Page 69 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(1) (2023)
P. 69
ia universitatisfeatures could be, for instance, the formation of and grammar of the languages in a given conver-
the preposed definite and indefinite articles (cf. gence area, it must be taken into account wheth-
centr al european con vergence ar ea: theor etical and methodological consider ations 69 the title of one of the first Slovenian books Ena er a given linguistic feature occurs in all the di-
molitov tih kerszhenikou (Vergerij and Trubar alects of a given linguistic area or just in the
1555), literally ‘one prayer of the Christians’, literary/standard language (Hammel 2020, 23).
where the cardinal numeral ena is used as an in- In Slovenian, for example, ancient German loan-
definite article, while the demonstrative tih func- words occur across the entire linguistic area, in-
tions as a definite article (Orožen 1972; Trove- cluding those dialects that are/were in contact
si 2004; Bayer 2006; Bažec 2012)), peculiarities with other neighbouring languages and their di-
of word order (infinitive clauses in literary Slove- alects (Slovenian borders on the Romance lan-
nian of the second half of the 19th century, fol- guages, i.e. Friulian and Italian (specifically its
lowing the model of the German zu-infinitive), Colonial Venetian dialects), in the west, and on
the occurrence of preverbs with spatial mean- the Hungarian in the east); cf. the older loan-
ing (cf. the Klagenfurt/Celovec or Rateče Man- words from German in the dialect of Rezija/Re-
uscript from the 2nd half of the 14th century: 3sg sia in the west, and in the Prekmurje dialect in
aor. gori wstaa (III 6–7) = gori vsta, i.e. gori vsta- the Porabje/Rábavidék region in the east: Mid-
ti, ‘to rise’, a calque following the German model dle High German vlasche → dial. Slovenian fláša,
auferstehen), typologically similar word-forma- ‘bottle’, Rezija flaša, ‘bottle’, Porabje flájša, ‘flask’
tion patterns (Slavic *-ar- → *-ar-ьstvo, German (Šekli 2022). However, in the Central European
-er → -er-ei, and Hungarian -ász/-ész → -ász-at/ languages the already mentioned word-forma-
-ész-et: sl. *ryba → *rybaŕь → *rybarьstvo > Slove- tional pattern of the type Slovenian riba → ribar
nian riba, ‘fish’ → ribar, ‘fisher’ → ribarstvo, ‘fish- → ribarstvo is characteristic of literary languag-
ing’ = German Fisch → Fischer → Fischerei = Hun- es rather than the dialects, since such derivatives
garian hal → halász → halászat) (Šekli 2021). are typical literary formations (with abstract
meaning) pertaining to a learned culture.
The diachronic perspective. In Kurzová (1996
and 2019), the historical-linguistic aspect is al- Conclusion
most completely neglected. For example, one Seen from the vantage point of the theory and
of the salient features of the Central European methodology of historical linguistics, the defi-
convergence area is allegedly a simple three-tense nition of the Central European convergence area
verb system (i.e. past–present–future) without as presented by Helena Kurzová in her 1996 and
any formal and semantic (functional) distinc- 2019 works is problematic and should be sani-
tion between the different past tense forms. A tized. Methodologically justifiable objectives in
question arises whether there is a connection be- the investigation of the convergence phenome-
tween the loss of the preterite and its replace- na in the Central European linguistic area are,
ment by the perfect in Upper/South German di- in fact, as follows: 1) A convergence area is not
alects (German Oberdeutsch or Süddeutsch) on only a geographically but also a chronologically
the one hand and the loss of the aorist and the clearly delimited phenomenon; 2) The languag-
imperfect and their replacement by the perfect es of the Central European linguistic area were
in the Slavic languages in contact with Upper shaped in the context of multilingual political
High German on the other (Hammel 2020, 28). and cultural/historical regions whose centres
This question can only be answered by a careful were under the sway of German, first and fore-
linguistic analysis of the linguistic material in a most within the German Empire and its con-
diachronic perspective. tinuations till the end of the First World War;
3) German exerted linguistic influence on the
The geolectal and sociolectal perspectives. neighbouring languages, i.e. the so-called Cen-
When describing and explaining the origins of
common linguistic features in the vocabulary
the preposed definite and indefinite articles (cf. gence area, it must be taken into account wheth-
centr al european con vergence ar ea: theor etical and methodological consider ations 69 the title of one of the first Slovenian books Ena er a given linguistic feature occurs in all the di-
molitov tih kerszhenikou (Vergerij and Trubar alects of a given linguistic area or just in the
1555), literally ‘one prayer of the Christians’, literary/standard language (Hammel 2020, 23).
where the cardinal numeral ena is used as an in- In Slovenian, for example, ancient German loan-
definite article, while the demonstrative tih func- words occur across the entire linguistic area, in-
tions as a definite article (Orožen 1972; Trove- cluding those dialects that are/were in contact
si 2004; Bayer 2006; Bažec 2012)), peculiarities with other neighbouring languages and their di-
of word order (infinitive clauses in literary Slove- alects (Slovenian borders on the Romance lan-
nian of the second half of the 19th century, fol- guages, i.e. Friulian and Italian (specifically its
lowing the model of the German zu-infinitive), Colonial Venetian dialects), in the west, and on
the occurrence of preverbs with spatial mean- the Hungarian in the east); cf. the older loan-
ing (cf. the Klagenfurt/Celovec or Rateče Man- words from German in the dialect of Rezija/Re-
uscript from the 2nd half of the 14th century: 3sg sia in the west, and in the Prekmurje dialect in
aor. gori wstaa (III 6–7) = gori vsta, i.e. gori vsta- the Porabje/Rábavidék region in the east: Mid-
ti, ‘to rise’, a calque following the German model dle High German vlasche → dial. Slovenian fláša,
auferstehen), typologically similar word-forma- ‘bottle’, Rezija flaša, ‘bottle’, Porabje flájša, ‘flask’
tion patterns (Slavic *-ar- → *-ar-ьstvo, German (Šekli 2022). However, in the Central European
-er → -er-ei, and Hungarian -ász/-ész → -ász-at/ languages the already mentioned word-forma-
-ész-et: sl. *ryba → *rybaŕь → *rybarьstvo > Slove- tional pattern of the type Slovenian riba → ribar
nian riba, ‘fish’ → ribar, ‘fisher’ → ribarstvo, ‘fish- → ribarstvo is characteristic of literary languag-
ing’ = German Fisch → Fischer → Fischerei = Hun- es rather than the dialects, since such derivatives
garian hal → halász → halászat) (Šekli 2021). are typical literary formations (with abstract
meaning) pertaining to a learned culture.
The diachronic perspective. In Kurzová (1996
and 2019), the historical-linguistic aspect is al- Conclusion
most completely neglected. For example, one Seen from the vantage point of the theory and
of the salient features of the Central European methodology of historical linguistics, the defi-
convergence area is allegedly a simple three-tense nition of the Central European convergence area
verb system (i.e. past–present–future) without as presented by Helena Kurzová in her 1996 and
any formal and semantic (functional) distinc- 2019 works is problematic and should be sani-
tion between the different past tense forms. A tized. Methodologically justifiable objectives in
question arises whether there is a connection be- the investigation of the convergence phenome-
tween the loss of the preterite and its replace- na in the Central European linguistic area are,
ment by the perfect in Upper/South German di- in fact, as follows: 1) A convergence area is not
alects (German Oberdeutsch or Süddeutsch) on only a geographically but also a chronologically
the one hand and the loss of the aorist and the clearly delimited phenomenon; 2) The languag-
imperfect and their replacement by the perfect es of the Central European linguistic area were
in the Slavic languages in contact with Upper shaped in the context of multilingual political
High German on the other (Hammel 2020, 28). and cultural/historical regions whose centres
This question can only be answered by a careful were under the sway of German, first and fore-
linguistic analysis of the linguistic material in a most within the German Empire and its con-
diachronic perspective. tinuations till the end of the First World War;
3) German exerted linguistic influence on the
The geolectal and sociolectal perspectives. neighbouring languages, i.e. the so-called Cen-
When describing and explaining the origins of
common linguistic features in the vocabulary
