A missing chain? On the sociolinguistics of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania Cover Image

A missing chain? On the sociolinguistics of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
A missing chain? On the sociolinguistics of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

Author(s): Andrii Danylenko
Subject(s): Sociolinguistics, Eastern Slavic Languages
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Grand Duchy of Lithuania; multilingualism; language contact; speech community; Ruthenian; Belarusian; Ukrainian;

Summary/Abstract: The article critically assesses the theory of communicative networks and its applicability in the study of multilingualism as found in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). The author analyzes foundations for postulating the existence of a speech community in the GDL and adduces counterarguments against viewing this community as a linguistic alliance of the Balkan type. The article offers new sociolinguistic and areal-typological methods of the study of language contacts. The author substantiates a systematic approach toward the problem of the ethnic attribution of Ruthenian. Based on the literary, linguistic, and cultural parameters, the author offers to drop the term ‘Old (Middle) Belarusian’ or ‘Old (Middle) Ukrainian’ in reference to this language.

  • Issue Year: 2017
  • Issue No: 41
  • Page Range: 31-57
  • Page Count: 27
  • Language: English