archivum lithuanicum 2 (4,26 mb) - Lietuvių kalbos institutas

Archivum Lithuanicum 2, 2000
ISSN 1392–737X
Martynas Maþvydas and Old Lithuania
(collection of papers),
parengë Regina Koþeniauskienë;
iðvertë á anglø kalbà Diana Bartkutë;
redagavo Domas Kaunas, Darius Kuolys, Regina Koþeniauskienë,
Vytautas Landsbergis, Jûratë Trilupaitienë, Antanas Tyla
Vilnius: Pradai,
1998, pp. 1–416. ISBN 9986–943–14–0
This book consisting of a preface by Regina Koþeniauskienë (pp. 9-10) and a
collection of 18 papers by various well-known cultural figures, specialists in Lithuanian
history, literature and linguistics is dedicated to Martynas Maþvydas and the
450th anniversary of the publication of the first Lithuanian book.
The first paper, “Trends of Lithuania’s integrity in Europe in the 16th century:
Paths of intellectual information” (pp. 13-28) by Antanas Tyla is a general description
of the political and cultural situation in l6th century Europe and Lithuania.
Tyla concludes (p. 25) that “[...] the First Lithuanian book, which appeared in
Königsberg 450 years ago, was the intellectual outcome of cognition, communication
and aspiration to self-preservation of the Lithuanian nation involved in the
European cultural processes of the time.” Although this was supposedly translated
into English it seems doubtful to me that the English speaker who did not know
Lithuanian would be able to decipher correctly the collocations “professors Vaclovas
and Mykolas Birþiðkos [...] Benediktas and Abraomas Vainos [...] Jonuðas and
Kristupas Radvilos”, which contain the Lithuanian plurals of the family names
Birþiðka, Vaina, and Radvila respectively (p. 22). In each case English style would
require the use of the singular of the family name. Thus one might say, e.g., John
and Mary Smith, but never *John and Mary Smiths. Although I can’t be completely
certain, since I have not seen the original Lithuanian text, it seems to me that in the
219 Martynas Maþvydas and
Old Lithuania