Zum funktionsbegriff in der neueren sowjetischen sprachwissenschaft

Abstract

This article identifies certain Soviet attempts at clarifying the notion of ‘linguistic function’. The following five topics are discussed: 1. 1. The history of traditional Russian linguistics (reviewed briefly here) reveals that the development of the notion ‘linguistic function’ was understood as being connected with the practical tasks of language planning and standardization. 2. 2. Language structures and functions; the interrelation between structure and function, as well as their relative susceptibility with regard to language planning and standardization are characterized. 3. 3. External and inner, potential and actual functions: different Soviet conceptions of function are presented in a new systematic connection, based on the distinction between jazyk (‘langue’) and reć' (‘parole’). 4. 4. The basic functions of language: four different external language functions (communicative, expressive, constructive, and cumulative), as well as some inner functions are discussed. 5. 5. Functions in German: structural-grammatical, logical-grammatical, and communicative-grammatical functions in German word order are illustrated with examples taken from work on the subject by W.G. Admoni.