Course Information

The Slavonic Languages

N.B. This page only introduces you to the paper. Click here for the full reading list.

There are two approaches to the study of the history of a language. One can analyse the internal changes of the language system or the external socio-cultural factors which determine the functioning of language in society. In this paper we will take account of both approaches. We will analyse the sound and grammatical structure - the phonology and morphology - of the oldest Slavonic literary language (Old Church Slavonic) and read texts written in this language. We will trace the development of the Slavonic languages from Common Slavonic, including the development of lesser-used Slavonic languages. We will also address the historical, political and socio-cultural factors that have affected the development of the Slavonic languages.

The Syllabus

The course is divided into three main topics:

• a linguistic analysis of Old Church Slavonic, including the linguistic analysis of texts
• the phonological and morphological development of the Slavonic languages
• the external socio-cultural factors which determine the functioning of language in society. Topics included in the third part of this paper are:
  • the relationship between dialect versus language in the South Slavonic languages (e.g., Serbian versus Croatian or Bosnian)
  • areal linguistics, i.e., why in many ways Bulgarian and Macedonian resemble Modern Greek, Romanian and Albanian more than Serbian/Croatian or Slovene
  • diglossia in Czech.

The Examination

This paper is for part II students only. The paper is divided into two sections, and all Candidates must answer three questions: one question from Section A (linguistic textual analysis) and two questions from Section B (the topics). In contrast to previous years, in Section A of the exam students may have to translate one short unseen excerpt from Old Church Slavonic. They may also have to identify and comment on underlined forms in a number of seen and unseen excerpts.

Teaching

Lectures and supervisions form an integrated package which will give you a thorough grounding in the subject and prepare you for the examination. This means that you cannot make a success of this course by concentrating just on supervisions: regular attendance at lectures is vital. Students are strongly advised to take a look at an introductory textbook on linguistics and to read the chapters on phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax.