Studien zur Geschichte der russischen Skisportterminologie by Hans Peter StoffelReview by: H. LeemingThe Slavonic and East European Review, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Oct., 1979), p. 630Published by: the Modern Humanities Research Association and University College London, School ofSlavonic and East European StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4207953 .

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630 THE SLAVONIC REVIEW

The book contains a checklist of Soviet national languages, and the Bibliography is valuable for its list of English translations of pronounce- ments on language planning in the classics of Marxism-Leninism. In all, while the book provides little in the way of new information, it represents a much fuller account of the Soviet view of language planning than has hitherto been available in English. Oxford S. R. CRISP

Stofel, Hans Peter. Studien zur Geschichte der russischen Skisportterminologie. Slavica Helvetica, Band 4. Herbert Lang, Bern, and Peter Lang, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1975. 224 pp. Notes. Index of Terms. 36 Sw.F.

MOST of the first six volumes in Slavica Helvetica, a series of works by Swiss Slavists, are devoted to literary topics. However, this, the fourth in the series, is concerned with an account of the Russian terminology of skiing and one would find it difficult to suggest a lexicological topic more apt for the attention of a Swiss practitioner of the sport. Hans Peter Stoffel presents a neat and comprehensive review of this specialized sector of the Russian vocabulary. He starts with a general introduction which covers first the nature and function of a terminology and associated lexicological phenomena such as polysemy, redundancy, professionalisms, interna- tionalisms and usage outside the original context (Eniterminologisierung), and then considers the history of skiing in Russia and also the basic terms lyZi, ly&nik, lyZnica. Here we learn that while there is the evidence of cave-paintings for the use of skis four thousand years ago the first Russian skier identified by name is Vladimir Monomach, and the first strategic use of troops on skis is recorded by the Nikonian Chronicle under the year I 444. There is a full treatment of the origin, history and usage of the word ly:a. Stoffel mentions the apparent but uncertain connection with loZka; it would be interesting to hear his opinion of what appears to be a semantic parallel in Scandinavian where Danish sked 'spoon' comes from the same root as Norwegian ski, Old Norse skid.

The main part of the work falls into two sections. In the first of these Stoffel surveys the origins and the semantics of the skiing terminology; in the second he gives a history of its development over three periods, first from I 900 to 1930, secondly from 1931 to I 950, thirdly from 1951 to I 969. The author displays great subtlety and precision in his etymological and semantic analysis, drawing where necessary on other languages and the terminology of other sports. All in all this is a most valuable contribution to the history of the Russian terminology of sport. London H. LEEMING

Polata knigopisnaja: An Information Bulletin Devoted to the Study of Earl_ Slavonic Books, Texts and Literatures. No. i. Nijmegen, 1978. 69 pp. Dfl io per annum (two issues).

THIS new bulletin disclaims the intention of being yet another journal, although its main title, a calque of Scriptorium, might suggest considerable

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