Vvedenie |
Prinyatie sokrascheniya |
Glava I. | Obschie printsipi kontensivnoj tipologii |
Glava II. | Problema kontensivno-tipologicheskoj klassifikatsii yazikov |
Glava III. | Istoricheskij aspekt kontensivno-tipologicheskikh issledovanij |
Zaklyuchenie |
Summary |
Uzhe v nastoyaschee vremya nachinaet, po-vidimomu, opravdivat'sya
predvidenie nekotorikh yazikovedov o vse bol'shem vozrastanii
v buduschem roli tipologii sredi drugikh fundamental'nikh
lingvisticheskikh distsiplin. Za neskol'ko poslednikh desyatiletij
suschestvenno uvelichilsya udel'nij ves tipologicheskikh
issledovanij na obschem fone lingvisticheskikh rabot. Progress
tipologii nakhodit svoe virazhenie v posledovatel'nom otpochkovanii
ot sobstvenno tipologii tselogo ryada drugikh raznovidnostej
strukturnogo issledovaniya yazika, ne imeyuschikh dela s ponyatiem
yazikovogo tipa -- kontrastivnogo (sopostavitel'nogo)
yazikoznaniya, lingvisticheskoj kharakterologii, universalologii
(lingvologii). On oschutim v postepennom utverzhdenii v pravakh
diakhronicheskoj tipologii. Nakonets, ego ochevidnim svidetel'stvom
sleduet schitat' i zametnoe vnutrennee razmezhevanie samoj
tipologii na tak nazivaemuyu formal'nuyu, s odnoj storoni,
i kontensivnuyu, s drugoj.
Odnoj iz naibolee kharakternikh chert sovremennogo yazikoznaniya
yavlyaetsya, kak izvestno, rezkoe vozrastanie ob'ema soderzhatel'no
orientirovannikh tipologicheskikh issledovanij, otrazhayuschee
pristal'noe vnimanie lingvistov k semanticheskoj storone
yazika. Eti issledovaniya, initsiatorami kotorikh vistupili esche
v 30--40-kh godakh sovetskie yazikovedi, prevratilis' v nastoyaschee
vremya v shirokoe mezhdunarodnoe napravlenie lingvisticheskikh
rabot, predstavlennoe v zapadnoevropejskoj i amerikanskoj literature
preimuschestvenno relyatsionnoj grammatikoj (relational
grammar) ili relyatsionnoj tipologiej (relational typology).
V poslednej svyazi dostatochno upomyanut', naprimer, chrezvichajno
vozrosshij interes sovremennogo zarubezhnogo yazikoznaniya
k problematike obschej teorii ergativnosti.
Vo izbezhanie vozmozhnikh nedorazumenij neobkhodimo srazu zhe
raz'yasnit' upotreblenie samogo termina "kontensivnaya tipologiya
" v nastoyaschej monografii. Podobno praktike tselogo ryada
drugikh nedavnikh issledovanij pod nim zdes' podrazumevaetsya
ne tipologiya soderzhatel'noj storoni yazika, o zhelatel'nosti
razrabotki kotoroj pisali nekotorie yazikovedi, i uzhe opredelennij
shag v realizatsii chego sostavlyaet izvestnaya rabota
S.D.Katsnel'sona. Ne stoit za nim ravnim obrazom i ispol'zuemoe
P.Khartmanom ponyatie Begriffstypologie (poslednee opredelyaetsya
im kak nekotoraya leksikologicheski orientirovannaya
distsiplina), kotoroe takzhe protivopostavlyaetsya ponyatiyu Formaltypologie.
Etot termin sootnesen zdes' s osoboj raznovidnost'yu
tipologicheskikh issledovanij, v rusle kotorikh formal'naya
storona yazika izuchaetsya v neposredstvennoj svyazi s peredavaemim
v nem soderzhaniem. Takim obrazom, esli stremit'sya k soblyudeniyu
terminologicheskoj tochnosti, to kontensivnuyu tipologiyu
mozhno bilo bi nazvat' soderzhatel'no orientirovannoj
lingvisticheskoj tipologiej.
V svete uzhe nakoplennikh naukoj nablyudenij nad vzaimosvyazyami
strukturnikh faktov v konkretnikh yazikakh vse bolee otchetlivo
virisovivaetsya aktual'nost' zadachi razrabotki tipologicheskoj
teorii, ne tol'ko obsluzhivayuschej opisanie yazikovikh
yavlenij, no i pretenduyuschej na ikh ob'yasnenie. Sr. v etoj svyazi
shiroko oschuschaemuyu neobkhodimost' postroeniya estestvennoj tipologicheskoj
klassifikatsii. Eksplikativnij aspekt ne chuzhd,
kak izvestno, i nekotorim sovremennim formal'no-tipologicheskim
kontseptsiyam (sr., naprimer, apellyatsiyu k faktam morfologicheskogo
urovnya pri istolkovanii nekotorikh fonologicheskikh
osobennostej agglyutinativnogo stroya3). Odnako znachitel'no bolee
shirokimi predstavlyayutsya v etom plane perspektivi kontensivnoj
tipologii, predpolagayuschej, iskhodya iz dialekticheskikh
zakonomernostej sootnosheniya formi i soderzhaniya yavleniya, poiski
obuslovlennosti formal'noj storoni yazika ego soderzhatel'noj
storonoj. Imenno na fone tendentsii sovremennoj tipologii
k razrabotke ob'yasnitel'noj teorii zakonomeren i vozrastayuschij
interes tipologov k interpretatsiyam istoricheskogo
kharaktera.
Pri vsej nablyudayuschejsya v nastoyaschee vremya variatsii podkhodov
raznikh avtorov k razrabotke problem kontensivnoj tipologii
ves'ma otchetlivo vistupayut cherti i ikh vnutrennego edinstva,
reshayuschim obrazom obuslovlennie obschnost'yu samogo osnovaniya
sravneniya raznotipnikh yazikov -- analiza sposobov
peredachi v nikh sub'ektno-ob'ektnikh otnoshenij dejstvitel'nosti.
Otsyuda sleduet i kontsentratsiya vnimaniya issledovatelej
na odnoj i toj zhe sovokupnosti problem i, v chastnosti, operirovanie
po suschestvu odnim i tem zhe inventarem yazikovikh tipov,
chto, nesomnenno, sozdaet blagopriyatnie predposilki dlya
dal'nejshego progressa kontensivnoj tipologii (sr. printsipial'no
otlichnoe polozhenie del v sfere formal'no-tipologicheskikh
issledovanij). Tem samim voznikaet nadezhda na vozmozhnost'
dovol'no bistrogo dostizheniya real'nikh uspekhov v razrabotke
teoretiko-metodicheskogo apparata etoj distsiplini
i primenenii ego k konkretnomu yazikovomu materialu.
Vmeste s tem ne prikhoditsya nedootsenivat' i nekotorie obstoyatel'stva,
suschestvenno tormozyaschie dal'nejshee razvitie kontensivnoj
tipologii i zaklyuchayuschiesya prezhde vsego v nereshennosti
ryada obschikh voprosov lingvisticheskoj tipologii (sr. problemi yazikovogo tipa, tipologicheski relevantnogo priznaka,
tipologicheskoj klassifikatsii yazikov, istoricheskoj interpretatsii
tipologiziruemogo materiala, tipologicheskoj rekonstruktsii
i dr.), obuslovlennie v konechnom schete vse esche nedostatochno
posledovatel'nim vnedreniem v sovremennie tipologicheskie
shtudii printsipov sistemnogo i istoricheskogo podkhoda.
Daleko ne polnoe ispol'zovanie vnutrennikh resursov sistemnogo
podkhoda k yaziku zayavlyaet o sebe, naprimer, v ryade nedavnikh rabot
v oblasti obschej teorii ergativnosti (sr. neredko vstrechayuschijsya
v nikh neuchet leksicheskikh implikatsij ergativnogo stroya,
esche neizzhituyu tendentsiyu k sopostavleniyu ergativnoj konstruktsii
predlozheniya neposredstvenno s nominativnoj, minuya ee pryamoj
strukturnij korrelyat v vide absolyutnoj konstruktsii
i t.p.). Nedostatochnaya populyarnost' v issledovatel'skoj praktike
poiskov opredelennoj sistemnosti v sovokupnosti nesistemnikh
s tochki zreniya profiliruyuschego v yazike tipa yavlenij prepyatstvuet
resheniyu voprosov istoriko-tipologicheskogo kharaktera.
Dazhe esli ostavit' v storone mnogochislennie primeri yavnoj
desemantizatsii samogo termina "tipologiya" v sovremennoj lingvistike
(sr. takie upotrebleniya, kak "tipologiya slovarej", "tipologiya
differentsial'nikh priznakov fonem", "tipologiya sotsiolingvisticheskikh
situatsij" i dr.), trudno otdelat'sya ot vpechatleniya,
chto tipologiya vse esche slishkom chasto predstavlyaetsya
sovokupnost'yu edva li ne vsekh traktovok yazikovogo materiala,
ne ukladivayuschikhsya v ramki geneticheskogo (sravnitel'no-istoricheskogo)
i areal'nogo podkhodov.
Otmechennie obstoyatel'stva nakhodyat svoe otrazhenie v mnogochislennikh
viskazivaniyakh yazikovedov, krasnorechivo svidetel'stvuyuschikh
ob ikh neudovletvorennosti suschestvuyuschim v tipologii
polozheniem. V spetsial'noj literature ne bez osnovaniya priznaetsya,
chto trudnosti resheniya etikh voprosov korenyatsya
ne stol'ko v ob'ektivnoj slozhnosti samoj tipologicheskoj problematiki,
skol'ko v neproportsional'no visokoj dole sub'ektivnogo
faktora, vozdejstvuyuschego na veduschiesya issledovaniya. Kak
izvestno, nekotorie avtori predlagayut preodolet' eti trudnosti
za schet obrascheniya k luchshe razrabotannomu metodicheskomu
apparatu drugikh nauk, imeyuschikh delo s klassifikatsiej svoego
materiala. Pri bezuslovnoj tselesoobraznosti ucheta sootvetstvuyuschego
opita neyazikovedcheskikh distsiplin, predstavlyaetsya
estestvennim, odnako, chto v pervuyu ochered' tipologiya dolzhna
ispol'zovat' te vnutrennie rezervi, kotorie imeyutsya v etom
plane v sfere samoj nauki o yazike. Poetomu pri reshenii zadach,
voznikayuschikh pered nastoyaschej rabotoj, avtor schital vozmozhnim
i bolee togo neobkhodimim provedenie tseloj sovokupnosti analogij
metodicheskogo kharaktera mezhdu tipologicheskimi i geneticheskimi,
t.e. sravnitel'no-istoricheskimi, issledovaniyami, kotorie
uzhe davno zarekomendovali sebya v kachestve metodicheski
obraztsovoj lingvisticheskoj distsiplini. Trudno somnevat'sya
v tom, chto imenno v etom napravlenii, na kotorom, kak izvestno,
delayutsya lish' pervie shagi, sleduet iskat' magistral'nie
puti prevrascheniya tipologii v otrasl' nauki o yazike, vpolne
sopostavimuyu po svoej ob'ektivnoj tsennosti (v chastnosti,
po ob'yasnitel'noj sposobnosti) s geneticheskim yazikoznaniem.
Drugoj faktor, igrayuschij negativnuyu rol' v razvitii lingvisticheskoj
tipologii, zaklyuchaetsya v tom, chto v spetsial'noj literature
soderzhatel'no orientirovannie issledovaniya vse esche
neredko okazivayutsya nedostatochno chetko otgranichennimi ot formal'no-tipologicheskikh. On rezul'tiruet, v chastnosti, v zametnom
vozdejstvii na ikh kontseptual'nij apparat so storoni prinyatikh
v poslednikh ponyatij, kotoroe osobenno yarko otrazhaetsya
v rabotakh avtorov s uzkim empiricheskim krugozorom. Mezhdu tem
dolzhno bit' ochevidnim, chto lyubaya ustupka formal'nim kriteriyam
v podkhode k tipologiziruemomu materialu chrevata iskazheniem
samoj perspektivi kontensivno-tipologicheskogo issledovaniya.
Esche odno obstoyatel'stvo, uscherbno skazivayuscheesya na dal'nejshem
progresse tipologicheskikh shtudij, netrudno usmotret'
v vozdejstvii na printsipi deskriptivnogo analiza yazikov tak
nazivaemogo evropotsentricheskogo faktora. V sfere kontensivno-tipologicheskikh
issledovanij ono nakhodit svoe virazhenie v dovol'no
ustojchivom davlenii skhemi opisaniya predstavitelej nominativnogo
stroya na metayaziki opisaniya nenominativnikh
yazikov (sr., naprimer, traditsionno praktikovavshuyusya kharakteristiku
strukturi aktivnikh yazikov v terminakh nominativnoj
sistemi, vse esche ne vpolne preodolennoe vpechatlenie o strukturnoj
blizosti ergativnoj konstruktsii predlozheniya k stradatel'nomu
oborotu nominativnoj i t.p.). Daleko ne izzhit ryad
analogichnikh zabluzhdenij dazhe v samikh poslednikh publikatsiyakh.
Sr., v chastnosti, ves'ma shiroko rasprostranennie predstavleniya
o tipologicheski neotmechennom kharaktere takikh yavlenij, kak
printsip leksikalizatsii glagol'nikh slov po priznaku tranzitivnost' intranzitivnost', zalogovaya differentsirovannost' glagol'nikh
slovoform, funktsionirovanie imenitel'nogo padezha
i t.p.
Po-prezhnemu polezno napomnit', chto korrektnost' tipologicheskikh
obobschenij samim neposredstvennim obrazom zavisit
ot stepeni vladeniya tipologom samoj yazikovoj bazoj issledovaniya.
Netrudno dogadat'sya, naskol'ko dezorientiruyut veduschuyusya rabotu
neadekvatnie predstavleniya o strukturnikh parametrakh konkretnikh
yazikov, neredko vstrechayuschiesya i v sovremennikh publikatsiyakh.
Tak, vo mnogikh tipologicheskikh rabotakh otmechaetsya soblyudenie
norm ergativnogo stroya v gruzinskikh postroeniyakh
s aoristnimi slovoformami glagol'nogo skazuemogo, v to vremya
kak kazhdomu kartvelistu izvestno, chto fakticheski v nikh dejstvuyut
inie pravila (dostatochno upomyanut', chto passivnie slovoformi
vsekh tranzitivnikh glagolov obuslovlivayut zdes' obichnuyu
nominativnuyu konstruktsiyu predlozheniya i, naprotiv, mnozhestvo
intranzitivnikh glagolov -- ergativoobraznuyu).
Nakonets, nevozmozhno ne zamechat' vse esche ves'ma oschutimoj
razobschennosti usilij sovremennikh tipologov. Ochen' chasto predstaviteli
odnogo napravleniya sovershenno nedostatochno osvedomleni
o rezul'tatakh poiskov, predprinimaemikh v ramkakh drugikh
napravlenij (v etom otnoshenii suschestvennie peremeni predveschaet
sozdanie v 1979 g. po initsiative vengerskikh lingvistov
Mezhdunarodnoj rabochej gruppi po tipologii). Odnako esche bolee
uscherbnim obrazom na tempakh razvitiya nauki skazivaetsya
slaboe znakomstvo, a inogda i polnoe neznakomstvo avtorov s bogatimi
traditsiyami tipologicheskikh shtudij proshlogo. Tak, naprimer,
v odnoj iz nedavno vishedshikh v svet publikatsij
utverzhdaetsya, chto tol'ko v poslednikh issledovaniyakh (s ssilkoj
na rabotu 1978 g.) bila ustanovlena neadekvatnost' traditsionnoj
(?!) tochki zreniya, soglasno kotoroj ergativnaya i neergativnaya
konstruktsii predlozheniya isklyuchayut drug druga v strukture
odnogo i togo zhe yazika. Mezhdu tem imenno naslediyu tipologov
proshlogo prinadlezhit otnosyascheesya samoe pozdnee
k 30-m godam nablyudenie o sovmeschenii obeikh konstruktsij v nekotorikh
yazikakh (sr., v chastnosti, spetsial'nij analiz takogo
sovmescheniya v neskol'kikh rabotakh I.I.Meschaninova). K sozhaleniyu,
v sovremennikh issledovaniyakh, dazhe pretenduyuschikh na razrabotku
tipologicheskoj teorii, mozhno vstretit' mnozhestvo podobnikh
nedorazumenij. Esche bol'shaya razobschennost' usilij avtorov
nablyudaetsya v empiricheskikh rabotakh po tipologii, poskol'ku
sootvetstvuyuschie otraslevie issledovaniya obichno orientirovani
na nekotoruyu konkretnuyu tipologicheskuyu kontseptsiyu (poslednee
obstoyatel'stvo skazivaetsya negativnim obrazom, naprimer,
na publikatsiyakh po opisaniyu ergativnikh yazikov).
V zaklyuchenie ostaetsya podcherknut', chto avtor stremilsya
k razvitiyu v nastoyaschej monografii sovokupnosti idej, v yavnom
ili neyavnom vide soderzhaschikhsya v tvorcheskom nasledii otechestvennikh
tipologov 30--40-kh godov. Eto kazhetsya tem bolee opravdannim
v usloviyakh, kogda i v sovremennom zarubezhnom yazikoznanii
oni poluchayut dostatochno opredelennij otklik. Naibolee
obschie iz etikh idej prelomlyayutsya v tesno vzaimosvyazannikh
printsipakh sistemnosti i istorizma v podkhode k tipologizatsii
yazikovogo materiala. Predstavlyaetsya, chto i dal'nejshie perspektivi
razvitiya lingvisticheskoj tipologii budut prezhde vsego
zaviset' ot posledovatel'noj realizatsii oboikh printsipov v deskriptivnikh
i teoreticheskikh issledovaniyakh.
Numerous attempts were made in the past to take into account
in typological research the content component of language
resulting in mutual separation of the formal and the so called
content-oriented typology. In contrast to the former, which is
abstracted from the content conveyed in language, the latter may
be defined as content-oriented. Its origins lie in the work done by
Soviet typologists in the 1930-40s. Subsequent research conducted
abroad, primarily in the field of relation grammar, made a sub-
stantial contribution to its development.
The modern content-oriented typology treats of formal structures
of the world's languages in terms of those differences which exist
in the ways they convey subject and object relationships of reality.
The content-oriented criterion's typological relevance and, further-
more, its fundamental importance for structural research, are deter-
mined by the fact that it is on the basis of this criterion that the
broadest possible units of systematically interrelated structural
characteristics of languages, forming various language types, can be
identified.
In contrast to various schools of the formal typology that pay
insufficient attention to the very concept of language type (its
traditional replacement by the notion of the '-ga_ in language"
was later supplemented by an opinion that typology is possible
without the concept of types altogether), the content-oriented typo-
logy has been invariably based on the notion of language type
which encompasses all the logically necessary features-coordinates
of the lexical, syntactical, morphological and, apparently, phonolo-
gical (but in any case, morphonological) levels of a language. It is
not an arbitrary system superimposed on a language, but rather
an inductively revealed set of features of various levels of a lan-
guage type, that accounts for the fact that all linguists working
in the field of the content-oriented typology operate with essenti-
ally the same inventory of types, each identifying a specific typo-
logical class of languages which embody the type to a greater or
lesser degree. It follows that the resulting classification of the
world's languages has a natural character, with all its consequences
(e. g. it admits of historic interpretation), and therefore it becomes
comparable with the geneological and areal linguistics in terms of
objective value and, in particular, explanatory power.
On the level of lexical features operate and make their specific
projections on the rest of the levels, principles of organization of
the noun and verb vocabulary specific to a given language type.
In the sphere of syntax, a type is characterized by a special set
of sentence structures, as well as a special nomenclature of objects.
In the sphere of morphology, a language type is characterized by
specific series of personal markers of verb conjugation, and funda-
mental cases of noun declension. Alongside with the coding proper-
ties listed above, there exist so called controlling properties of
a language type, that consist in a certain body of transformational
tests, used to identify the type to which a particular language
belongs.
Four language types can be identified within the framework
of the content-oriented typology: nominative, ergative, active and
class, each having a specific structure which apparently is, deter-
mined by an innate content-oriented stimulus or a semantic deter-
minant of this type.. These determinants are the following: for the
nominative system - the opposition of semantic roles of the sub-
ject and object, for the ergative system - of agent and factitive,
for the active system - of active and inactive, for the class
system - of a number of class roles (the neutral type was postu-
lated conditionally, on the basis of a negative criterion, i. e. its
features do not coincide with those of the other types). The above
mentioned sequence of the types reflects the degree of their mutual
structural kinship. Therefore, the greatest typological distance lies
between the nominative and the neutral types.
In the nominative system, where verb words are lexicalized
on the basis of their transitivity and intransitivity, nouns do not
reveal content-motivated classes. In the field of syntax, where there
is a single nominative sentence construction (with the possibility
of contrasting the active and passive voices of the verb), the
distinction between direct and indirect objects becomes obvious.
At the level of morphology, there is a correlation of personal verb
affixes of the subject and object series or of the nominative and
accusative cases with their derivatives.
In the lexical nomenclature of the ergative system, in the ab-
sence of the content-motivated nominal classification, verbs are
grouped into the agentive and factitive classes. Its syntax is cha-
racterized by the opposition of ergative and absolutive sentence
constructions, and of objects which can be qualified as "direct"
and "indirect" with difficulty. Among morphological implications
of the ergative system the most important are the difference
between the ergative and absolutive series of pers6nal affixes in
verb conjugation or the difference between the ergative and abso-
lutive cases of noun declension.
The organizational principles of the active system lexical voca-
bulary are characterized by the existence of a latent nominal
classification differentiating between active ("animate") and in-
active ("inanimate") nouns whereas verbs are broken down into
active and stative classes. The corresponding syntactical correlates
are the opposition between active and inactive sentence construc-
tions and distinction between the near and the distant objects. The
distinction between active and inactive series of personal affixes
of verb conjugation or the active and inactive cases of noun declen-
sion, the diathesis of the active verb differentiating between the
centrifugal and non-centrifugal versions, the Aktionsart gradations
of the verb in lieu of the temporal ones constitute a specific
morphological character of the active system.
The fundamental breakdown of substantives into stable and
content motivated classes (the principle of lexicalization of verb
words is unclear) forms the lexical implication of the class system.
The specific nature of the typology of its sentence has not been
explored. Its verb morphology is characterized by the presence of
a number of series of class-personal affixes. The noun morphology
is not separated from word formation.
The natural character of the content-oriented classification pre-
supposes the possibility of its historic interpretation. There emerges
a working theory that the logical interrelations of the language
classes postulated are able to reflect a historic sequence of typo-
logical transformations. This is testified to by a high explanatory
power of the taxonomy of the left-hand types in relation to the
right-hand ones (see page 87), which has been repeatedly used
in typological research (see a role of active system in interpreting
non-system phenomena in the ergative and nominative languages).
The hypothesis is backed by the characteristic dialectical interrela-
tion between form and content of structural features of every type
(thus, when, in terms of form, the ergative system has much in
common with the active one, its ties with the nominative system
are obvious in terms of content). This is testified to by specific
breakdown of typological components of languages combining two
types into various levels of their structures (e. g., in languages,
combining nominative and ergative components, the latter is more
clear on the more conservative level of morphology).
As a rule, empiric research of numerous languages, combining
heterogeneous typological components, supports these theoretical
considerations; by contrast, infrequent cases of opposite interpreta-
tion of development are always accompanied by an alternative view
in specialized literature. It is clear that diachronic conclusions will
be more adequate when linguists start paying greater attention to
the methodology of typological reconstruction.
It seems that further prospects of content-oriented research will
depend on a consistent use of the system principle and historic ap-
proach to typologized material.
Klimov Georgij Andreevich
Vidayuschijsya otechestvennij yazikoved, kavkazoved. V 1952 g. okonchil filologicheskij fakul'tet Leningradskogo gosudarstvennogo ordena Lenina universiteta im. A. A. Zhdanova po spetsial'nosti «Gruzinskij yazik i literatura». S 1954 g. i do kontsa zhizni bil sotrudnikom Instituta yazikoznaniya AN SSSR, v poslednie godi vozglavlyal otdel kavkazskikh yazikov. V 1955 g. zaschitil kandidatskuyu dissertatsiyu, a v 1965 g. — doktorskuyu dissertatsiyu po teme «Etimologicheskij slovar' kartvel'skikh yazikov». V 1988 g. emu bilo prisvoeno uchenoe zvanie professora po spetsial'nosti «Kavkazskie yaziki». Krug nauchnikh interesov: teoreticheskoe yazikoznanie, evolyutsiya yazika, sravnitel'naya grammatika, etimologiya, tipologiya, areal'naya lingvistika.
G. A. Klimov bil chlenom Glavnoj redaktsii «Lingvisticheskogo atlasa Evropi», chlenom Evropejskogo obschestva kavkazovedov, a takzhe chlenom redkollegii serii tomov «Etimologiya» i otvetstvennim sekretarem zhurnala «Voprosi yazikoznaniya». V 1995 g. stal laureatom Gosudarstvennoj premii Rossijskoj Federatsii v oblasti nauki i tekhnologij.
G. A. Klimovim izdano bolee 380 rabot, iz nikh 18 monografij. Nekotorie monografii perevedeni i izdani za rubezhom.