BULGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES International Scientific Cooperation

<l>opMa Country: Partner of BAS: Reg.N!!:

Bl Bulgaria University of Gothenburg, Sweden (nom.noa ce OT EAH­

UY)

JOINT RESEARCH PROJECT

Title:

Terminological issues of accessing digitalized resources for medieval studies

Research partners:

Institu te of BAS: Partner institute:

Institute of Lietarure BAS Department of languages and literatures, University of Gothenburg

Postal code and address: Department of Slavic languages, Stockholm University

1113 Sofia, Shipchenski prokhod Str. 52, bl. Department of modem languages, Uppsala 17 University

Postal code and address:

Box 200, SE-405 30 Gothenburg,

Sweden Director: Director:

Assoc. Prof. PhD Raya Kuncheva Professor Ken Benson

Pro ject coordinator: Project coordinator:

Assoc. Prof. PhD Anisava Miltenova Docent FD Antoaneta Granberg

if (359-2) 979-39-96; 979-29-97; if

+ 1112181.383; 2635.590

Fax: (359-2) 971-70-56 Fax:

+ 11/2183.1 75

e-mail: anmilten@bas.bg e-mail :

anmilten@yahoo.com isj@,isj.sanu.ac.yu

Beginning: 1.01.2012 Duration: three years

SUMMARY

Present state of knowledge in the field, significance and objectives of the joint research:

The background of the project is the continued exploration of the approaches employed in the previous joint research project. Building a digital library of Slavic manuscripts, early printed books and reference data base (2008-20 11 ) resulted in one hand in new knowledge about the structure, the content and the language of the canonical medieval book heritage including both liturgical books and books that were closely related to the liturgical life -books for individual use and encyclopedia-like books. On the other hand, the increasing possibilities for access to digitalized resources for medieval studies in the fields of literature, textology and language history causes new terminological issues.

Previous and ongoing projects on digitalized description of medieval Cyrillic manuscripts and early printed books in Bulgaria and Sweden (see below) create wider opportunities for access of digitalized resources. This joint research project will focus on a large chronological diapason of manuscripts and early printed books preserved at Bulgarian and Swedish repositories and dated from the 121

h to the 191h centuries. Two kinds of books will

be of most interest: 1) Liturgical books as: (liturgical) minea, prologue, prophetologion and typicon; 2) Books closely related to the liturgical practices as: prayer books for individual use, miscellanea for monks (like Ephraem of Syrus' works), pilgrim works and ascetic literature.

Various different terms have been established for the function and the content of these books. Significant parts of these books use to have different titles in different scholar traditions. Summing up the present state of terminology, there are two main groups of terms: 1) Well-established terms that vary depending on the language of the study and the research school. These terms usually (but not always) have a common accepted synonymic ties for different modern and medieval languages; 2) Terms that need further discussion. These are terms concerning the identification of the content or parts of the content in some books.

Based on the positive results from the previous project, it seems worthwhile to continue the scholarly exchange program. Ten specialists from both countries have so far visited each other, with excellent results. We therefore propose the exchange visits to continue along the working in the other country for four weeks I two specialists for two weeks on an annual basis, thereby promoting the continuity of the joint endeavors of the cooperation.

Keywords (up to 4): Medieval studies, terminology, liturgical books, access to digitalized resources

Background of cooperation and envisaged results and benefit:

The project aims a comparative analysis and evaluation of the terminology used in digitalized resources. To exemplify the present stage of terminological issues: Synaxarion can mean a whole book or only part of a book. In addition, this term has different meanings in the original or translated titles of medieval texts and also in the research tradition of today. In

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order to secure the results of a search in databases the variety of terms, inclusively the titles used in the originals, should be systemized and synonymic ties should be established between different terms with identical content.

The project will result in a systematized terminological apparatus for identifying different kinds of books, with presentation of the variety of the terminology and suggestion for unification of the terminology. Such an apparatus will thereby secure the search results while using databases. It will also offer a support for the ongoing work on new databases of the medieval Slavic book heritage.

The project is a continuation of the joint research project Building a digital library of Slavic manuscripts, early printed books and reference data base (2008- 20 11 ), sponsored by BAS, RALHA and GU. The project germinated several papers and a monograph (see the report), as well as a well-working fellowship between Bulgarian and Swedish specialists.

Of great importance for the project is the National Swedish infrastructural project Digitalised descriptions of Slavic Cyrillic manuscripts and early printed books in Swedish libraries and archives, with support from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (2010-2012). There is a Bulgarian representative in the reference group ofthis project.

The background of the cooperation is based also on the project Metadata and Electronic Catalogues, Department of Old Bulgarian Literature. The team is working on a thesaurus of standardized terminology in Palaeoslavistics in eight languages (Latin, Greek, Old Church Slavonic, English, German, Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian). The proposed Swedish-Bulgarian project Terminological issues of accessing digitalized resources for medieval studies is based on an enlarged cooperation between Gothenburg university, Stockholm university and Uppsala university and the Institute of Literature BAS. It will be centered on the integration of current technological advancements in the field of electronic description of manuscripts and early printed books along with the results achieved during the previous stage of Swedish- Bulgarian cooperation. The Slavic collections at Swedish repositories that contain a significant group of liturgical books will provide an excellent opportunity for work on terminological issues.

The envisioned results are: 1. Evaluation of the terminology used in digitalized resources. 2. Systematized terminological apparatus for identifying different kinds of books, with

presentation of the variety of the terminology and suggestion for unification of the terminology.

3. Implementation ofthe terminological apparatus for securing the search results. 4. Support for the ongoing work on new databases of the medieval Slavic book heritage. 5. A conference/workshop to be held in Sofia. 6. A publication of the proceedings in both a printed and an on-line version.

Relation to other projects (partners, titles, duration, and funding):

Metadata and Electronic Catalogues - Department of Old Bulgarian Literature, Institute of Literature BAS, Bulgaria

Repertory of Old Bulgarian Literature and Letters with Computer Tools - Department of Old Bulgarian Literature, Institute of Literature BAS, 2007- 2012, financial support by BAS

The Tenth-Century Cyrillic Manuscript Codex Suprasliensis: the creation of an electronic corpus - Department of Old Bulgarian Literature, Institute ofLiterature BAS, 2010- 2012, financial support by UNESCO

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Digitalised descriptions of Slavic Cyrillic manuscripts and early printed books in Swedish libraries and archives, with support from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, (20 10-20 12). University of Gothenburg, Stockholm University, Umea University and Uppsala University

Research plan for the first year:

1. Exchange of experience concerning digital libraries and open access documents. 2. Discussion and decision about the main group of terms for the evaluation. 3. One Bulgarian specialist will work four weeks/two specialists for two weeks, at one of the Swedish universities participating in the project: Gothenburg University, Uppsala University and Stockholm university. 4. One Swedish specialist will work four weeks/two specialists for two weeks, at the Institute of literature BAS.

Preliminary research plan for the second year:

1. A comparative analyses and evaluation ofthe terminology used in digitalized resources. Discussion about the content and systematization ofthe variety ofterms. Definition of synonymic ties between different terms. 2. One Bulgarian specialist will work four weeks/two specialists for two weeks, at one of the Swedish universities participating in the project: Gothenburg University, Uppsala University and Stockholm university. 3. One Swedish specialist will work four weeks/two specialists for two weeks, at the Institute of literature BAS.

Preliminary research plan for the third year:

I. Building a terminological apparatus on the Internet. 2. Participation in conference/workshop in xxx (October 2014) 3. Editing the proceedings from the conference/workshop 4. One Bulgarian specialist will work four weeks/two specialists for two weeks, at one of the Swedish universities participating in the project: Gothenburg University, Uppsala University and Stockholm university. 5. One Swedish specialist will work four weeks/two specialists for two weeks, at the Institute of literature BAS. 6. Final report.

Scientific staff involved in the project:

From the Bulgarian side:

Anissava Miltenova, DSc (coordinator) Elena Tomova PhD Mariya Y ovcheva PhD Radoslava Stankova PhD Maya Petrova PhD Irina Kuzidova PhD Regina Kojcheva PhD Dilyana Radoslavova PhD

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From the partner side:

Antoaneta Granberg, docent (coordinator) Elisabeth Lofstrand, docent at Stockholm University Juhani Nuorluoto, professor at Uppsala University Ingrid Maier, professor at Uppsala University Irina Lysen, professor at Uppsala University Karine Akerman Sarkisian, lecturer at Uppsala University Thomas Rosen, lecturer at U sala Universit

SIGNATURES

On behalf of BAS: 0 On behalfofDepartment of languages and ~~ ~~ literatures, University of Gothenburg, ~ ~~..;§ Sweden ~

0 .;J-~

Project coordinator: Anissava Miltenova, DSc

i~=oc~~: G<a~~~~~~ Director:

Signed in:

Date: Date: 1.12.2011

I BLK-102XDOC

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