Early Slovene Pioneers of Comparative Slavonic Philology

Leeming, Henry

Publication

Early Slovene Pioneers of Comparative Slavonic Philology

Leeming, Henry

Abstract

SLOVENE: Žiga Popovič (1705—1774) je bil vsestranski učenjak in nenavadno nadarjen jezikoslovec. Eno težišč njegovega zanimanja je bilo primerjalno slovansko jezikoslovje, njegova neizpolnjena želja pa izdelati popoln pregled slovanskih narečij od Jadranskega do Črnega morja. Zagovarjal je pomembnost slovanskega dokaznega gradiva pri primerjalnih in zgodovinskih študijah: v grščini pozabljena beseda je utegnila preživeti v slovanščini. To načelo je upravičeno, vendar so navedeni primeri delno dvomljivi. Popovič je zbiral gradivo za slovenski etimološki slovar in pri tem mimogrede uporabil nove črkovne znake, kar je privedlo do črkopisne reforme. Čeprav ga je včasih zavedlo tradicionalno izvajanje grščine iz hebrejščine, se je izkazal za sposobnega uporabiti jasna etimološka načela. Zaradi sklicevanja na glasovno podobnost in dopuščanja več različnih rešitev je večina etimoloških podatkov v Glossarium Slavicum Marka Pohlina (1735—1801) napačna, čeprav ne nezanimiva, predvsem zaradi njegovih razumskih in celo moralizirujočih teženj. Veliki učitelj sam priznava, da je v etimologiji šibek. ENGLISH: Žiga Popovič (1705—1774) was a dedicated polymath and unusually gifted linguist, with a particular interest in comparative Slavonic philology, and an unfulfilled ambition to make a complete survey od Slavonic dialects from the Adriatic to the Black Sea. He insisted on the importance for comparative and historical studies of the Slavonic evidence: a word, lost in Greek, might survive in Slavonic. The principle is sound, although the examples offered may be suspect. Popovič gathered materials for an etymological dictionary of Slovene, incidentally employing new characters in what amounted to a reform of the alphabet. Although occasionally misled into traditional derivations from Greek of Hebrew, he showed himself capable of applying sound etymological principles. Suggested by phonetic resemblance and tolerant of multiple solutions, much of the etymological information in Marko Pohlin’s (1735—1801) Glossarium Slavicum is invalid, though not without interest for its rationalising and even moralising tendencies. The great pedagogue himself admits his shortcomings as an etymologist.