1883.11 - Purism


Course number
1883.11
Title
Purism
ECTS
10
Purpose
The course aims to introduce students to theories about the concept of linguistic purism. Students shall gain an insight into the character and position of Faroese purism in relation to purism in other Nordic countries and Europe as a whole, both from contemporary and historical perspectives. The structure of new Faroese coinages will also be discussed.
Content
The aim of purism as an ideal is to limit the influence of foreign languages on the local language. Purism has become part, not only of caring for the Faroese language in a narrow sense, but to a large extent also of Faroese culture. Purism is a broad concept, but in the Faroese context it is usually understood as a defence mechanism at the level of words. This is why the course will focus on lexical purism, while still touching upon other types, such as orthographical purism and morphological purism. In order to understand purism it must be placed in a historical context, but it must also be treated as a living contemporary phenomenon. Attitude surveys are therefore included. The course is organized into lectures and student presentations, based on the literature in the field. The following texts are on the reading list: George Thomas: Linguistic purism, publications from the series Moderne importord i sprogene i Norden and Purt og reint. Om purisme i dei nordiske språka.
Learning and teaching approaches
3 hours a week for one semester.
Assessment method
Written exam (6 hours) or open take-home assignment.
Contact
Jógvan í Lon Jacobsen