Radoslav Katicic
Encyclopedia
Radoslav Katičić (born in Zagreb
, July 3, 1930) is a Croatian
linguist
, classical philologist
, Indo-Europeanist
, Slavist and Indologist
, one of the most prominent Croatian scholars in the field of humanities
.
.
At the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
, he received a degree in Classical Philology in 1954. The same year he started working as a part-time librarian at the Seminar for Classical Philology at the same faculty. His first scientific works were on the subjects of Ancient Greek philology and Byzantine studies
.
As a stipend
ist of the Greek government he visited Athens
in 1956-57, and in 1958 he was elected as an assistant at the Department for Comparative Indo-European Grammar at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb.
In 1959 he received hes Ph.D. wit the thesis Pitanje jedinstva indoeuropske glagolske fleksije ('The question of unity of Indo-European verbal flexion'). During the period of 1960-61 he was a stipendist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
in Tübingen
. After the return to his main university, he became a docent
on Indo-European and general linguistics. Soon after, he served as a head of the newly formed Department for General Linguistics and Oriental Studies. In 1966 he became associate, and in 1973 full professor. Beside general and Indo-European linguistics, he also taught Old Iranian and Old Indic philology.
In 1977 he became full professor of Slavic philology at the University of Vienna
, Austria.
In 1973 he was selected as an extraordinary member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (now Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
), and in 1986 he became a full member. In 1981 he became a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
, in 1989 becoming a full member, and since 1989 serving as a head of the renowned Balkan commission. In 1984 he became a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, in 1987 member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
, and in 1991 member of the Academia Europaea
. In 1989 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Osijek
, and in 1999 an honorary degree and professorship at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest
.
grammar, philology, early Croatian Middle Ages, engaging in extensive synthetic research of the key periods of history of Croatian literature and the reconstruction of Proto-Slavic
ceremonial texts, sacral poetry of mythological content, and legislative literature.
Katičić's scholarly contributions which consists of more than 150 titles (books and papers) can be divided in four fields:
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, July 3, 1930) is a Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
linguist
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, classical philologist
Classical philology
Classical philology is the study of ancient Greek and classical Latin. Classical philology has been defined as "the careful study of the literary and philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds." Greek and Latin literature and civilization have traditionally been considered...
, Indo-Europeanist
Indo-European studies
Indo-European studies is a field of linguistics dealing with Indo-European languages, both current and extinct. Its goal is to amass information about the hypothetical proto-language from which all of these languages are descended, a language dubbed Proto-Indo-European , and its speakers, the...
, Slavist and Indologist
Indology
Indology is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent , and as such is a subset of Asian studies....
, one of the most prominent Croatian scholars in the field of humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
.
Biography
Radoslav Katičić was born on July 3 1930 in Zagreb. In his birth city he attended primary school, and in 1949 he graduated at the Classical gymnasiumGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
.
At the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences or the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb is one of the top faculties of the University of Zagreb.-History:...
, he received a degree in Classical Philology in 1954. The same year he started working as a part-time librarian at the Seminar for Classical Philology at the same faculty. His first scientific works were on the subjects of Ancient Greek philology and Byzantine studies
Byzantine studies
Byzantine studies is an interdisciplinary branch of the humanities that addresses the history, culture, costumes, religion, art, such as literature and music, science, economy, and politics of the Byzantine Empire. The discipline's founder in Germany is considered to be the philologist Hieronymus...
.
As a stipend
Stipend
A stipend is a form of salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried...
ist of the Greek government he visited Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
in 1956-57, and in 1958 he was elected as an assistant at the Department for Comparative Indo-European Grammar at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Zagreb.
In 1959 he received hes Ph.D. wit the thesis Pitanje jedinstva indoeuropske glagolske fleksije ('The question of unity of Indo-European verbal flexion'). During the period of 1960-61 he was a stipendist of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation is a foundation set-up by the government of the Federal Republic and funded by the German Foreign Office, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development and others for the promotion of international co-operation...
in Tübingen
Tübingen
Tübingen is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, on a ridge between the Neckar and Ammer rivers.-Geography:...
. After the return to his main university, he became a docent
Docent
Docent is a title at some European universities to denote a specific academic appointment within a set structure of academic ranks below professor . Docent is also used at some universities generically for a person who has the right to teach...
on Indo-European and general linguistics. Soon after, he served as a head of the newly formed Department for General Linguistics and Oriental Studies. In 1966 he became associate, and in 1973 full professor. Beside general and Indo-European linguistics, he also taught Old Iranian and Old Indic philology.
In 1977 he became full professor of Slavic philology at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
, Austria.
In 1973 he was selected as an extraordinary member of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (now Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the national academy of Croatia. It was founded in 1866 as the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts , and was known by that name for most of its existence.- History :...
), and in 1986 he became a full member. In 1981 he became a corresponding member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
, in 1989 becoming a full member, and since 1989 serving as a head of the renowned Balkan commission. In 1984 he became a member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the national academy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:...
, in 1987 member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
, and in 1991 member of the Academia Europaea
Academia Europaea
Academia Europæa is a European non-governmental scientific academy founded in 1988. Its members are scientists and scholars who collectively aim to promote learning, education and research. It publishes European Review through Cambridge Journals....
. In 1989 he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Osijek
University of Osijek
The Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek is a university located in Osijek, Croatia. It was founded in 1975 and is organized in 11 faculties.-History:...
, and in 1999 an honorary degree and professorship at the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
.
Work
In the past twenty years he chiefly researched on the topic of history of CroatianCroatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
grammar, philology, early Croatian Middle Ages, engaging in extensive synthetic research of the key periods of history of Croatian literature and the reconstruction of Proto-Slavic
Proto-Slavic language
Proto-Slavic is the proto-language from which Slavic languages later emerged. It was spoken before the seventh century AD. As with most other proto-languages, no attested writings have been found; the language has been reconstructed by applying the comparative method to all the attested Slavic...
ceremonial texts, sacral poetry of mythological content, and legislative literature.
Katičić's scholarly contributions which consists of more than 150 titles (books and papers) can be divided in four fields:
- General linguisticsLinguisticsLinguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and Paleo-BalkanPaleo-Balkan languagesPaleo-Balkan is a geolinguistic term referring to the Indo-European languages that were spoken in the Balkans in ancient times. Except for Greek and the language that gave rise to Albanian , they are all extinct, due to Hellenization, Romanization, and Slavicisation.- Classification :The following...
studies (mainly based on transformational grammar approach), consisting of works written in English:- A Contribution to the General Theory of Comparative Linguistics (the Hague-Paris, 1970)
- The Ancient Languages of the Balkans, 1-2 (the Hague-Paris, 1976)
- Linguistic-stylistic works on aspects and history of various European (Ancient Greek, Byzantine) and non-European literatures:
- Stara indijska književnost/Old Indian literature, Zagreb 1973
- Numerous studies on Croatian language history, from the inception of the CroatsCroatsCroats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
in the 7th century onwards. Katičić has charted the meanderings in the continuity of Croatian language and literature, from the earliest stone inscriptions and Glagolitic medieval literature in the Croatian recension of Church Slavonic to the works of RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
writers such as Marin DržićMarin DržicMarin Držić is considered the finest Croatian Renaissance playwright and prose writer.- Life :Born into a large and well to do family in Dubrovnik, Držić was trained and ordained as a priest — a calling very unsuitable for his rebel temperament...
and Marko MarulićMarko MarulicMarko Marulić |Split]], 18 August 1450 – Split, 5 January 1524) was a Croatian national poet and Christian humanist, known as the Crown of the Croatian Medieval Age and the father of the Croatian Renaissance. He signed his works as Marko Marulić Splićanin , Marko Pečenić, Marcus Marulus ...
, who wrote in a Croatian vernacular. He also explored language standardization and wrote a syntactic description of modern Croatian (Sintaksa hrvatskoga književnoga jezika/Syntax of Standard Croatian, Zagreb 1986), based on texts by contemporary authors such as Miroslav KrležaMiroslav KrležaMiroslav Krleža was a leading Croatian and Yugoslav writer and the dominant figure in cultural life of both Yugoslav states, the Kingdom and the Republic . He has often been proclaimed the greatest Croatian writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Miroslav Krleža was born in Zagreb, modern-day...
and Tin UjevićTin UjevicAugustin "Tin" Ujević is considered to be one of the greatest Croatian poets of all times.Ujević was born in Vrgorac, a small town in the Dalmatian hinterland, and grew up in what were then the provincial towns of Imotski and Makarska. He completed classical gymnasium in Split...
and this is one of the few syntactic descriptions of any language written consistently on the principles of the transformational grammarTransformational grammarIn linguistics, a transformational grammar or transformational-generative grammar is a generative grammar, especially of a natural language, that has been developed in the Chomskyan tradition of phrase structure grammars...
- Great synthetic works that explore the beginnings of Croatian civilization in a multidisciplinary fashion based on philology, archeology, culturology, paleography and textual analysis
- Uz početke hrvatskih početaka/Roots of Croatian roots, Split 1993
- Litterarium studia, Vienna-Zagreb, 1999 (in German and Croatian)