Author:
Maria Cichońska
Email:
cichom7@interia.pl
Summary
The paper focuses on the nature of those function words (Pol. wyrazyfunkcyjne, Cro. funkcionalne
riječi, Germ. Funktionwörter) that, in traditional linguistics, that is, in grammar books and the
majority of papers, are referred to as conjunctions. On the basis of analysis of literature on Slavic
languages we conclude that national linguistics have treated these function words in a sporadic
manner – studies were conducted in a manner that lacked focus, various methodologies were
applied and the results were frequently not reported in grammar books. Although the interest of
Slavic linguistics in this type of function words has been growing recently, no synthetic
descriptions or interpretations of these words exist. Considering the severity of the issue, this
paper is conceived as a sketch which first gives an overview of the general characteristics of
traditional conjunctions, followed by a short overview of methodologies used in previous research
and a proposal for new avenues of research of not just those words that are traditionally viewed
as conjunctions, but also of other means that can be used for linking purposes and that are the
result of morphological or functional derivation from primary conjunctions. The aim of the
chosen diachronic approach to linking words is to demonstrate the tendencies in their evolution.
The paper also employs the contrastive approach as it focuses on the materials from Croatian
(Štokavian) and Polish, and some insights from other Slavic languages.
Key words: conjunction; linking words; function of a conjunction; Croatian; Polish
Key words
conjunction; linking words; function of a conjunction; Croatian; Polish
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