From the editor-in-chief

Abstract

Dear colleagues, our authors and readers!

We are glad to present to you the first issue of our journal devoted to the problems of lexicography. The date suggested the topic: the magazine begins its life in the year when the 220th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ivanovich Dal, whose name has become a symbol of vocabulary matter, is celebrated. “The Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language” by V. I. Dal does not cease to be a compelling description of the Russian language in its various manifestations – from the speech of Russian peasants to high bookishness. But – for us this is especially important – there are many lexicographic problems lurking in it, some of which have been solved by the modern science of creating dictionaries, while others continue to cause controversy among lexicographers. The articles of this issue of the journal are devoted to such problems.

In the section “Eternal Problems of Lexicography” the problems of lexicography of synonymy and description of unions and words close to them (scrapers, connectors) are discussed.

The section “Lexicographic criticism” represents an important direction of lexicography – the comprehension of vocabulary and its results.

The past and the present of dialectography as one of the most important directions of lexicography for our region is presented in the section “Dialectal lexicography”.

An important topic – how to involve students in the implementation of lexicographic projects – is raised in an article for which we have created a special section “Lexicography in University Education”.

In the section “Novgorod motive” I tried to cite a number of facts convincing that Novgorodians at different times were at the forefront of the formation of Russian lexicography.

The “Young Voices” section presents two lexicographic projects authored by postgraduate students of NovSU. These various projects show that lexicographical description is one of the best results in almost any research.

Finally, quite traditionally, the issue ends with information about the conference in Cherepovets, which constitutes the “Scientific life” section.

So, the first issue of our journal presents a spectrum of modern problems of lexicography. The level of their consideration is evidenced by the fact that most of our authors are doctors of philological sciences.

So, professors of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, Vladimir Alexandrovich Kozyrev and Valentina Daniilovna Chernyak, famous theorists and historians of Russian lexicography, discuss the problems of synonymous lexicography.

The problem of description in the dictionary of unions is raised by the doctor of philological sciences from the Belarusian city of Grodno – Maria Iosifovna Konyushkevich, actively and variously published not only in Belarus, but also in our country. I draw special attention: this article is published in the Belarusian language, which brings our journal to the Slavic space of lexicographic discussions.

Larisa Leonidovna Shestakova, an authoritative specialist in the field of author's lexicography, Doctor of Philology, Chief Researcher at the V. V. Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, critically examines new dictionaries of the language of writers.

Lyudmila Iurievna Zorina from Vologda University and Natalya Valentinovna Bolshakova from Pskov University, leaders in this area in their fields, write about regional lexicography.

Her colleagues, whose works on slang and phraseological lexicography have already become classics – doctors of sciences Tatyana Gennadievna Nikitina and Elena Ivanovna Rogaleva – suggest thinking about combining practical lexicography with university education.

This issue shows not only what famous specialists we managed to attract to participate in it, but also how we see the magazine in the future.

In accordance with the second part of the name of the journal, linguists of the North-West are represented in it – these are St. Petersburg, Pskov, Vologda, Cherepovets and, of course, Veliky Novgorod. At the same time, we do not intend to confine ourselves within the framework of the region, and we are already joined by the authors from Moscow, from an academic institute, which brings academicism to the journal, and from Grodno, which expands its geography.

Since the magazine is published at the Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod State University, we are planning to make the section “Novgorod Motive” permanent.

I would like to see the “Young Voices” section also permanent, since I believe that it is important for graduate students (and maybe even for undergraduates) to be given the opportunity to express themselves “under the same cover”, if that is how one can talk about an online publication, with respected scientists.

We think we will always have the opportunity to inform our readers about linguistic scientific events in the North-West of Russia and other regions.

Thank you to everyone who responded to the invitation to write an article for the journal!

We plan to devote the next issue of the journal to the problems of phraseology and phraseography, because this year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of the Novgorod phraseological school Vlas Platonovich Zhukov. We invite specialists in this field to publish the results of their research, inform about scientific events, send reviews of linguistic works.

Until next time on the electronic pages of our journal!

V.Shmeleva