The normative-stylistic explanatory dictionary as an “instant photograph” of the contemporary language use: Yury S. Sorokin’s theory revisited

The article reconsiders Yury S. Sorokin’s theoretical approach (1967) to the type of the normative-stylistic explanatory dictionary of the modern Russian language. The fundamentals of the theory are discussed, together with its genesis and significance for the current Russian lexicographic process. Having been elaborated more than half-century ago, Sorokin’s concept, which is characterized by an in-depth, well-balanced, and consistent approach to the solution of fundamental problems of explanatory lexicography, is now especially relevant and important. The appeal to Sorokin’s theory allows adjusting our way of looking at the development of this lexicographic field, which is evaluated today as quite spontaneous and inconsistent. The idea of a normative-stylistic dictionary as the central type among academic dictionaries (tracing back to Lev V. Shcherba’s classical theory) brings to light such key attributes of a normative description of the Russian literary vocabulary as systematicity and synchronicity. Moreover, thanks to Sorokin’s balanced theoretical approach, lexicographers obtain a well-reasoned opportunity to create a complex description of vocabulary with respect to its functional-stylistic and chronological differentiation. An essential feature of Sorokin’s theory determining its supertemporal nature is the provision for a harmonized combination of various vectors of lexicographic description, which at the same time does not grow into inconsistency and compromise. The article shows that Sorokin’s theory is of prime importance for the typology of Russian explanatory dictionaries as it helps lexicographers to override various radical concepts (from a thesaurus-like dictionary to a prescriptive (or even prohibitive) dictionary) and to come into a medial position that will only allow focusing on the true task of normative explanatory lexicography, i.e. the codification of the literary language norm for the purpose of its conservation in the nation’s cultural background. The author declares no conflict of interests.

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