J. BALČIKONIS ON TERMINOLOGY

On March 25, 1995, 110 years had passed since the birth of Professor Juozas Balčikonis.

J. Balčikonis was one of Lithuania’s most distinguished linguists, defending and nurturing the Lithuanian language. While still studying at the University of St. Petersburg, he could not for a long time decide whether to devote himself more to linguistics, folklore, or translation¹. J. Balčikonis left a significant mark in all these fields. His acquaintance and work with J. Jablonskis and K. Būga encouraged him to take up the work of developing and studying the language. J. Balčikonis was a steadfast and loyal supporter of J. Jablonskis, continuing the work and traditions he had begun. Appointed editor of the “Dictionary of the Lithuanian Language” in 1930, he continued K. Būga’s work for four decades. The professor’s contributions to onomastics were notable, and he devoted much attention to the history of the language and its monuments. J. Balčikonis was a teacher to many Lithuanian linguists.

J. Balčikonis made an important and valuable contribution to the theory and practice of Lithuanian language culture. His legacy encompasses all the principal areas of standard-language use². The professor was not a great advocate of innovation; somewhat conservatively and tenaciously, he defended his views, urging people everywhere and at all times to rely on the language of the people. He was an excellent connoisseur of the vernacular. J. Balčikonis disliked artificial words and words formed poorly, preferring to use borrowed words in their place. In his 1925 article “On the Work of the Terminology Commission,” he wrote: “I consider it a futile task to coin terms for words such as geography, history, geometry, trigonometry, geology, and so on—after all, no one, not even the terminologists themselves, will use them. In my opinion, such neologisms would damage the language more than improve it”³.

¹ Pupkis A., Mažiulis V. Juozas Balčikonis // Balčikonis J. Rinktiniai raštai. V., 1978. T. 1. P. 8.

² Keinys S. J. Balčikonio kalbos mokslo dalykai // Kalbos kultūra. 1985. Sąs. 48. P. 10.

³ Balčikonis J. Dėl Terminologijos Komisijos darbo // Balčikonis J. Rinktiniai raštai. V., 1978. T. 1. P. 46.

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J. Balčikonis’s articles are interesting even today; they also touch to some extent on issues relevant to current terminology work. Below we present J. Balčikonis’s thoughts on questions of terminology.

The formation of new words, begun by the first writers, continued uninterrupted throughout the ages and is still going on today. Among writers notable for the abundance of their neologisms, just before the time of “Aušra” was Daukantas. In his writings he addressed very diverse areas of cultural life, and in each he left a considerable number of new words. For example, in describing wars, he must have provided almost the entire terminology of warfare. The writers of “Aušra” and those who came somewhat later, particularly concerned with linguistic purity, coined very many new words to express new concepts and replace barbarisms. Of all the writers of that period, Jablonskis probably contributed the most, helping to develop terminology for almost every field of our scientific and practical life. Today we constantly use neologisms with which we have become so familiar that they seem to us like living words, as if no one had ever had to rack their brains over them. Here are a few such words: match, glasses, newspaper, train, projectile, school.

Thus, coined words—all kinds of terms—enter our everyday language and become an inseparable part of it. There are many of them. But we have far more terms from the living language itself, which has brought them to us from time immemorial. Let us take [...] agricultural tools such as the plough, harrow, and cart, or ships, nets, people’s clothing and food—how many terms there are, and how beautifully the language has formed them! Or let us take the human body itself, an animal, or a bird—how many terms of anatomy or physiology we will find there. Geographical terms can be obtained from people living by rivers, lakes, the sea, mountains, and so on. The list of terms from the living language can be enlarged almost without limit by adding the names of animals, birds, fish, insects, and plants. Thus, the number of coined terms appears very small compared with terms from the living language. What is more, terms from the living language, arising directly from our own way of thinking rather than being fashioned by following the template of a foreign language, are intelligi-

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more precise and clearer. Therefore, it is understandable why, after using a great many neologisms for a while, the language rejects them. This teaches us that when creating a term, we should first look to the living language to see whether we can find a suitable word there.

1939. Our Language and Terminology // Balčikonis J. Rinktiniai raštai. V., 1978. Vol. 1. P. 164.

Sometimes someone contacts the editorial office of the Lithuanian Dictionary seeking terms for some scientific purpose. Often the editorial office cannot meet that request. The dictionary’s editorial office only collects words and arranges them alphabetically. Its collections naturally contain quite a few terms: some are needed in various branches of science, others for everyday needs. Most terms are coined, but there are also plenty of living ones taken from the language of the people. These terms are distinguished by their clarity and precision. The language of the people has far more terms than many of us think—not only for everyday life, but also in the fields of science. In particular, those sciences that touch more closely on people’s lives could find many terms, say, medicine, law, and agronomy.

1946. Let Us Collect Living Terminology // Balčikonis J. Rinktiniai raštai. V., 1978. Vol. 1. P. 194.

Our language is much richer than one might think. It is worth giving it more attention; it is worth collecting words. Collecting is worthwhile not only for teachers, but also for doctors, lawyers, agronomists, mathematicians, and everyone who comes into contact with the people. Our language’s greatest treasures are there; from there, among other things, we can gather living, beautiful terminology.

Ibid. P. 195.

Prepared by Jolanta GAIVENYTĖ

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