Language norms in the modern library communications

Abstract

The author attempts to identify the place for the language norms in the modern library verbal communications. The relevancy of this study is determined by the crisis of verbal communications in the society (overuse of slang, frivolous borrowings from foreign languages, decay of the language culture, using gadgets in interpersonal and business communications). The author concludes that verbal communication skills are needed to harmonize all communicative components, including language norms and speech culture. The findings of the monitoring survey of library verbal communications are presented. The level of command of the modern Russian language norms is identified for library and information specialists. It was found that the largest part of respondents had insufficient knowledge of language norms which affects their professional activity. The author analyzes orthoepical (pronouncing and articulatory) errors, violation of lexical, grammar (word-formation, morphological and syntactic) and stylistic norms of the Russian language, observance of orthographic and punctuation rules in the written speech. She argues that revealing the gaps helps to define the problems of librarians’ speech culture and to increase the efficiency of verbal communications in the professional library environment, in particular within the system of advanced training.