The article deals with the role of the contemporary Bulgarian linguist in the complex processes of codification of literary-linguistic norms. The text is linked to the 75th anniversary of the eminent Bulgarian linguist Prof. Vladko Murdarov. The object of the analytical observations in the text are problems related to the codification of literary-language norms, to the curricula and textbooks on Bulgarian language in secondary school; to the notion of language policy, as well as to the issues of the public image of the Bulgarian language in the media space. A brief overview is given of important historical processes that have shaped the development of the Bulgarian language and its science. The author summarizes the important features that every contemporary linguist should possess - depth of linguistic knowledge in synchronous and diachronic terms, a sense of the dynamics of linguistic processes in order to be able to objectively reflect the complex processes of language development, linking them to the complex and dynamic processes of social development.