The V. Vinogradov Linguistic School

THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, SCIENCE, YOUTH AND SPORTS OF UKRAINE

V. STEFANYK PRYKARPATSKY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

THE FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES 

An essay on :

«The V. Vinogradov Linguistic School» 
 
 

Prepeared by:

Iuliia Semeniuk

Checked by:

Bylytsia Uliana Iaroslavivna 
 
 
 

Ivano-Frankivsk 2012

Contents

The introduction

1. V. Vinogradov’s scientific way
2. V.Vinogradov as a linguist

Summary

Reference material 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

      The Introduction

Vinogradov V.V  (1895-1969) was a linguist and a literati at the same time, the  founder of two linguistic sciences – the history of the Russian literary language and the science of Literature. [5].He is the author of more than 300 works on grammar, lexicology, lexicography, the history of language, stylistic.  Vinogradov's teachers at the Petrograd Institute of History and Philology included Lev Shcherba and Aleksey Shakhmatov, but it was Charles Bally's ideas that influenced him most profoundly during his formative years. From the standpoint of linguistics, Vinogradov set out as a good-natured critic of the Russian Formalists: he was on friendly terms with many of them.  Vinogradov's rise to power cemented his followers (Sergei Ozhegov, Natalia Shvedova) into the dominant academic school of Soviet linguistics. The Russian Language Institute, which he administered from 1958, still bears his name.                                                                                                               In Vinogradov’s theory in the centre of language studying  is a word as a nuclear of the language system  and a text. He suggested  a new systematization of parts and subdivisions of Russian linguistics. It includes:                                                                                                                         а) historical and linguistic subjects – dialectology, historical grammar, the history of language study, the history of literature;

b)stylistic in its normative and the comparative-historical varieties; 

c) subjects, which include system description of modern Russian;

d) the science of writers’language;

e)the history of philological studies. 

Vinogradov was an organizer and an editor of «The Dictionary Of A. S. Pushkin’s Language». He separated writers’language into a different category of philological studies . [8].

Vinogradov’s ideas were used in almost all the brunches of philology in the second half of 20 th century.         
 
 
 
 

PART 1

Vinogradov, Viktor Vladimirovich                                                                                        Born Dec. 31, 1894 (Jan. 12, 1895), in Zaraisk; died Oct. 4, 1969, in Moscow. Soviet linguist and literary scholar; academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1946). Vinogradov graduated from the Institute of History and Philology and the Archaeological Institute in Petrograd in 1917. He was a professor at Leningrad (1920-29) and Moscow (1930-69) universities; Viktor Vladimirovich headed the subdepartment of Russian at Moscow State University from 1945 to 1969. He was director of the Institute of Linguistics of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1950-1954) and of the Institute of the Russian Language of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1958-68) and academician-secretary of the department of literature and language of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1950-63). Vinogradov became the editor of the journal Voprosy Iazykoznaniia in 1952. [3]. He headed the section of historical poetics and stylistics of Russian classical literature at the Institute of Russian Literature of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (Pushkin House) from 1968. He was a member of the Main Editorial Board of the second edition of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia.  Viktor Volodymyrovuch Vinogradov was a Soviet linguist and philologist who presided over Soviet linguistics after World War II. Vinogradov's teachers at the Petrograd Institute of History and Philology included Lev Shcherba and Aleksey Shakhmatov, but it was Charles Bally's ideas that influenced him most profoundly during his formative years. He made his mark as a scholar of Russian literature with a series of works examining the style and language of Russian classical writers, including Alexander Pushkin (1935, 1941), Nikolai Gogol (1936), Mikhail Lermontov (1941), and Anna Akhmatova (a family friend, 1925). In 1926 he married Nadezhda Malysheva (1897-1990), a singing teacher. From the standpoint of linguistics, Vinogradov set out as a good-natured critic of the Russian Formalists: he was on friendly terms with many of them. After moving from Leningrad to Moscow in 1929 he became implicated in the "Slavists conspiracy" and the authorities exiled him to Vyatka in 1934. Two years later, he was allowed to settle somewhat closer to the capital, in Mozhaysk, only to be exiled to Siberia after Hitler's invasion of Russia in 1941. His father, an Orthodox priest, was purged in 1930. After Stalin became alarmed with the (mis)management of Soviet linguistics by Nicholas Marr and his followers. Honors were heaped on him with profusion: he was elected into the Soviet Academy of Sciences and was awarded the Stalin Prize (1951). This sudden reversal of fortune made him willing to gratify the authorities, as was demonstrated by his participation in the notorious Sinyavsky-Daniel trial. Vinogradov's rise to power cemented his followers (Sergei Ozhegov, Natalia Shvedova) into the dominant academic school of Soviet linguistics. The Russian Language Institute, which he administered from 1958, still bears his name.           The literature language is common for the whole nation, it is used in schools, official documents, scientific literature. It can be oral or written. Some people think that literature language is spoken in everyday comunication, the other- that our language is polished by writers, scientists,  V. Vinogradov is the scientist with the worldwide - known name. He is the authour of more than 200 written works about the Russian language, the history of the Russian literature language, lexicology, phraseology. V. V. Vinogradov’s books in language study are full of deep investigation,  good knowledge of the Russian language in its historical development. On the basis of Pushkin’s poems , Vinogradov shows the synthesis of different linguistic elements, he combines the spoken and literal languages. V. Vinogradov’s book ’’Pushkin’s language’’ (1935) is a masterpiece of analyzing Pushkin’s style. His  works: [5].

• Gogol’ i naturalnaia shkola. Leningrad, 1925.
• Etiudy o stile Gogolia. Leningrad, 1926.
• Evoliutsiia russkogo naturalizma: Gogol’i Dostoevskii. Leningrad, 1929.
• lazyk Pushkina. Moscow, 1935.
• Stil’ prozy Lermontova. Moscow, 1941.
• Stil’ Pushkina. Moscow, 1941.
• Sovremennyi russkii iazyk. Issue 1: Vvedenie v grammaticheskoe uchenie o slove. Moscow, 1938. Issue 2: Grammaticheskoe uchenie o slove. Moscow, 1938.
• Iz istorii izucheniia russkogo sintaksisa. Moscow, 1958.
• Osnovnye problemy izucheniia obrazovaniia i razvitiia drevnerusskogo literaturnogo iazyka. Moscow, 1958.
• Nauka o iazyke khudozhestvennoi literatury i ee zadachi. Moscow, 1958.
• Problema avtorstva i teoriia stilei. Moscow, 1961.
• Siuzhet i stil’. Moscow, 1963.
• Problemy literaturnykh iazykov i zakonomernostei ikh obrazovaniia i razvitiia. Moscow, 1967.

Vinogradov was the author of works on Russian grammar (The Russian Language: Grammatical Studies on the Word, 1947; State Prize of the USSR, 1951) and the history of the Russian language (Essays on the History of the Russian Literary Language of the 17th to 19th Centuries, 1934; 2nd ed., 1938) and monographs on the language and style of Rus-sian writers of the 19th and 20th centuries and on the “natural school.” [8]. His books On Artistic Prose (1930), On the Language of Belles Lettres (1959), and Stylistics: Theory of Poetic Speech: Poetics (1963) were devoted to the theoretical analysis of problems in stylistics and poetics based on Rus-sian literary materials. He participated in the compilation of the Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language, edited by D. N. Ushakov (vols. 1-4, 1935-40), and in the editing of Russian-language dictionaries published by the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (vols. 1-17, 1948-65; vols. 1-4, 1957-61). [4].He directed the compilation of the Dictionary of the Language of Pushkin (vols. 1-4, 1956-61). He was a member of numerous foreign academies and Chairman of the International Committee of Slavists (from 1957). He was awarded the Order of Lenin, two other orders, and various medals.

Part 2

While at the beginning of the 20th century the Romance countries were mainly influenced by Bally’s expressive stylistics and Germany by Croce’s individual stylistics, a new linguistic and literary movement developed in Russia and became known as formalism. The Russian Formalists introduced a new, highly focused and solid method of literary and linguistic analysis. Formal method used in linguistics was based on the analytical view of the form, the content of a literary work was seen as a sum of its stylistic methods. In this way, the formal characteristics of a literary work are seen in opposition to its content. In other words, the focus was on ‘devices of artistry’ not on content (i.e. HOW not WHAT). The formalists originated as an opposition to a synthesis introduced by the symbolists. The development follows from synthesis towards analysis, putting the main emphasis on the form, material, or ‚skill‘. The main representative was Roman O. Jakobson; others were J. N. Tynjanov and V.V. Vinogradov. Russian formalism originated in 1916, flourished in 1920 – 1923, and had practically ceased to exist by the end of the 20’s. In spite of the short, about ten-year, existence of Russian formalism, many ideas were modified and further elaborated. [6]. They became part of structuralism, and can also be found in the works of the members of the Prague School ten years later.                       The most authoritative Russian philosophic journal "Voprosy philosophii" ("Problems of Philosophy") has recently noted the originality of semiotics research in Russia [1]. While assimilating all the achievements of Western countries, the scientific research are none the less developed on the native intellectual ground. Both in the methods applied and the style of thinking, Russian mentality and specific circle of problems is indicated easily. Such feature is observed as well in the book under review. The "trial" of Encyclopaedia on semiotics of culture and art reflects not only an uneasy process of semiotics propagation in Russia, but also a specific form it assumed here, by the influence of valuable traditions of national humanitarian science. Let's note, for example, scientific achievements of Moscow linguistic circle, Kazan linguistic school, the group "OPOYAZ" and research works by A. A. Potebnya, M. M. Bachtin, V. V. Vinogradov and their followers, regarding problems of sign and meaning. The previous experience and scientific traditions, close to semiotics ideas, have determined the specific features of their comprehension and application to the same specific problems of Russian (former Soviet) humanitarian sciences. This was influenced by unique history of Russia, its original culture, as well as strong ideological pressure, connected with the existence of preferable directions and "prohibited" areas. Very often, in order to deceive ideology guards and to force through some favourite idea, the researcher should shape it in deliberately complicated form, showing it far from "sharp points". But complex scientific terminology concealed dangers (for the ruling ideology) yet most interesting and promising conceptions. All that, no doubt, influenced semiotics' progress in Russia, regarding concepts selection and interpretations.                                   Pushkin even translated chapter 4 of Janin’s Confession into verse in a variant of “Tebia poiu na tomnoi lire” (1830). Given the importance of Janin to Russian writers, it is curious that this remarkable work has received little attention, but then even the French had ignored it until Janin’s centenary in 1974. Vinogradov did discuss a passage in La Confession describing a five-story house whose tenants’ social class corresponds to the floors they inhabit, probably because Janin himself excerpted it in the Revue de Paris in 1830 to illustrate the new naturalist poetics. Vinogradov accordingly cites it as evidence of the influence of the French school on Russian physiological descriptions, an observation Donald Fanger repeats some forty years later. [2].                                                                                                                                            The category of mood in the present English verb has given rise to so many discussions, and has been treated in so many different ways, that it seems hardly possible to arrive at any more or less convincing and universally acceptable conclusion concerning it. Indeed, the only points in the sphere of mood which have not so far been disputed seem to be these: there is a category of mood in Modern English; there are at least two moods in the modern English verb, one of which is the Subjunctive. These points were discussed not only by English grammarians, but Russian grammarians too. Academician V. Vinogradov in his work «Russian Language» gave the definition of the category of mood: «Mood expresses the relation of the action to reality, as stated by the speaker.»                                       From this brief introduction to possessive adjectives, it becomes clear that they are quite distinct, even among Russian adjectives. The Danish linguist O. Jespersens refers to them as “shiftwords,” in that their meaning is based on their situation of usage, and therefore the same adjective might have a different connotation each time it is used in a new context. The well-known Soviet linguist V.Vinogradov describes their function as such: « In this way, possessive adjectives, like demonstrative pronouns, have the function of individualizing, isolating attention on the possession of one being, a single owner».     [7].                  There are two suffixes used in Russian to form possessive adjectives: ­–ин and –ов. The suffix –ин is used to show individual possession in familiar, everyday situations, including family relations and diminutives (Виноградов) [4]. This suffix is productive in modern colloquial Russian, meaning it is still used today to create new words .On the other hand, forms with –ов, which are formed from masculine names, are considered to be archaic .  

  There are three classification principles of phraseological units. The most popular is the synchronic (semantic) classification of phraseological units by V.V. Vinogradov. He developed some points first advanced by the Swiss linguist Charles Bally and gave a strong impetus to a purely lexicological treatment of the material. It means that phraseological units were defined as lexical complexes with specific semantic features and classified accordingly. His classification is based upon the motivation of the unit that is the relationship between the meaning of the whole and the meanings of its component parts. The degree of motivation is correlated with the rigidity, indivisibility and semantic unity of the expression that is with the possibility of changing the form or the order of components and of substituting the whole by a single word though not in all the cases.  According to Vinogradov’s classification all phraseological units are divided into phraseological fusions, phraseological unities and phraseological combinations.                                                                                Phraseological fusion is a semantically indivisible phraseological unit which meaning is never influenced by the meanings of its components. It means that phraseological fusions represent the highest stage of blending together. The meaning of components is completely absorbed by the meaning of the whole, by its expressiveness and emotional properties.                                                                               Once in a blue moon – very seldom;                                                                                          To cry for the moon – to demand unreal;                                                                               Under the rose – quietly.                                                                                                 Sometimes phraseological fusions are called idioms under which linguists understand a complete loss of the inner form. To explain the meaning of idioms is a complicated etymological problem (tit to tat means “to revenge”, but no one can explain the meaning of the words tit and tat).

Phraseological unity is a semantically indivisible phraseological unit the whole meaning of which is motivated by the meanings of its components.                                    In general, phraseological unities are the phrases where the meaning of the whole unity is not the sum of the meanings of its components but is based upon them and may be understood from the components. The meaning of the significant word is not too remote from its ordinary meanings. This meaning is formed as a result of generalized figurative meaning of a free word-combination. It is the result of figurative metaphoric reconsideration of a word-combination.                                              To come to one’s sense –to change one’s mind;                                                                        To come home – to hit the mark;                                                                                                      To fall into a rage – to get angry.                                                                                                 Phraseological unities are characterized by the semantic duality. One can’t define for sure the semantic meaning of separately taken phraseological unities isolated from the context, because these word-combinations may be used as free in the direct meaning and as phraseological in the figurative meaning.                             Phraseological combination (collocation) is a construction or an expression in which every word has absolutely clear independent meaning while one of the components has a bound meaning . It means that phraseological combinations contain one component used in its direct meaning while the other is used figuratively.                          To make an attempt – to try;                                                                                                         To make haste – to hurry;                                                                                                           To offer an apology – to beg pardon.                                                                                                      

The valuable work ‘’The Main Periods In The History of The Russian language’’ was published in the magazine ‘’Russian in School’’ , № 3, 4 and 5, in 1940 [3].  Like in other works Vinogradov is charming us with his erudition of linguistic analyses. He is showing us the impact of the Old Slovanic languages, in the process of history, on the Russian literal language.  ‘’Russian is the focus to which all languages of the world are turning to get the socialist and soviet terms and ideas ‘’  
 
 
 
 

Summary

V. V Vinogradov - the famous Soviet Russian linguist, scholar, student A. A Shakhmatov and L. V Shcherba, the most influential figure of the Russian Soviet science philological XX century: more than a decade he led the Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences of the USSR, headed by the Academy of Sciences Department of Literature and Languages ​​(in 1950 -1963), he was the academician-secretary of the department, created the magazine "Problems of Linguistics" and many years as its chief editor, was chairman of the International Committee of Slavists. Vinogradov was the representative of the Russian formalism

The first scientific work he performed under the direction of A. A Shakhmatov in 1917, at the same time Vinogradov was working at the historical phonology. [2].

During 20th V. V Vinogradov was studying the works of fiction, he published some outstanding works on language and style of such writers and poets, as: Gogol, Dostoevsky, Anna Akhmatova. V. V Vinogradov is a merit of the two linguistic science: the history of the Russian literary language and the science of language and literary style. His books - "The language of Pushkin" (1935), "Language Gogol" (1936), "Style Pushkin" (1941), "Lermontov's prose style" (1941) – are of a great interest both among the professional linguists and readers.

Vinogradov was the first linguist who had written the whole course of Russian grammar - "Russian language. Grammatical study of the word" (1947).

His doctrine of the unity of the word as grammatical and lexical values ​​was extremely fruitful and was of the same value as general trends in philology. Systematics of the concepts proposed by scholars, influenced the creation of descriptions of many languages.

As a professor at the Leningrad and Moscow University, Moscow Pedagogical University, V. V Vinogradov have trained a whole generation of Russian linguists, which continues to develop ideas of his teacher. 
 
 
 

References

1. Кочерган М.П. Вступ до мовознавства: Підручник для студентів філологічних спеціальностей вищих навчальних закладів освіти. – К.: Видавничий центр «Академія», 2002. – 368с.
2. Сорокин Ю. С. Академик В. В. Виноградов // ИОЛЯ. 1970. Т. 29, вып. 1. С. 83—87; Костомаров В. Г. Слово о Викторе Владимировиче Виноградове // Памяти акад. Виктора Владимировича Виноградова. М., 1971. С. 3—13; Одинцов В. В. В. В. Виноградов. М., 1983.
3. Sb. statei po iazykoznaniiu: Professoru Mosk. un-ta akad. V. V. Vinogradovu. [Moscow] 1958. (Contains a bibliography.)

     4. Problemy sovremennoi filologii: Sb. si. k semidesiatiletiiu akad. V. V.    Vinogradova. Moscow, 1956. (Contains a bibliography.)

     5. V.V. Vinogradov. Selected works.The History of Russian Literary Language. - М., 1978. - P. 288-297)

   6. www.twirpx.com

   7.http://znatok.u

   8.  www.wikipedia.org