Habent sua fata inventiones.The Role of Czechoslovakian Slavistics in the Forming of the Parry-Lord Oral-Formulaic Theory
2014
Abstract
The aim of this study is to demonstrate the - so far neglected - role Czechoslovakian slavistics played in the shaping of the Parry-Lord oral-formulaic theory. The process is presented as a genuine discovery story rooted within a specific scientific milieu (A.
Meillet, Prague Linguistic Circle etc.). Among the story's important figures belong Matija Murko, the founder of Czechoslovakian slavistics, and Roman Jakobson.
Much attention is paid to Murko's and Parry's scientific research strategies undertaken especially during their journeys to the Balkans in the 1930s, which are compared in the text. Some of the evidence, as far as I know, has not been published until now.