Transfer of the Falling Accent on the Proclitic (Is it correct to say ‘Radim ù škōli’ or ‘Radim u škȏli’?) Cover Image

Prenošenje silaznoga naglaska na prednaglasnicu. Je li ispravno Radim ù škōli. ili Radim u škȏli.?
Transfer of the Falling Accent on the Proclitic (Is it correct to say ‘Radim ù škōli’ or ‘Radim u škȏli’?)

Author(s): Mate Milas
Subject(s): Theoretical Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, South Slavic Languages, Philology
Published by: Hrvatsko filološko društvo
Keywords: Transfer of the Falling Accent; Proclitic; Croatian language; Philology; Linguistics;

Summary/Abstract: In one of the professional meetings of teachers of the Croatian language in the Novi Zagreb area, one of the colleagues complained that her pupils and their parents protested against her pronunciation because she transfers the accent on the proclitic (e.g. ȕ grād, ù škōli, nà ploči). They said that this was Bosnian pronunciation (the colleagues domiciliary speech, however, is that of the Sinj region). The Grammar of the Croatian Language by S. Težak and S. Babić, which is undoubtedly the most influential grammar in language tuition, clearly prescribes the transfer of the falling accent onto the proclitic and the teacher can invoke this scientific argument, even more so because a similar description is found in almost all modern Croatian grammars. Should, therefore, the said objections coming from non-experts be simply rejected by referring to the normative rule, or should more attention be paid to the actual language perception of the recipients of the standard language?

  • Issue Year: 61/2014
  • Issue No: 4-5
  • Page Range: 131-139
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Croatian