If we are to understand Prague School Functionalism in the sense of the first paragraph of the Theses presented by the Prague Linguistic Circle to the First Congress of Slavists held in Prague in 1929, teleology becomes a single-word synonym for the dynamic functional structure 'means-aim/purpose/function'. In such a case, it not necessary to view it as one of the basic concepts of the Prague School. However, if we are to understand the issue such that language is above all an immanent structure which is intentionally 'aware' of its movement toward goals, then teleology is one of the basic concepts of the Prague School. The first case represents a question of the relationships 'means-aim/purpose/function', while in the second it is entirely appropriate to speak of goals.
In this talk, the author applies the tenets of the Prague School concerning the emergence of literary language to the oeuvre of Ferenc Faludi (1704-1779). With a detailed discussion of his 'A book of notes', he tries to support the claim that Faludi was, above all, a stylistic innovator. In particular, he investigates the way two specific features of literary language that the Prague School emphasized occur in Faludi's work: a) the polifunctionalism of linguistic tools and hence their higher level of differentiation, and b) intellectuality, i.e., the elaboration of - mainly lexical and syntactic - tools that make language capable of representing higher levels of abstraction and accurately expressing the logical process of thinking, including its complexity. With respect to polifunctionalism, the author claims that Faludi was interested in the whole of language; however, his main aim was to polish Hungarian and to deliberately increase its stylistic power. He renewed the literary form of 'song', and experimented with a number of literary genres. But his most important contribution to literary style (and Hungarian in general) was the introduction of linguistic-stylistic tools for a range of various stylistic shades. All that was also served by his activities as a translator. He also contributed to the intellectuality of literary language, the increase of means of expression of higher-level thinking in several ways (word formation, compounding, preverb-verb combinations, reduplication, proverbs, specialized terms, attributive constructions, etc.). Briefly: he was a bold word selector and word creator: a stylistic innovator.
The paper deals with the relationship between the Prague School and the “empirical functionalists”, or “Greenbergians”, i.e. linguists such as Talmy Givón, William Croft, Bernard Comrie, Martin Haspelmath or Joan Bybee. Common concepts are pointed out, primarily those elaborated by Josef Vachek (synchronic dynamism, interaction of language levels, interplay of external and internal factors in the shaping of language). Further, aspects are mentioned in which these current trends can enrich each other: e.g., a broad empirical basis, the methodology of explicative comparison of languages, grammaticalization and iconicity offered by empirical functionalism; on the other hand, the methodology of detailed holistic description of individual languages, questions of language cultivation, topics leading beyond linguistics, etc, provided by the Prague School. Finally, work to make classical Praguean texts accessible is urgently needed.
The word 'meaning' appears often in the work of Jan Mukarovsky. He does not, however, define this concept explicitly; thus we must deduce its content retrospectively, based on individual instances of its use. We then encounter a surprising ambiguity manifested even within a single text in literature studies. That is, when Mukarovsky describes the structure of a literary work, he refers to its three basic components: sound, meaning and theme. 'Meaning' is thus associated explicitly with merely one particular aspect of the text. But Mukarovsky then goes on to say that thematic elements (motifs) operate as bearers of meaning in literary texts, and even that meaning should be understood as the 'common denominator' of all components. Meaning in a strictly linguistic sense is thus rivaled by meaning of artistic form - i.e. the entire aesthetic effect in which the equivalent of the 'meaning-aesthetic object' can be found. This 'meaning-aesthetic object', discussed in Mukarovsky's works on aesthetics, is at the same time characteristically presented as the fluctuating component of the work; with respect to the recipient as a historical variable, the Prague School preconceives the issue of the fluctuating identity of a work and several methodological principles of reception aesthetics.
A great many of the critical receptions and studies of Felix Vodička’s work as well as many of his students and followers concur in the lasting inspirational value of his heritage. In my paper I focus on tracing the impact of Vodička’s work both at home and abroad and on the recapitulation of the crucial literary theoretical and historical concepts informing Vodička’s work which literary critics and theoreticians still find thought-provoking. In the first part I deal with the most important studies, conferences and proceedings devoted to Vodička’s work; in the second part I elaborate on the three main principles of his structural theory (the development of literary structure, the history of the impact of literary works and structural thematics) which have been adopted by other scholars (H. R. Jauss, W. Iser, L. Doležel) in their works.
The cult of the thing forced itself into the spotlight in the avant-garde through all possible routes, including the denotation of the text genre as a thing. In particular, this was how the Russian avant-garde and Russian literary criticism proclaimed their renunciation of the high, ecstatic concept of art. But the roots of the prolific methods of Russian formalism and Czech structuralism were simultaneously being found in Husserl's phenomenology. In the Czech modernist tradition, the general aesthetic concept of the work-thing as one of the most important vantage points of a work of art was more effective than the thing-genre, and it has remained meaningful even up to now. In Jan Mukarovsky's aesthetics, the concept of the work-thing underwent a radical transformation, whose results are an extraordinary contribution to the study of aesthetics. Parallel to the change in the conception of the work-thing, the strengthening of the accent on the thing-related nature of the poetic word also occurred in Mukarovsky's works on poetic expression, which again created a common denominator with his writings on the work-thing. Some of Mukarovsky's thoughts on the 'work-thing - work-sign - aesthetic object - artifact' are part of his envisioning of numerous new ideas in aesthetics internationally.
ACzech literary theory and historiography face a task similar to that of Holenstein's uncovering of the link between Jakobson's linguistics and Husserl's phenomenology. Ties between the structuralism of Prague School literary theory and Husserl's phenomenology can be detected in the work of Jan Mukarovsky. They are suggested by the notions of reduction and essentiality; by transparency as well as by the opacity of the avant-garde poetry which accompanied Russian formalism and Czech structuralism; by the apsychologism that is common to phenomenology, structuralism and the avantgarde. The question as to whether the principal phenomenological value, i.e. transcendental subject, was reflected in avant-garde poetry can be answered only on the basis of a demanding and non-traditional analysis of its utmost achievements. On the other hand, the cult of things in avant-garde poetry is highly conspicuous: within it is a glimpse of one of many meanings of the 'things themselves' persistent in the phenomenology of Husserl and Heidegger.
The linguistic typology is a method of classification, description and comparison of languages which is primarily used in synchronic study of languages. Since the first half of the 20th century Skalička had been gradually developing his typology therefore Skalička himself expected to develop and specify it even further. Until this day, his typology is still being developed and topical. For modern Spanish, Skalička's typology, which linguists in Spanish-speaking countries know only marginally, though, is a valid theory; for example, with regard to the development of Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish and the growing differences between them. Although typology is essentially of synchronic character, i.e., it studies language at a given point in time and does not deal with the historical explanation of this situation, this study draws attention to the fact that Skalička’s typology is applicable to diachronic linguistics which studies a language over a period of time. With regard to linguistic typology of Vladimír Skalička the study deals with typological description of selected substantive and adjective forms, explores their development from Latin to Spanish and evaluates their typological modification. In the development of each language there is an evolution from one type to another. Classical Latin is a language with flexional dominance in declension system whereas Vulgar Latin has isolating tendencies. Finally, in Spanish there is a combination of isolating and agglutinating features.
The Prague linguistic circle was one of the most important linguistic schools of the 20th century. Members of the circle elaborated many linguistic theories. One of the theories was typology of language formed by Vladimír Skalička. The theory of linguistic typology serves for classification, description and comparison of whole languages or parts of language system and it can be used from synchronic or diachronic aspect. This study deals with typological description of isolating features in classical Latin. The classical Latin is a language with flexional dominance but there are also some isolating features. In addition the study refers to spectrum of possibilities of typological application.
The aim of this contribution is to present the development of language planning from the perspective of the central current of western sociolinguistics, i.e. sociolinguistics from the Anglo-American world, in which the concept of language planning was born (as surprising as this statement may be for researchers from post-communist countries). Following Neustupny (2006), the author distinguishes between four historical types of language planning: 'pre-modern', 'early modern', 'modern' and 'post-modern'. More or less developed theories of language planning are also characteristic for these types. Language planning as an academic discipline has existed for about fifty years and at least two periods can be distinguished within it: 'classic language planning' of the 1960s and 1970s, oriented above all toward the modernization of so-called third world countries, and the newer 'cology paradigm', emerging from the critique of the previous period and supporting the plurality and diversity of languages in the spirit of postmodernism. He devotes particular attention to the 'Reversing Language Shift' model (Fishman, 1991), the 'Catherine Wheel' model (Strubell, 1999) and Language Management Theory (Jernudd -Neustupny, 1987). The last of these theories places language planning in a broader communicative and sociocultural context than the previous theories of language planning, and it can be expected that, due to its constructive features, its significance will grow.
This paper outlines the basics of the Prague School concept of language cultivation and main features of how it has been put into practice in the Czech Republic, and compares this approach with current language planning in Sweden. The paper aims at (1) placing the Prague School concept of language cultivation within the framework of international sociolinguistics, (2) pointing out that this concept contributes only partially to solving the language problems of contemporary societies, (3) outlining the possibilities of language cultivation in the post-modern era, while paying attention to language standardization, de-standardization and management. The author argues that the access of the Czech Republic to the EU will change the language situation of the country including the focus of and attitudes toward language planning.
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