Devrim Dilbilim İlişkisi Ekseninde Nikolay Marr’ın Yafetik Teorisi
“Japhetic Theory” of Nikolai Marr as Part of the Relationship Between Revolution and Linguistics

Summary/Abstract: The October Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent foundation of the Soviet Union were accompanied by a radical paradigm shift in Russia. As the shift extended into all the spheres of life, it also inevitably affected science, in the general sense, and linguistics, in particular. To a great extent, this was an outcome of the linguistic policies pursued by Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. The adoption of a new regime and the trust invested in it require an emphasis on democratic properties. In this sense, Lenin invoked the nationalities policy which prioritized equality among both languages and peoples. What followed was the support to the languages of non-Russian peoples in the country, creation of alphabets for those who didn’t have one and promotion of education in native language. Joseph Stalin, however, regards with disfavour the emergence of national feelings due to such developments, and there arises a need to revise the language policy in force toward the late 1920s. At this point, Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr and, comprising Marxist elements, his Japhetic Linguistic Theory answer to the linguistic policy needs of the period. To gain popularity later as a movement called Marrism (марризм), the theory would leave its mark in the history of Soviet linguistics entailing significant discussions. This study examines the contents of the Japhetic Linguistic Theory of N. Marr and how it addressed the needs of the period and analyses its influence in linguistics.

• Details
• Contents