Filologija, No. 13, 1985.
Original scientific paper
THE FOUNDATIONS AND WAYS OF GAJ'S ORTHOGRAPHIC REFORM
Josip Vončina
Abstract
Ljudevit Gaj did not reform Orthography in its entirety, but its base and the Latin orthographic system. The first draft of reform ('Kratka osnova' 1830) was recalled by Gaj's article 'Pravopisz' (1835), which offered the Latin alphabet as we know it today (with some modifications). It was the result of a compromise between Gaj and Babukić (more exactly between the radical letter changes, taken over from the Czech alphabet, and the Slavonian orthographic tradition -digraphs 'dj', 'gj', 'lj', 'nj' and later 'dž'). In order for the new orthographic system to prevail it had to be efficiently promoted (especially by the magazine “Danica”). Secondly a number of other reform drafts would have to be withstood, of which two in particular are important: those which were presented by Šime Ljubić and Ignjat Alojzije Brlić. Gaj's reform prevailed and was already accepted by the Slovenians in 1838 and later by all Southern Slavs (those using the Latin alphabet). Once the reform was accepted, the Illyrians did not only use the new lettering system to write new texts but also to transcribe the entire Croatian literary inheritance. Thus, (with a suitable literary language choice: the acceptance of the jekavian štokavian dialect as the only expressive means of all Croatian literature) the hundred year old 'membra disiecta' again became a complete whole.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
173130
URI
Publication date:
24.6.1985.
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