Original scientific paper
Variation and norm in Croatian Church Slavonic
Andrew R. Corin
Abstract
On the basis of A. Issatschenko's definition of "literary language" and P. Rehder's recent explication of that definition with the reference to medieval Croatia, the author concludes that Croatian Chruch Slavonic (CCS), neither by itself nor as part of a functional unity including also the čakavian dialect, texts composed in that dialect, and mixed čakavian-CCS text, could be characterized as a literary language. Medieval Croatian literacy was based on the coexistence of two independent sociolinguistic systems. One was the "Latinic complex", based on Latin-Čakavian bilingualism. Its most visible characteristics were the Latinic script and Latin liturgy. The second was the "Glagolitic complex", based on CCS-čakavian diglossia. The most visible features of this complex were the Glagolitic script and Slavonic liturgy. Croatian diglossia was probably of the type which the High and Low variants represent not only a functional, but also a linguistic unity. In the absence of explicit codification (grammatical-orthographical manuals and/or polemics concerning the linguistic norm), the norm was established and maintained through the example of the most authoritative texts. In such a situation, one genre (or group of genres) had to be set apart as an exemplary genre, in which infiltration of non-normative elements was not allowed. Stylistically motivated deviation from the norm in other genres would be conditioned by the establishment and documentation of the norm in the exemplary genre. The author suggests as a working hypothesis that the exemplary genre of CCS consisted of the biblical lections (i. e. lectionary) of the missal.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
14876
URI
Publication date:
30.9.1993.
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