Kontekstualnyj slovnik lemkìvskogo âzyka âk revìtalìzacijnyj proêkt

The contextual dictionary of the Lemko language as a revitalization projekt

Autorka podpisana w języku rusińskim: Олена Дуць-Файфер. Bibliogr. s. 70-72

The paper is devoted to presentation of conception, method and effects of the revitalization project, one of the results of which is The Contextual Dic-tionary of the Lemko Language (Котекстуальный словник лемківского языка). The presentation of the dictionary as a revitalization tool is pre-ceded by putting it into the conceptual field of the engaged humanities. Post-colonial studies have deconstructed the whole “army and fleet” of ideologies and practices that hide behind “benevolent” slogans of human-ism which undermine the non-central, peripheral cultures. It was the rep-resentatives of dominated cultures and communities that took part in this discourse, who enabled engagement in staving off the losses caused by those dominant interests. In this way, it is demonstrated, that the immer-sive model of Lemko language revitalization, which undoubtedly is en-dangered with extinction, refers to strategies developed in a broad cultur-al-conceptional context. However, the very thought or idea of a contextual dictionary must be seen as resulting from the actual need of those users of the Lemko language, who have committed themselves to sustain it. The need to gather and amass, to create the textual corpus, which is an active recording of traditional and at the same time, culturally unique lexis; and on the other hand, the semantic activation of the operative lexis which is necessary in new cultural situations, created a challenge, to which the re-vitalization project was the answer. Over six years of work – that will still Контекстуальный словник лемківского языка як ревіталізацийный проєкт73Keywords: contextual dictionary, engaged humanities, revitalization, Lemko language, endangered language, Lemko language corpus.continue, mainly online – has significant effects, including the prepara-tion of a team of young revitalizers of language and culture; gathering and amassing, but also activating a wide lexical and textual source of the Lemko language; bringing attention to and pointing out at the possibility of func-tioning of the indigenous language without structures mediated through the dominant language; reaching the mechanism of a linguistic worldview specific to Lemko culture. Recognizing the context as the most immediate and natural way of clarifying the meaning and function of lexeme was the reason of decision to introduce a contextual quotation for every meaning of the main word. This is why the dictionary is called “contextual”, which could be replaced with the notion of “immersive” or “revitalizing” as well.