Vol.1, No 4, 1997 pp. 65 - 66
Information
DICTIONARY OF SPORTS TERMINOLOGY
It seems that the work on the Serbian terminology of certain professions
stands in an inverse proportion to the real needs.
The problems in this sphere are certainly manifold, from those created
by the very development of certain fields of human activities (economic
sectors, fields of specialization, sports branches, scientific disciplines...)
to the activities that resulted from the conditions in the Yugoslav society
and from the breakup of the Serbian-speaking regions into several countries,
and into several cultural and political spheres of interest.
The sport and physical culture are not in any better position in this
respect in comparison to other fields of human activities. Their position
may even be more aggravated as they are relatively new, so that there is
a great clash between the state that may be referred to as a contemporary,
domestic lexicon (for the scope of physical and spiritual games, competitions,
physical training, skills...) and the need to adopt the terms used in particular
worldwide established and spread sports parallel to their introduction.
This need for an organized terminology gets even stronger by entering
the world processes in sports, joining the development of sports science,
the international competitions and the communication through electronic
media.
For this reason, an idea of compiling dictionaries of sports terminology
has been conceived among sportsmen, sportswriters and scientists dealing
with sports and physical culture.
The project is attributed to the University of Niš and its Department
of Physical Culture. Nevertheless, it is also necessary to include collaborators
having the linguistic education, that is, teachers of the Serbian and foreign
languages.
The excerption of material from the existing dictionaries of the Serbian
language started under the guidance of professors Dr. Nenad Živanović and
Dr. Nedeljko Bogdanović, and a description of particular folk dances and
sports has been undertaken as well.
Moreover, launching has been planned of a temporary edition that would
publish material and expert treatises in the field of sports terminology.
This would enable a greater number of experts to take part and improve
the preparation of a sports terminology lexicon, giving it a wider foundation,
that is, the lexical basis that is presently used in the science and instruction
of sports and physical culture, in sports magazines, in the regular daily
communication among people, and in the sports life in general.
The realization of the project shall include other faculties as well,
while the final participation shall be of professional sports organizations
in order to collect the best possible terminology that would be easily
accepted in the country and appropriate inasmuch as it is now necessary
for the international communication.
Nedeljko Bogdanović
