Terminologijos tradicija ir raida

The development of Lithuanian terminology has undergone several stages. The first stage is characterised by elemental terminology development, marked by unsystematic progress before the Industrial Revolution. Due to Lithuania’s socio-cultural circumstances—such as the prevalence of science in international languages, the absence of a standardised public Lithuanian language, occupation, and its peripheral status within the empire—terminology primarily relied on the spoken folk language, lacking a structured scientific foundation. The second stage aligns with Lithuania’s industrial revolution in the middle of the 19th century. With advancements in industry, science, education, the press, and the popular scientific literature, there emerged a demand for new, systematic Lithuanian terminology. The resources from previous centuries proved insufficient in both quality and quantity. Consequently, alongside original Lithuanian terminology, a considerable number of translated terms, calques, and foreign language influences emerged, leading to synonymy issues. Often a patriot or a man of science, who has returned or is returning to the Lithuanian language, has, to put it mildly, insufficient knowledge of Lithuanian word formation and grammar, and hence the rather poor quality of terminology emerges. The third stage of development marks the beginning of systematic and conscious work on terminology, the recognition of terminology as an important auxiliary scientific discipline, and the postulation of its principles in the first half of the 20th century. It is during this period that textbooks and systematic dictionaries were produced in various fields of science (mathematics, geometry, zoology, engineering, philosophy, law, etc.). Even administrative resources are used, with the creation of terminology commissions in various subject areas. It is at this moment that the terminology genius of Stasys Šalkauskis stands out because by creating and reflecting on the terminology of philosophy, he lays the foundations of the science of Lithuanian terminology. His ideas are in line with those of Eugen Wüster, who is considered to be the founder of terminology. The fourth stage of terminology development coincides with the Soviet occupation. Despite the complex situation and language dynamics, the publication of term dictionaries in diverse scientific fields flourished. Notably, all education, from primary school to dissertation defence, was available in the Lithuanian language