Grammatical Terminology of M. Smotrytsky in the Context of Ancient Ukrainian Linguistics

Iryna Yaroshevych

Information about the author: candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of Ukrainian Language and Literature Department, Kyiv National Economic University named after Vadym Hetman

e-mail: yaroshevych_ukr@ukr.net

Title: Grammatical Terminology of M. Smotrytsky in the Context of Ancient Ukrainian Linguistics

Rubric: Terminology of Linguistic and Related Sciences

Language: Ukrainian

Abstract: The article is devoted to the multidisciplinary examination of grammatical terminology in the “Grammar” by M. Smotrytsky, the 400th anniversary of the publication of which this year marks the scientific community of the Slavic world. The emphasis was placed on determining the role played by “Grammar” in the codification of the grammatical system of the Church Slavic language, which functioned in the ancient period in the Eastern Slavic lands and had a great influence on the formation of grammatical thought in Ukraine, contributed to the enrichment of grammatical theory through the introduction to scientific treatment of new linguistic concepts and the formation of Slavic linguistic theory.

In his work, M. Smotrytsky for the first time in Ukrainian linguistics systematically and fully outlined the principles of grammatical theory on the basis of engaging in a linguistic analysis of a specific traditional-book material of the Church Slavonic language with its successful combination with the elements of the Old Ukrainian language. The grammatist clearly distinguished the Church Slavonic language from the latter, and where it had specific grammatical features in the definition of concepts, consciously presented the linguistic, bringing the two languages closer together, striving for the book Church Slavonic to be understood by all who joined her study. Numerous deviations from the norms of the Church Slavonic language towards the living, native author of the Ukrainian language are traced not only in descriptive, but especially in the illustrative material of the monument.

1. Smotrytsky’s great volume of grammar was conceived as a textbook intended for teachers and students of schools, and therefore, along with his own scientific, he also set codification and teaching tasks, the coverage of which required a clear definition of linguistic concepts and their corresponding terminological expression.
2. Smotrytsky’s views on the theoretical issues of the grammatical structure of the Church Slavonic language and the processing of linguistic (in particular grammatical) terminology were formed primarily under the significant influence of ancient grammar, which already existed a ramified system of grammatical scientific concepts and corresponding terminology. An important role in the formation of scientific and methodological views and terminology activities of the scientist played well known at the time of the work of his predecessors.

Using the theoretical achievements of the Greek-Latin grammar, translated by Ukrainian linguists into the Slavic linguistic soil during the long period of development of the Ukrainian language, M. Smotrytsky set out to broaden the conceptual and terminological basis and thus sought to enrich the theory of grammar.

In interpreting the facts of the language, like his predecessors, M. Smotrytsky tried to depart from the ancient grammatical tradition that prevailed in the European linguistic theory at the time, since it somehow concealed his creative quest in the presentation of the theoretical part, in the definition of individual linguistic concepts and their classification and to a certain extent, limited the introduction of Slavic terms, giving preference to the traditional Greco-Latin.

Under the then grammatical tradition, M. Smotrytsky marked the four parts of the Grammar with terms borrowed from the Greek language: Орфографія, Етимологія, Сγнтаксис, Просодія.

The first part of Grammar – Орфографія – is devoted to the presentation of the features of spelling, accentology and the rules of the use of punctuation marks. With due respect to the established spelling traditions, M. Smotrytsky set out clear rules for the use of letters and their pronunciation (although in his work there was no distinction between letters and sounds) and for the first time in Ukrainian linguistics he spoke about orthoepy as part of phonetics.

The largest part is the Grammar, denoted by the term Етимологія. This term until the middle of the nineteenth century. and even in the early twentieth century. scientists denoted one of the main sections of grammar – morphology. In this part, the doctrine of the traditionally singled out eight parts of the language, in the composition of which M. Smotrytsky distinguished part of the language Междометіє (Іnterjectio), is described.

Due to the fact that in one article it is impossible to cover all the grammatical terms certified in the Grammar, only those that were first recorded in it or which M. Smotrytsky transposed from the grammar of his predecessors, having improved them, are involved in the analysis. In particular, this article analyzes the concepts and terms of two parts of the grammar, designated by the Greek terms Orthography and Etymology. In the part of the grammar Etymology (Мorphology) traced the discovery of concepts and terms for their designation of only the parts that are discarded in the chapters Имя and Глаголъ.

Thus, M. Smotrytsky proved by his work that the scientific work of the grammatists of ancient Ukrainian linguistics has not lost its significance to this time and plays an important role in further improving the conceptual system and the terminological expression of the concepts of grammar. The terminology of M. Smotrytsky is used in unchanged and refined form in many modern Slavic languages, which is an important proof of its scientific nature.

Keywords: Church-Slavic language, old Ukrainian language, grammar, term, grammatical terminology, grammatical category.

References

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