Stasio Barzduko lituanistinė veikla: lietuvių kalbos mokytojas ir normintojas

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Barzdukas S.; Lietuvių išeivija Jungtinėse Amerikos Valstijose; Lituanistika; Lituanistinė veikla; Stasys Barzdukas; Barzdukas S; Lithuanian Studies; Lithuanian emigrants in the United States of America; Lithuanian studies activity; Stasys Barzdukas.

ENThe life of Stasys Barzdukas (1906–1981) shows him to have been both a Lithuanian diaspora community leader and a scholar of Lithuanian studies. Historians have done research on his work in the U. S. and World Lithuanian Communities and his activities in the Ateitis Federation. This paper focuses on his contributions to preserving and developing the Lithuanian language and to fostering Lithuanian identity in the diaspora. Stasys Barzdukas was a teacher of the Lithuanian language and literature not only in prewar Independent Lithuania but in the emigration as well. He paid major attention to Lithuanian grammar and style as well as to the promotion and teaching of a normatively perfect Lithuanian language. Barzdukas helped to educate a considerable number of younger-generation Lithuanian linguists, writers, and civic leaders. Stasys Barzdukas was one of the most industrious members of the émigré Lithuanian Language Society: he formulated its charter and outlined the most important tasks of preserving, teaching, and improving the Lithuanian language in the emigration. He authored a large number of articles for the Society’s periodical Gimtoji kalba (The Native Language) and for other Lithuanian publications. With other linguists and teachers he prepared and published handbooks and dictionaries of the Lithuanian language.While living in Germany and teaching for a time from 1945 onwards at a gymnasium in Eichstätt, Barzdukas came face to face with a lack of Lithuanian language teaching materials. On his own initiative he wrote and in 1946 published a brief Lietuvių kalbos gramatika (Grammar of the Lithuanian language). But this did not quite satisfy the demands of teaching; thus a more extensive textbook fit for upper high school grades had to be created. Thus there appeared in 1950 a Lietuvių kalbos vadovas (Guide to Standard Lithuanian) initiated by him and written collectively by Pranas Skardžius, Stasys Barzdukas, and J. M. L aurinaitis. Together with Antanas Klimas he also prepared and published a Lietuvių kalbos žodynas (Dictionary of the Lithuanian language, 1974). Some of his writings (Lietuvių kalbos rašyba, skyryba, linksniai, Lithuanian Orthography, Syntax, and Cases, 1975; and Lietuviško žodžio keliai, Paths of the Lithuanian word, 1974) were left in manuscript form and used by him in his summer courses taught to diaspora youngsters. [From the publication]