The class will focus on commented reading of selected texts from the field of linguistics. These will in turn serve for demonstration and interpretation of Czech linguistic thought. Topics contained in the Czech linguistic periodicals and linguistic monographs of mainly the 20th century will be discussed in depth. Topics of individual classes depend on the direction discussions of reading take, as students are free to choose their own topics. Proposed topics serve as guidelines only, striving to match each stage of development of Czech linguistics to modern directions of linguistic research in the given period, so as to capture the strongest trends in scientific shaping of Czech linguistics. From the standpoint of history of linguistics stress will be put on conceptual development, whereas there will nevertheless also be focus on external history (political, institutional, interpersonal context, etc.). The class raises the topic of Czech scientific linguistic thought, evaluates representative books on grammar from the 19th century a uses them to shed light on the historical-comparative method, discusses in detail the work of J. Gebauer a its context (Rieger's dictionary, manuscript debates, international contacts, teacher M. Hattala, education, students, etc.), as well as Czech linguistic environment at the time of creation of Czechoslovakia. Furthermore, the class will provide and introduction to Czech structuralism, its basic theoretical questions, conceptual foundations and working outlooks, seminal texts and reactions to them, focusing on Prague Linguistic Circle's engagement in the language culture affair of 1932/3. Personalities of the Circle will be introduced, as well as their works and reception thereof by later and present day linguists. Furthermore, attention will be given to critique of structuralism in the post-war period, the Marrism affair and discussion of Stalin's articles on linguistics. Regarding the 1960s, the class will shift its focus to currents leaning towards mathematics, to information theory in linguistics, its applications, and to related scientific hypotheses. Attention will also be given to development of quantitative linguistics up to the present day. The course will discuss issues such as semantics and syntax the way they were reflected in the 1960s and 1970, including among other things the reception of generativism by Czech structuralism (two-level valence syntax, functional generative description), development of theory of morphology (word class theory, types of morphological descriptions - M. Komárek, etc.) ? with detailed insight into prominent characters and their works that influenced the concept of the so-called academic grammar. The course will provide a basic outline of development of Czech phonetics and phonology, including their methods and disputes that experts engaged in in the given periods. The condition of Czech diachronic linguistics after the period of early structuralism will be commented upon, as will be the concepts of interpretation of causes of language development and descriptions of the history of Czech language. The following course blocks will then be dedicated to e.g. development of processual modelling of speech prerequisites, Czech philosophy of language Czech text, cognitive, corpus linguistics, etc. (with respective historical backgrounds or the initial context of the given discipline's being established in our territory explained), discussion of Common Czech and the language standard after 2004, etc.
Knowledge of history of modern Czech linguistics
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Černý, J. (1996). Dějiny lingvistiky. Olomouc: Votobia.
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Helbig, G. (1991). Vývoj jazykovědy po roce 1970. Praha.
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Mathesius, V. (1982). Jazyk, kultura a slovesnost. Praha: Odeon.
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Pleskalová et al. (2007). Kapitoly z dějin české jazykovědné bohemistiky. Praha.
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Vachek, J. (ed.). (1972). Z klasického období pražské školy 1925 -1945. Praha.
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