Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 454 pages of information about Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic.

Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 454 pages of information about Historical View of the Languages and Literature of the Slavic.

DICTIONARIES.—­ENGLISH.  Parenoga’s Lex.  Anglinsko-ross. and Russian-English Lexicon, 4 vols. 1808-17.  Zdanof’s Angl.-ross. and Russian-Engl, Dict.  St. Pet. 1784.  Constantinon’s Russian Grammar and Dict. 3 vols. 8vo.  Lond. A Russian-Engl. and Engl.-Russ.  Dict. 18mo.  Leipz.  Tauchn. 1846.—­GERMAN.  Heyne’s Russisch-Deutsch und Deutsch-Russ.  Woerterb, Riga 1795-98.  The same writer’s Russ.  Deutsch and Frauz.  Woerterb. in several forma and editions, Riga 1796 to 1812; also Moscow 1826; last improved edit.  Leipz.  Tauchn, 1844.  Oldekop’s Russ.-Deutsch und Deutsch-Russ.  Woerterb. St. Pet. 1825.  J.A.E.  Schmidt’s Russ.-Deutsch und Deutsch-Russ.  Woerterb.  Leipz.  Tauchn, 1841.  The same writer’s Poln.  Russ.  Deutsch.  Woerterb. 2 vols. 8vo.  Breslau 1834-6.—­FRENCH.  Tatishtchefs Nouveau Dict.  Franc.-Russe, etc. 2 vols. 8vo.  Moscow 1832.]

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CHAPTER II.

HISTORY OF THE ILLYRICO-SERVIAN LANGUAGE.

SECTION I.

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE OF THE ILLYRICO-SERVIANS PROPER.

The literature of the western Slavo-Servians has hitherto been altogether separated from that of their brethren of the oriental church, and treated as a distinct branch.[1] Their language, however, being essentially the same, we do not see why the rather accidental circumstance, that the former use the Roman letters, while the latter adhere to the Cyrillic alphabet, should be a sufficient reason for such a separation.  The literature of neither of them has as yet treasures enough, to renounce willingly the claims which their mutual and naturally rich though uncultivated language gives to the one upon the productions of the other.  We now proceed, in a short historical introduction, to show the origin of this separation; after making a few preliminary remarks on the character of the language as a whole, unaffected by its division into different dialects, not more distinct indeed from each other than is the case in almost every other living idiom.

The Servian language is spoken by about five millions of people.  It extends, with some slight variations of dialect, over the Turkish and Austrian provinces of Servia, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Dalmatia; over Slavonia and the eastern part of Croatia.  It is further the property of several thousands, who emigrated from their own country on account of the Turkish oppression, and are now settled as colonists along the south-western bank of the Danube, from Semlin to St. Andre near Buda.  The southern sky, and the beauties of natural scenery existing throughout nearly all these regions, so favourable in general to the development of poetical genius, appear also to have exerted a happy influence on the language.  While it yields to none of the other Slavic dialects in richness, clearness, and precision, it far surpasses

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