Anton Bernolák

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Anton Bernolák

Born 1 October 1762
Slanica near Námestovo
Died 15 January 1813
Nové Zámky
Occupation Priest, official, linguist
Known for codified the first Slovak language standard

Anton Bernolák (born 1 October 1762 in Slanica (Szlanica, a now inundated village near Námestovo), died 15 January 1813 in Nové Zámky (Érsekújvár)) was a Slovak linguist and Catholic priest and the author of the first Slovak language standard.

[edit] Life

He was born to a lower noble family in the Orava (Árva) region. He studied at a grammar school (gymnasium) in Ružomberok (Rózsahegy, 1772-76), and later in Trnava (Nagyszombat), Vienna and was a graduate in theology at the general seminary in Pressburg (Pozsony, present Bratislava, 1787). In the very same year, he codified the first Slovak language standard, which he based on western Slovak dialects spoken around Trnava, with some elements from the central dialects. The language, called bernolákovčina, however, wasn't accepted as a national standard language, although was a milestone in the way to the formation of modern Slovak nation. In 1787-91 he was a curate in Čeklís (Cseklész, present Bernolákovo), in 1791-97 a secretary in the archbishoprical vicar's office in Trnava and from 1797 until his death in 1813 a priest in Nové Zámky.

His language was the basis for activities of Slovenské učené tovarišstvo (Slovak Educated Brotherhood), established in 1792 in Trnava and for movement of Bernolák's followers, which lasted three generations.

[edit] Works

  • 1782 – Divux rex Stephanus, magnus Hungarorum apostolus
  • 1787 - Dissertatio-critica de literis Slavorum
  • 1787 – Linguae Slavonicae… compendiosa simul et facilis Orthographia
  • 1790 - Gramatica Slavica (Slovak Grammar)
  • 1791 - Etymologia vocum slavicarum (Etymology of Slavic words)
  • 1825 / 1827 - Slowár Slowenskí, Češko-Laťinsko-Ňemecko-Uherskí (A Slovak, Czech-Latin-German-Hungarian Dictionary), a six-volume dictionary, supposed to be a vocabulary manual of the literary language, published after Bernolák's death in Buda by canon Juraj Palkovič

[edit] External links