Sava Mrkalj

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sava Mrkalj (1783-1835) was a Serbian linguist best known for attempting to reform the Serbian language before Vuk Stefanović Karadžić. In one publication, a pamphlet titled Fat of the Thick Jer, he proposed a simplification of the Serbian alphabet from forty-two to twenty-six letters.^[1] His suggestion was considered radical, and Mrkalj received enough abuse from the church hierarchy that retracted his proposal in another publication titled: A Palinode or Defense of the Thick Jer.^[2] Later in life, Mrkalj became despondent and died in a Vienna mental hospital. ^[3]

He was born in Kordun, present-day Croatia, to Serbian parents.

[edit] References

1. ^ Butler, Thomas J. (Winter, 1969) Jernej Kopitar's Role in the Serbian Language Controversy. The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4. pp. 482
2. ^ Butler, Thomas J. (Winter, 1969) Jernej Kopitar's Role in the Serbian Language Controversy. The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4. pp. 482
3. ^ Butler, Thomas J. (Winter, 1969) Jernej Kopitar's Role in the Serbian Language Controversy. The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 13, No. 4. pp. 482