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A WONDERFUL JOURNEY TO THE LAND OF COMPUTERS “The Land of Computers came into being quite recently. As in every young country, there is still a lot of disorder there; it is not yet clear who lives where, and sometimes even what it is called. On the other hand, almost everything here is new and attracts attention—it changes, improves, and ever better and more sophisticated devices appear.” This is how the well-known computer science specialist V. Dagienė begins her new book. Her “Journey to the Land of Computers” (V., 1995. – 127 P.) has been recommended by the Ministry of Education and Science and published with funds from the Open Lithuania Foundation. V. Bėkstienė edited the text, V. Bortkevičienė drew the illustrations, R. Rekašienė put them into the book, and A. Klupšaitė reviewed the whole work. There is no doubt that this book will interest not only younger but also older school-age children. When they open the first page, they will discover the book’s intriguing contents: meet the computer (6), the computer’s brain (30), the computer’s memory (38), in the city of disks and diskettes (46), how to communicate with a computer (54), the Kingdom of Logo (62), the computer plays (78), the computer draws and plays music (86), the computer as editor (94), the computer as postman (110), the computer’s grandparents and great-grandparents (118). In the following pages, readers will find more detailed explanations of the basic concepts of computer science, the structure of computers, systems, programs and how they work, and will learn about the history of computers. Adding to the author’s thought that order in the Land of Computers is strict and the booklet is arranged according to the rules of that country (5), it should also be noted that most words and sentences are arranged according to the rules of grammar, with the exception of the occasional lexical quibble, for example: restoration (= recovery, renewal): <...> demodulation means the reverse process—the restoration (= recovery) of the modified signal (112); to assimilate (= to learn, memorize): So you have assimilated (= learned, mem orized) one more command (66). To assimilate (= learn, memorize) the Logo language, you need to <...> (70); prepare, prepared (= compose, prepare): In other words, a computer is an excellent assistant for preparing some text (= for preparing some text) (96). Nowadays almost all books are prepared (= produced) using laser printers (106); 101 encounter (= find): In life we encounter (= find) many examples (39). Since the language of the book is clear, fluent, and vivid, travelling through such a country is very interesting indeed. For example, here is how a computer is described. “Once upon a time there lived a Television. Every day it entertained children, showed films, and told stories. But as time went by, it grew sad. It spoke to everyone, told stories, but nobody so much as said a word to it... The Television fell silent. Then came the clatter of a Typewriter: click-clack, click-clack... The Typewriter complained: ‘I’m sad. Everyone just orders me around, telling me what to type. But I can’t complain to anyone myself; I have no one to talk to.’ They sighed like this together and decided to unite: whatever the Typewriter said, the Television would show, and whatever the Television asked, the Typewriter would answer... The Television called itself a Display, and the Typewriter simply became a Keyboard. Thus the Computer was born. True, there was still a great deal—oh, a great deal—it needed. Most important of all, a brain” (7). You can’t help wanting to read this book in one sitting and find out what that computer does and how one should communicate with it. And it turns out that communicating with it is very easy. You only need to use the correct terms. The booklet is full of related and category-specific terms. Most are explained, and even more suitable synonyms are given. Here is a handful of such terms: algorithm (An algorithm is a precise description of how to solve any (=every) problem. When an algorithm is written in a language that a computer understands, it is called a program (58); calculating machine (A simple calculating machine capable of performing the four arithmetic operations. The first calculating machines were mechanical, later they were electric (120); plotter (When complex and precise drawings need to be made, special printers called plotters are used. The oldest are pen plotters (107); disk (46): compact or otherwise optical disk (51), Winchester disk (48); diskette (Sometimes a diskette is incorrectly called a “diskette” [disketė]. The reason is quite understandable—diskettes are made abroad, and their sleeves often have the English word diskette printed on them, so we read 102 literally. Incidentally, sometimes people also say “floppy disk.” Quite unnecessarily—the fact that it is flexible and magnetic is already clear (50); display (Lithuanians adopted the word display from the English word “display,” meaning “to show, to depict.” Some call the display a “monitor” (the English word “monitor” has many meanings; one is a device for observation or control) (16); Logo language (Do you know where the name Logo language comes from? From the Greek “logos,” which means “word” or “thought” (64); computer (The word computer, as you may know, comes from the English word “compute”—to calculate. The English borrowed this word from the Latin “computo,” meaning “I calculate” (8): personal computer (10), home computer (15), electronic computer (121), pocket computer (15), portable computer (15); printer (In English, the word for printer is “printer” (and it is pronounced similarly—“printe”). That is why people here sometimes like to call it a printer too. When we have a fine Lithuanian word, we should not borrow from other languages (104): dot-matrix printer (103), laser printer (102), inkjet printer (103); cursor (Suddenly our attention was caught by a small rectangle moving across the screen—you type a letter, and it shifts to the right. What is it? What is it for? It is the cursor (15). Many more correct and recommended computing terms from the book “Journey to the Land of Computers” could be added to this little list. However, even this list shows that the author is well acquainted with computing terminology and does not get lost in the sea of its current synonyms. Although one or two terms could be open to discussion. It is very good that the author rejects the Anglicism file. However, the alternative she proposes and that her closest colleagues use regularly—one of the synonyms for file, namely byla (59)—raises considerable doubts; some of these have already been discussed in print1. There is no need to repeat them. It may only be added that the motivation for transferring the meaning of the word byla is very unclear (it is not the word’s primary meaning that is being transferred). Thus, the more suitable Lithuanian equivalent for file would apparently be the word rinkmena. 1 See Gimtoji kalba, 1994, No. 8–9, p. 17; No. 4, pp. 21–22. 103 The code of black and white lines on foreign goods should be called not a hyphen code (75), but a bar code. Terms such as permanent memory (42) (= permanent memory unit), sensor (= touch-sensitive) screen (74), scanner (75) (= reader) also need correcting. Why use the term line spacing (96), specific letters (26), when one can put it more simply: spacing between lines, distinctive letters. Angelė KAULAKIENĖ 104