Valentina SKUJINA

Professor Valentina SKUJINA Senior Researcher Latvian Language Institute Akademijas laukums 1 Riga, LV 1050 Latvia Phone:  +371 7229636 Fax:     + 371 722 7696 E-mail: vaska@lza.lv

Born: October 2, 1937

Interests:

• Terminology science and practice
• Term-formation and word-building
• International term-elements (esp. Latin and Greek components)
• Terminology planning
• Language culture
• Language in law

Main research - the monograph ‘’The Principles of Formation of Latvian Terminology‘’ (1993/ 2002, 224 pp.), where the experience of 40 years work of the Terminology Commisison (TC) of Latvian Academy of Sciences has been generalized. Theoretical conclusions on the intralingual, interlingual and extralingual levels are based on about 200,000 scientific and technological branch terms, confirmed by TC. The foundation and main items of Latvian Terminology as a branch of science have been described. Co-author and Managing Editor of a number of term-dictionaries. Author of the book for Latvian language training "Latvian Language for Business Practice" (1999, 150 pp.), and of the "Dictionary of the Latin and Greek Elements" (1999, 233 pp.), where the explanations of Latin and Greek elements and word-examples made from these elements are given. 

Languages: Latvian, English, Russian.

Education

• University of Latvia (Faculty of Philology), 1960
• Dr. philol. (Candidate of Science in former USSR, Ph.D. in Western countries), Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1969
• Dr. habil. philol., University of Latvia, 1993

Experience

• Assistant and Researcher, Institute of Language and Literature, 1959-1977
• Senior Researcher and the Head of the Group of Terminology and Language Culture at the same Institute, 1977-1991
• Senior Researcher and the Head of the Terminology Department, Latvian Language Institute, 1992 -
• Scientific secretary, Terminology Commission of Latvian Academy of Sciences , 1961-1992
• Chair, Terminology Commmission of Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1999 -  ( Vice-chair, 1992 -1999)
• Lecturer (Professor, 1999 -), University of Latvia, Liepaja Pedagogical Academy, Riga Technical University, Latvia University of Agriculture

Honours and Awards

• Corresponding Member, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1994
• Full Member, Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1997
• Diploma, Presidium of Supreme Council of Latvia, 1957
• Diploma, Presidium of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, 1976 and 1987
• International Ludis Berzinsch Prize, 2000
• The Latvian Academy of Sciences Janis Endzelins Prize, 2001

Professional Activities and Memberships

• Organizer of Language Practice Days and Weeks Conferences, 1977 - 1991
• Organizer of International Terminological Conferences, 1992, 1996, 2002, 2003
• Member, Latvian Language Experts' Commission , 1992 -
• Member, International Institute for Terminology Research, Vienna, 1995 -
• Member of IOUTN, Warszaw, 1989 -
• Member, Advisory Board of International Journal ‘’Terminology‘’, Amsterdam/Philadelphia, 1994 -
• Member of Editorial Board ,  periodical "Terminologija", Vilnius, 2001 -

Lectures

• Theoretical Foundation and Some Approaches to the Unification of Scientific Terminologies. Conference on Terminology Research and Knowledge Theory. University of Graz. September 26, 1990
• The Foundation of Latvian Terminology Science. International Terminological Conference. Latvian Academy of Sciences. August 17, 1992
• The Principles of Term-Formation in the Aspect of Translation. TKE -96 Congress. Vienna, August 28, 1996

Courses

• Latvian Terminology, LSP, 1988 -
• Language Culture and Practice, 1988 -
• State Language in Office Work, Business, 1989 -
• Latvian Stylistics, 2000 -

Recent/Representative Publications

•  
• The Development of Latvian Terminology as a Scientific Discipline. - Terminology Science&Research. ISSN1017-382X, 1992, vol. 3,  N 1, pp. 2-11.
• Some Aspects of the Specific Character of the Semantic Level in Terminology. - In:   TKE`93: Terminology and Knowledge Engeneering, 1993,  Frankfurt/M.,   pp. 50-55.
• The Foundation of Latvian Terminology. - In: IITF Series. International Conference on Terminology Science and Terminology Planning. Riga, 17 - 19 August 1992. Vienna, 1994. pp.55 -61.
• Use of Greek and Latin Elements in the Formation of Terms in a National Language.- Universitas Dalhousiana, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada // ALFA,  1994/95, vol. 7/8, pp. 257-262.
• The Specifics of the Term and the Concept of the Termeme. -In: IITF Infoterm. Multilingualism in specialist communication, 1996, vol. 2. (Vienna), pp.1123-1130.
• The Principles of Term - Formation in the Aspect of Translation.- In: TKE`96: Terminology Knowledge Engineering, 1996,  Frankfurt/M.,  pp. 338 -341.
• Semantic Aspects of International Term-Elements. - In: LSP Identity and Interface Research, Knowledge and Society, 1998, Copenhagen , vol. 1, pp. 399-407.
• Localisation and Internationalisation Problems in the Computer Terminology. - In: TKE`99: Terminology Knowledge Engineering, 1999, Vienna, pp. 582-592.
• The Term and its Content in the Multilingual Aspect. - In:   LSP: Perspectives for the New Millenium. Vol. 1. - Gunter Narr Verlag Tubingen, 2000, pp. 247-254.
• Stability Fundamentals of National Language in the Course of Centuries. - In: Linguistica LETTICA,2001, N 8, Riga, 2001, pp. 5-14. 
• Vitality of Latin and Grek word-elements in the modern interlingual term-building processes. - In: Vaasan Yliopiston Julkaisuja. Porta Scientiae II. Lingua specialis. - Vaasa, 2002, pp. 510-520.  
• Ernest Drezen and urgencies of terminology work at the beginning of 21st century. - In: Terminology and Technology Transfer in the Multilingual Information Society. Ed. by V.Skujina. - Vienna/ Riga, IITF- Infoterm. LLI of LU, 2003, pp. 147-153. 
• The Challenges Created to Latvian Terminology by Eastward Enlargement of European Union. - In: The First Baltic Conference " Human Language Technologies. The Baltic Perspective" (co-author I.Ilzina). - R., VVK, 2004, pp. 53-56.

 

Research Projects

• V.Skujina (Head of Project). Dictionary of Economics, Office Work and Management (Latvian - Russian - English- German). 1995, 1996,1997.
• V. Skujina (Head of Project). Explanatory Dictionary of Pedagogical Terms (Latvian - English - German - Russian). 2000.
• V.Skujina (Head of Project). Latvian Terminology: National and International Aspects. Latvian Council of Science, 2001 -
• V.Skujina (Head of Project). Term-formation Models in the Structural-semantic Aspect. Latvian Council of Science, 2004 .

Last update 15.12.2004