Course info

3

Syllabus

Week 1
Different approaches to the defi nition of the term ‘Balkans’. What languages are spoken in the
Balkans?
General discussion what are balkanisms and how we can explain them (possibility of parallel
development, contact-induced changes, language substrate).
Week 2
Main stages of development of the Balkan Sprachbund’s theory. What languages are included in
the Balkan Sprachbund? Main groups of the Balkan Sprachbund (Balkan Slavic, Balkan Romans,
Hellenic and Albanian) and their short characteristics (part 1).
Week 3
Main groups of the Balkan Sprachbund (Balkan Slavic, Balkan Romans, Hellenic and Albanian)
and their short characteristics (part 2). Could we treat Judesmo and Romani as a parts of the
Balkan Sprachbund (pros and cons)?
Week 4
List of balkanisms. Main balkanisms (enclitic articles, object reduplication, prepositions instead
of cases, dative/possessive merger, goal/location merger, relativum generale, “aux+(comp)+fi nite
verb” construction (so called “Balkan infi nitive loss”), volo future, past future as conditional,
habeo perfect, evidentialis and analytic comparison) and their analysis in particular Balkan
languages (part 1).
Week 5
Main balkanisms and their analysis in particular Balkan languages (part 2). Short insight into the
history of the discussed changes in the Balkan languages.
Week 6
Different approaches to the defi nition of the terms ‘language’ and ‘dialect’. How balkanisms are
distributed in particular Balkan languages and their dialects? How we can use this information to
defi ne the center of innovation for particular balkanisms?
Week 7
Evaluation.
              

Module aim

The aim is to introduce this theory to the students and to show its problems and complexity. The
students will discuss different approaches to the defi nition of the Balkan and Balkan languages,
criteria for defi ning language vs dialect and innovation center vs its periphery. In addition to that
they will explore the history of changes in the Balkan languages and possible explanations for
them. The discussion of the theory will be accompanied by an analysis of specifi c facts of
individual Balkan languages and their dialects.
Tools: MS Teams, a dedicated course website
              

Information

Year: 2020/2021
              Semester: Summer
              Hours: 15
              Language: English
              Building:
              Room:
              Tips:
              Topic: Introduction to the Balkan Studies. Linguistic Point of View              Module: 03-EPI-IBS
              

Prerequisites

Study track:     European Identities<br />
Spring semester, an online course, 1. 04. 2021, 15 academic hours<br />
Keen interest in the theory of the Balkan Sprachbund (Balkan language area), Balkan languages
and in the contact-induced changes.<br />
Year(s) 2 – 3 BA undergraduate<br />
Max. enrollment:    15-17 students<br />
Location and room(s):    Virtual campus, MS Teams, original location: Faculty of Polish and
Classical Philology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
              

Lecturer

dr Tatiana Ganenkova
              Academic title: adiunkt
              Email: tatgan@o365.amu.edu.pl
              

Reading list

1.    Asenova P. 2002: Balkansko ezikoznanie: Osnovni problem na balkanskija ezikov săjuz. (2nd
edition.) Veliko Tărnovo: Faber.
2.    Hinrichs U. (ed). 1999: Handbuch der Südosteuropa - Linguistik. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
3.    Lindstedt J. 2000: Linguistic balkanization: Contact-induced change by mutual
reinforcement. In: D. Gilbers, J. Nerbonne, J. Schaeken (eds.) Languages in contact (Studies in
Slavic and General Linguistics), Vol. 28, 231–246. Amsterdam: Rodopi.
4.    Sandfeld K. 1930. Linguistique balkanique. Problèmes et résultats. Paris: Champion.
(Collection linguistique publiée par la Société Linguistique de Paris, 31).
5.    Trubetzkoy Nicolay, 1928: Proposition 16. In: Actes du Premier congrès international des
linguistes, Sijthoff, A. W., Leiden, 17–18.
6.    Sobolev A. (ed.) 2003: Malyj dialektologičeskij atlas balkanskih jazykov. München: Biblion
Verlag.
7.    Sobolev A.N. (ed.) 2021: Southeastern European Languages and Cultures in Contact.
Between Separation and Symbiosis. Berlin; New York: de Gruyter.
8.    Friedman V. 2006: The Balkans as a Linguistic Area. In: K. Brown (ed.) Elsevier Encyclopedia
of Language and Linguistics, Vol. 1, 657–672. Oxford: Elsevier.
9.    Sawicka I. 1997: The Balkan Sprachbund in the Light of Phonetic Features. Warsaw:
Energeia.
10.    Schaller H. 1975: Die Balkansprachen: Eine Einführung in die Balkanologie. Heidelberg: Carl
Winter.