Article

Name: The experience of compiling the Russian-Buryat dictionary of technical terms: a general analysis

Authors: B. D. Tsyrenov, O. Shinabayar

Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Ulan-Ude; Institute of Language and Literature of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia, Ulan Bator

In the section Linguistics

Abstract: This paper analyzes the “A brief Russian-Buryat technical dictionary” compiled by D. Irdynin, A. S. Kozhevnikov, and V. I. Andreeva (Verkhneudinsk, 1933). It is the first experience of compiling a technical terminological dictionary and technical terms. The word list of the dictionary is arranged in alphabetical order. The number of entries is 1581 head unit. The word list included a relatively small number of construction and technical terms, consisting of a single word or word-group. The principle of selecting words was due to the specificity of constructing the locomotive and wagon repair plant. Since the Buryats involved in the construction of the plant did not speak Russian well, the dictionary contains many interpretations and descriptive translations. The semantization of terms in this dictionary is represented to a greater extent by translation-equivalents. The terms are not only translated but also interpreted or translated in a descriptive way, with borrowings and combination of these methods applied. When translated, Buryat everyday vocabulary and folk terminology in this dictionary takes on the status of terms. In the absence of direct equivalents, the translator applies interpretation or descriptive translation. Extensive interpretation and a large descriptive translation were necessary not only to familiarize the Buryats with the new terminology but also to enable them to get the initial information on construction work with the help of the dictionary. In the dictionary, homonyms are not distinguished but are given in one dictionary entry. The homonymous values in the dictionary entry are separated by a comma or semicolon. The dictionary is devoid of lexicographic illustrations, but the dictionary article “tychok” includes schematic drawings of brick faces in the form of a square and a rectangle.

Keywords: Buryat language, technical terminology, dictionary, translation, interpretation, borrowing

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