Modern Serbo-Croatian features an extensive system of clitics, with an inventory featuring pronominal, verbal, and reflexive clitics. These clitics occur in second position, and display clustering...Show moreModern Serbo-Croatian features an extensive system of clitics, with an inventory featuring pronominal, verbal, and reflexive clitics. These clitics occur in second position, and display clustering behavior in which multiple clitics in an utterance cluster together in second position, in a specific order. The Serbo-Croatian clitic system has been studied, synchronically and diachronically, by syntacticians, but comparative study of its history is lacking. In this work, the comparative method is applied to dialectal variations in realization of the clitic chain in Štokavian to unearth the history of the clitic chain in Serbo-Croatian. The findings are compared to the clitic systems of Old Church Slavonic and (historical) Bulgarian to reconstruct a historical Serbo-Croatian system that would have existed in approximately the 9th century AD. Though specific forms are addressed, this investigation’s primary focus is on the realization of the clitic cluster as whole rather than the etymologies of individual pronominal forms. As such, areas of interest addressed in this work include the place of occurrence of the clitic cluster and the order of clitics within the clitic cluster, including the unique placements of 3Sg. present verbal clitic je and reflexive clitic se. Among other findings, one of the central conclusions of this work is that the modern Serbo-Croatian clitic order largely reflects the one found in Old Church Slavonic, with key differences. These include the innovative genitival pronominal clitics, as well as cluster-final occurrence of reflexive se and 3Sg. verbal clitic je. The occurrence of the ancient reflexive clitic se near the rightmost end of the Serbo-Croatian cluster results from attraction of this clitic to the verb. Conversely, 3Sg. verbal clitic je, which occurs at the end of the Serbo-Croatian clitic cluster, reflects a late date of cliticization, owed to the occurrence of nominal sentences in Slavic. Another key conclusion is that the second position placement of the cluster is archaic but coexisted with other placement systems over the history of Serbo-Croatian.Show less
In 2004, an excavation of a tumulus in Rembeç, Albania, uncovered several small metal finds. The finds mainly consist of earrings, rings, buckles, beads and knives, which are generally dated...Show moreIn 2004, an excavation of a tumulus in Rembeç, Albania, uncovered several small metal finds. The finds mainly consist of earrings, rings, buckles, beads and knives, which are generally dated between the 7th and 9th century based on the ceramic goods from the same archaeological context. By comparing these metal items to other similar finds from the southern Balkan and Greece, I have determined that the finds likely hold a Slavic connection. The earrings are similar to earrings found in Croatia, Bulgaria and along the Pindus mountains, reaching into southern Albania and Greece. One ring type found at Rembeç is similar to a set of rings from a female grave from the Slavic cemetery in Argolis, Greece, but the ring type was also found in Central European female Slavic graves. What makes the locations of the items similar to Rembeç’s metal finds so interesting, is that they all in some manner relate to the movement of Slavic groups. The Slavs had close connections with the Avars who moved into Croatia, and the Bulgars. These connections may have led to the development of a similar jewellery style which the Slavs then spread during their migration into Albania and Greece. Specifically the finds along the Pinuds mountains and in Argolis illustrate how Slavic groups may have moved along the mountain range, reaching locations like Rembeç, Rehova and Përmet in Albania, but also Evrytania, Phtiotis and Argolis in Greece. Here, they may have either settled, or traded the Slavic earrings with local populations. My research concerns itself with the concept of “identity creation”, which can be illustrated by the spread of these finds. Slavic influence at Rembeç is highly likely, but this does not have to include a permanent Slavic presence. It can also illustrate how those who used these items placed a certain value on these items, using them to communicate their sense of “self” to those around them. These people buried at Rembeç used these “Slavic” items to construct their identity, and in doing so they became an intrinsic part of their outward presentation that they were included as grave goods after their deaths.Show less
In this thesis, I will study the structure of two constructed Slavic interlanguages from different eras : Ruski Jezik, created by Juraj Križanić in the middle of the 17th century, and Interslavic,...Show moreIn this thesis, I will study the structure of two constructed Slavic interlanguages from different eras : Ruski Jezik, created by Juraj Križanić in the middle of the 17th century, and Interslavic, a contemporary project led by Vojtěch Merunka. I will discuss the different solutions they offer to tackle the issues of mutual intelligibility amongst the native speakers of Slavic languages. In part one, I will examine the factors of mutual intelligibility and different approaches to Slavic mutual intelligibility. In part two, I will review the common and divergent features of Slavic languages in different areas, and analyse the grammars of both interlanguages in order to discuss the solutions they bring to issues in mutual intelligibility.Show less
The Dialect of Vlasotince is a Torlak variety of South Slavic spoken in and around the small town of Vlasotince in southern Serbia, between Kosovo (KiM) and Bulgaria. This grammar sketch aims to...Show moreThe Dialect of Vlasotince is a Torlak variety of South Slavic spoken in and around the small town of Vlasotince in southern Serbia, between Kosovo (KiM) and Bulgaria. This grammar sketch aims to provide a succinct description of its phonology, morphology and select syntactic features as currently used by the inhabitants of Vlasotince, supplemented with a small number of texts to illustrate its use in practice. Due to Vlasotince’s considerable growth since the end of WWII (Vukmirović 2013: 106) and the proliferation of media and schooling in the standard language, what is most commonly heard on the street nowadays is a variety with stronger influence from the standard language than is usually found in the works on Torlak dialectology from the past century, yet one that clearly retains much of its distinctive character. It is this contemporary, commonly used register, sprinkled with influences from the standard, that I have tried to describe here. It should serve as a representative snapshot of the way people from Vlasotince speak amongst themselves today.Show less
