BNRU Hosts an International Conference

The conference was organised by the BNRU, along with Mozyr Pedagogical University from Belarus, Cergy-Pontoise University from France, and the University of Education Freiburg, in Germany. This year, as well as researchers from France, Belarus and Kazakhstan, Russian academics made the trip from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Murmansk, Lipetsk and Krasnoyarsk.

The delegates exchanged views on topical issues in modern lexicography and communication, with particular emphasis on the adequacy, or otherwise, of the existing lexicography, insofar as it is coping with fast-paced global technological change. The distinguished, award-winning French professor Jean Pruvost was the guest of honour, and reported on his study of bilinguals in France, and their effect on the French language.

As usual the reports were of keen interest to the delegates, and engendered a lively discussion. Professor Arkady Sedykh, head of the German and French Department, presented a report on corpus linguistics and the components of the national language, Professor Irina Chumak-Zhun, the head of the Russian Language and Literature Department, addressed the plenary session, and Professor Nikolai Alefirenko delivered a report on his research in the field of semantic transformations and the influence of discourse entitled 'How to Understand Cognitive Synergetic Phraseology'. Professor Vera Kharchenko also presented a report called 'An Anthology of Colloquial Speech as a Lexicographic Project'.
A collection of articles resulting from the conference will be published on a wide range of issues including the theory and practice of lexicography and communication, descriptive linguistics and discourse, methods of teaching foreign languages, and using dictionaries.