19.05.2017  "Dialectal Dictionary as Linguistic Resource" Conference

On May 18, the three-day All-Russian scientific conference "Dialectal dictionary as linguistic resource" began its work at Philological Faculty of NovSU School of Humanities (Antonovo). It is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the Novgorod Regional Dictionary.

More than 50 philologists from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Vologda, Yekaterinburg, Kemerovo, Tomsk, Tula, Kostroma, Nizhny Novgorod, Pskov, Petrozavodsk and other Russian cities came together to the conference. Besides, participants from Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Poland took part in it. 

At the opening of the conference, the director of School of Humanities Elena Toropova reminded, that guests were at the territory of one of the most ancient Russian monasteries, which has been known as the center of book-writing, science and education since the 12th century. By the way, the functions of this place has not changed since then. Elena Toropova also reminded that the conference dedicated to anniversary of the Novgorod regional dictionary, takes place in Antonovo – that it is very important. "The Novgorod land conceals a lot of artifacts that is necessary to explore, and study of dialects is rather a long process… I, as an archeologist, would like to mention, that every year, our land gives new materials for linguists, such as birch bark manuscripts…", - Elena Toropova emphasized. In confirmation of the her words, she acquainted the participants with the text of the last birch bark manuscript № 46, found last season in Staraya Russa. 

The dean of NovSU Philology Faculty Elena Zhukova, welcoming guests added that not only anniversary of the Novgorod regional dictionary is celebrated this year, but also anniversary of the Philology Faculty. "It is going to be 80 years old. It is one of the oldest faculties in the university and, it is worth to emphasize, that philological education has always been at the high level. There have been two big scientific schools at the faculty since there: Phraseological one under the leadership of Vlas Platonovich Zhukov and Dialectological one under the leadership of scholars of the Russian Language Department, who have been working on the Novgorod Regional Dictionary since 1950s, for example, Vera Pavlovna Strogova …," - Elena Zhukova said. 

One of the authors, fortunately still living, is Antonina Vasilyevna Klevtsova, took the floor too. By the way, in the interview  given to us, Antonina Vasilyevna described how they had been going to expeditions to  Novgorod regions, and had visited practically every one. She even remembered such a detail: “At first, we were not given money, and went practically with empty pockets.”      

For the record, the first edition of the dictionary came out in 1992 (one of the 13 editions), the second edition of the dictionary (improved and updated) was published in 2010. The dictionary, only 1435 pages, was published by Institute for Linguistic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Over 25 thousand regional words and about 2600 phraseological units, recorded in the territory of the Novgorod region, and in the areas, which are historically relating to the Novgorod province, are presented in the second edition.

Further, plenary session began. On May 19-20, the conference will continue its work in concurrent sections: "Aspects of Dialectal Lexicography" and "Problems of Dialectal Lexicology, Onomastics, Phraseology and Morphology". Reports of scientists will be devoted to the issues of Dialectology. 

Besides that, sightseeing tours around St. Anthony Monastery, the Kremlin and the Museum of Wooden Folk Architecture "Vitoslavlitsy" will be organized for the participants.

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