Official Grammar of the Modern Bulgarian Language
Department of Modern Bulgarian Language
Period: 1st July 2016 – 30th June 2019
Type of project: Collective, long-term project
Funding: Budgetary (BAS), National Science Fund
Principal Investigator: Assoc. prof. R. Stancheva
Participants: Assoc. prof. R. Stancheva, assoc. prof. T. Aleksandrova, assoc. prof. K. Charalozova, assist. prof. M. Tomov, assist. prof. N. Paskalev, assist. prof. I. Kuneva, L. Mikova, Zh. Zlateva; external collaborator: prof. V. Maldzhieva, prof. Y. Tisheva (Sofia University), assoc. prof. K. Aleksova (Sofia University), assist. prof. I. Yankov (Economic Research Institute, BAS), assist. prof. B. Gyurov (Economic Research Institute, BAS).
Abstract:
The research is focused in two main directions – descriptive and prescriptive, which motivates the two stages (parts) of the project.
The first stage provides a description of the grammatical system of the modern Bulgarian language, which is represented in multiple aspects. In this regard, the formal side of the language (morphology and syntax) is described separately and independently of the function (semantics). The two parts of the description – formal and by semantic categories – will be linked by a system of references to provide “input” according to the query and “transition” from one to the other part of the description (both from form to meaning and from meaning to form). The reference system will also include an “exit-input” to phenomena that are identified as problematic in terms of the norm. The cases where the dynamic nature of the norm is manifested: competition between a codified and uncodified grammatical norm (e.g., in a number of agreement cases) will be highlighted; grammatical synonymy (for example, syntax synonymy) and grammatical doublets (for example, within different noun and verb paradigms).
The project is in line with the priority area of research of the Institute for Bulgarian Language “Theoretical Linguistic Research”. For the successful realisation of the project – especially its second stage related to the analysis of problematic cases in the norms, it will be particularly useful to study public attitudes and value orientations to modern standard Bulgarian language as a bright symbol of national identity, as well as specific phenomena from the grammatical norm. Such research is key to language policy, and especially to the codification of standard norms in the modern digital era. It is extremely important to maintain the official standard language in a state of flexible stability as a condition for effective communication. The approval/disapproval of possible changes in the codified norms will be traced in order to synchronise them with inter-language development processes with a persistent occurrence in speech; the attitudes towards the acceptance of norms will be examined to optimise meta-theory. Qualitative and quantitative methods, as well as techniques relevant to the study of language attitudes, will be applied. The envisaged complex approach is widely interdisciplinary. The results of the study will be applied for updating the official spelling dictionary as the main normative document regulating formal communication, as well as for the development of the normative grammar of the Bulgarian language. The project has significant potential for knowledge transfer in the field of linguistics and all social sciences that explore communication issues, public values, and national identity issues. The project is in the priority area of research of the Institute for Bulgarian Language “Language Culture”.
Subtopics:
➢ Official Grammar of the Modern Bulgarian Language. Period: 1st July 2016 – 30th June 2019. Principal Investigator: Assoc. prof. R. Stancheva. Participants: Assoc. prof. R. Stancheva, assoc. prof. T. Aleksandrova, assoc. prof. K. Charalozova, assist. prof. M. Tomov, assist. prof. N. Paskalev, assist. prof. I. Kuneva, L. Mikova, Zh. Zlateva; external collaborator: prof. V. Maldzhieva.
➢ Study of the of the public attitudes and value orientations towards the modern Bulgarian standard language as a factor in the codification of its norms. Period: 2017 – 2018. Funded by the National Science Fund. PI: Assoc. prof. R. Stancheva. Participants: Assoc. prof. R. Stancheva, assist. prof. M. Tomov, assist. prof. I. Kuneva, L. Mikova, Zh. Zlateva; external collaborators: prof. Y. Tisheva (Sofia University), assoc. prof. K. Aleksova (Sofia University), assist. prof. I. Yankov (Economic Research Institute, BAS), assist. prof. B. Gyurov (Economic Research Institute, BAS).
Presentation of the results: descriptive grammar – electronic version; publications.
