Tekstološka analiza starosrpskohrvatskih povelja

Abstract

The texts of 13th and 14th century Serbo-Croatian diplomas are the object of the analysis. In the first part of the article, a general characteriza tion of these texts is given, comparing them with other types of contemporary texts, especially with the code belonging to the official written language. This is also essential for the reason that some types of diplomas lay down. a whole series of international laws. The linguistic analysis of the diploma texts is the chief aim of the paper, but the way diplomatics analyses these texts is also presented in brief. The basic division of diplomas into three fundamental groups is identical in both ways of analysis, but in the details the different aspects of the respec tive examinations also manifest themselves. In the linguistic analysis of the diplomas, the author starts from the sentence block, which is a deep structure category and is expressed on the surface by complex-compound sentences, or by independent sentences having a close connection between themselves. Diplomas are primarily characterized by complex-compound sentences, but the formation of such sentences sometimes meets obstacles. Anaphoric pronouns and the impera tive particle are frequent means of the linking together of independent sentences. The sentences of diplomas often form a looser connection: a chain of sentences. In the chain of sentences, paragraphs uniting sentences that logically belong together are in the process of taking shape, and these are frequently separated with a capital letter by the scribe.