ENThe processes of destandardization that have been taking place within the standard European languages are stirring an increasing amount of interest in the development of standard languages and their norms that we have not seen before. Any efforts to scrutinize the effects that the codification of standard language norms has on these developments turn the spotlight on language guides: specialist dictionarytype publications offering tips and guidance to the users of the standard language. The article introduces three main standard Lithuanian language guides that appeared at different times: “Kalbos Patarėjas” (“The Language Advisor”, 1939), “Kalbos Praktikos Patarimai” (“Practical Language Tips”, 1976, 1985), and “Kalbos Patarimai” (“Language Tips”, 2002–2013), dealing with the guidance featured in these publications, as well as their structural elements. The key elements of language guidance are those of designation, evaluation, and reference. The element of designation specifies the language phenomenon, its type as often as not, and sometimes its origin, meaning, and function as well. The element of evaluation highlights the degree of evaluation (the relationship between the phenomenon and the codified standard language norm), while the element of reference refers to one or more equivalents and often some corrections of usage-related examples. The guidance can also have an element of substantiation, which explains why the phenomenon in question cannot be part of the standard language and indicates, when necessary, instances where it can be used as a norm.The article highlights the structural differences of different levels of language guidance. The guidance of the language guides is compared with free-form language recommendations featured in other publications. The study refers to the online database of “Kalbos Patarimai” (eKP, in: ekalba.lt) and foreign studies of language guides. Keywords: standard language, codification, language norms, language guide, language advice. [From the publication]