Professional paper
https://doi.org/10.17234/Croatica.42.5
The Social Role of Linguists: the Power of Ivo Pranjković’s Arguments
Vesna Požgaj Hadži
; Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Tatjana Balažic Bulc
orcid.org/0000-0003-2731-9399
; Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
This paper discusses the social role of linguists in the turbulent 1990s in Croatia, when the language policy makers holding positions of power tried to develop, in different ways, the awareness of language as a national symbol which they used to strengthen Croatian linguistic identity. At that time the Croatian standard language was marked with different forms of language-engineering at all language levels, especially at the lexical and orthographic levels. The polemic texts written by Ivo Pranjković are in this paper observed as clear examples of how to fight publicly and of how to react to linguistic violence and various delicate and politically-labelled issues of language. The paper further investigates Pranjković’s attitudes towards: (a) the scientific truth, (b) the profession, i.e. Croatian linguistics, and (c) the Croatian standard language in the 1990s (the relationship between Croatian and Serbian, the problem of Serbian words in Croatian language, the dictionaries of differences between the two languages, the normative and paranormative issues, i.e. different innovations, especially at the lexical level, etc.). It is concluded that there are no contradictions and/or oscillations in Pranjković’s opinions. As an engaging and proactive linguist, he clearly and unquestionably defends the autonomy of language and profession.
Keywords
Ivo Pranjković; Croatian language; language policy; language engineering; lexis
Hrčak ID:
206742
URI
Publication date:
30.10.2018.
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