolegija G. Naktinienė, J. Paulauskas, R. Petrokienė, V. Vitkauskas, J. Zabarskaitė, vyr. red. G. Naktinienė, e. variantas, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos institutas, 2008 (atnaujinta versija, 2018). Prieiga internete: https://ekalba.lt/lietuviu-kalbos-zodynas. Pakerys Jurgis 2006: Veiksmo pavadinimo konstrukcija lietuvių kalbos gramatikoje. – Daiktavardinio junginio tyrimai, red. Axel Holvoet, Rolandas Mikulskas, Vilnius: Lietuvių kalbos instituto leidykla. Šukys Jonas 1998: Lietuvių kalbos linksniai ir prielinksniai: vartosena ir normos, Kaunas: Šviesa. Valiulytė Elena 1998: Dabartinės lietuvių kalbos sintaksiniai sinonimai, Vilnius: Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidybos institutas. Gauta 2023-12-15 Priimta 2024-03-09 RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 175 RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ CONSTRUCTIONS WITH PREPOSITION TARP IN ADMINISTRATIVE LITHUANIAN LANGUAGE S u m m a r y The article examines the peculiarities of using constructions with the preposition tarp in the administrative Lithuanian language. The aim of the article is to discuss the semantics of constructions with the preposition tarp, as revealed in Lithuanian dictionaries and other language publications, as well as the recommendations regarding the usage of tarp in normative language publications, in order to clarify the specificities of using these prepositional constructions in the administrative Lithuanian language. The sources of the research include legal acts and other documents published in the Register of Legal Acts and the Lithuanian translations of documents available on the official website of the EU law Eur-lex. The usage from the last five years (2018–2023) is investigated. Referring to the descriptions from dictionaries, grammars and other language publications, the general meaning of the preposition tarp implies limitation, presence between something or relationship between objects. Constructions with this preposition are used when it is necessary to denote a connection or relationships between two or more objects. Normative recommendations are based on the semantics of the preposition tarp and the capacity to form constructions; most recommendations focus on correcting an improperly modified object. The translations of documents from the EU institutions also include questionable constructions with verbs (važinėti, vežioti, etc.) expressing place (to be more precise, direction) or attributive constructions with a similar shade of meaning. The research revealed that over approximately 30 years, the usage of constructions with the preposition tarp has more than doubled in the administrative Lithuanian language. The analysed usage of constructions with the preposition tarp suggests that attributive constructions make up more than half of the cases. This is because noun expression is characteristic of administrative language, as it is often required to describe not specific but generalized actions, which are being regulated. Additionally, tarp is used in the meaning of place, time, and object. Explanatory parts of the sentence introduced by the words tarp jų are especially common in administrative language; it is a standard formulation that allows us to clarify the scope of the concept being described. Constructions with the preposition tarp can compete with other forms of expression, especially with genitive constructions. Which of the competing constructions is selected depends on whether the phrase is not the title of a document 176 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97 ment and what the sentence structure is. To ensure clarity and fluency, it is advisable to avoid modifying a single noun with two different prepositional constructions. KEYWORDS: preposition tarp, prepositional constructions, attributive constructions, administrative language, syntax. RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ Lietuvių kalbos institutas Petro Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius [email protected] RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ PRIELINKSNIO TARP KONSTRUKCIJOS ADMINISTRACINĖJE LIETUVIŲ KALBOJE Santrauka Straipsnyje nagrinėjami prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijų vartojimo ypatumai administracinėje lietuvių kalboje. Straipsnio tikslas – aptarus prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijų semantiką, atskleistą lietuvių kalbos žodynuose bei kituose kalbos leidiniuose, ir rekomendacijas dėl tarp vartosenos kalbos norminamuosiuose leidiniuose išsiaiškinti šio prielinksnio konstrukcijų vartojimo savitumą administracinėje lietuvių kalboje. Tyrimo šaltiniai – teisės aktai ir kiti dokumentai, paskelbti Teisės aktų registre, ir Europos Sąjungos teisės portale EUR-lex paskelbti dokumentų lietuviški vertimai. Tirta pastarųjų penkerių (2018–2023) metų vartosena. Remiantis žodynų, gramatikų ir kitų kalbos leidinių aprašais, bendroji prielinksnio tarp reikšmė – buvimas ribojamam, supamam ko nors, objektų tarpusavio santykių reiškimas. Šio prielinksnio konstrukcijos vartojamos tada, kai reikia pažymėti dviejų ar daugiau objektų sąsają ar santykius. Norminamosios rekomendacijos paremtos prielinksnio tarp semantika ir galimybe sudaryti konstrukcijas, daugiausia rekomenduojama taisyti netinkamai žymimą objektą. ES dokumentų vertimuose atsiranda ir abejotinos vietos (tiksliau, krypties) reikšmės konstrukcijų su veiksmažodžiais (važinėti, vežioti ir pan.) ar tokį pat reikšmės atspalvį turinčių pažymimųjų konstrukcijų. Atlikus tyrimą paaiškėjo, kad maždaug per 30 metų administracinėje lietuvių kalboje prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijų padaugėjo daugiau nei du kartus. Iš tirtos prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijų vartosenos matyti, kad daugiau kaip pusę pavartojimo atvejų sudaro pažymimosios konstrukcijos, administracinėje kalboje daikta- RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos administracinėje lietuvių kalboje 177 vardinė raiška dažnai reikalinga apibendrintiems reglamentuojamiems veiksmams apibūdinti. Taip pat tarp vartojamas vietos, laiko ir objekto reikšme. Administracinei kalbai itin būdingos aiškinamosios sakinio dalys su įvadiniais žodžiais tarp jų, tai standartinė formuluotė, leidžianti patikslinti apibūdinamos sąvokos apimtį. Prielinksnio tarp konstrukcijos gali konkuruoti su kitokia raiška, ypač su kilmininko junginiais. Vienas iš konkurentų gali būti pasirenkamas atsižvelgiant į tai, ar junginys yra dokumento pavadinimas, taip pat į sakinio struktūrą, o siekiant aiškumo ir sklandumo, derėtų vengti vieną daiktavardį apibūdinti dviem skirtingų prielinksnių konstrukcijomis. ESMINIAI ŽODŽIAI: prielinksnis tarp, prielinksninės konstrukcijos, pažymimosios konstrukcijos, administracinė kalba, sintaksė. RASUOLĖ VLADARSKIENĖ Lietuvių kalbos institutas Petro Vileišio g. 5, LT-10308 Vilnius [email protected] 178 BENDRINĖ KALBA | 97