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Politics and the Theory of Language in the USSR 1917-1938

The Birth of Sociological Linguistics

Craig Brandist editor Katya Chown editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Anthem Press

Published:1st Mar '10

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Politics and the Theory of Language in the USSR 1917-1938 cover

Ground-breaking research into the complex interrelations of linguistic theory and politics during the first two decades of the USSR.

'Politics and the Theory of Language in the USSR 1917-1938' provides ground-breaking research into the relationship between linguistic theory and politics during the first two decades of the USSR.

‘Politics and the Theory of Language in the USSR 1917-1938’ provides ground-breaking research into the relationship between linguistic theory and politics during the first two decades of the USSR. This work introduces some of the era's most notable figures whose achievements have been largely overlooked in the West, and provides a thought-provoking discussion of the innovative approaches they developed. Some of these insights still have a progressive role to play in scholarship today.

‘A very rich and captivating book on the history of the first phase of Soviet linguistics.’ —Roger Comtet, Université de Toulouse II, in ‘Historiographia Linguistica’


‘This is an excellent volume with a set of extraordinarily thoughtful and insightful papers. It is an intellectual history and is of immense relevance to linguists and literary scholars alike as well as historians of the Soviet period.’ —Lenore A. Grenoble, University of Chicago, ‘The Russian Review’


‘This volume is a key contribution to the intellectual history of socially grounded studies of language, and it will be valuable to scholars interested in the place of theories of language in early Soviet politics, as well as to scholars examining the links between language, power, and society in general.’ —Laada Bilaniuk, University of Washington, in ‘Slavic Review’


‘This succinct volume of articles straddles the interdisciplinary divide between history, political science, linguistics and literary studies […].  It opens a new vista for future research that will take into account the entire milieu of the interwar Soviet theoreticians and implementers of linguistic and social engineering.’ —Tomasz Kamusella, Cracow University of Economics, ‘European History Quarterly’ Book Reviews

ISBN: 9781843318408

Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 26mm

Weight: 590g

206 pages