JEZIČKO-MISAONE IGRE U ZMAJEVOM NEVENU

Abstract

The paper presents short literary forms published in Neven, children’s journal edited by Jovan Jovanović Zmaj. The aim of the paper is to highlight linguostylistic means used in the short literary forms and the significance attached to children’s language development at the end of the XIX century and the beginning of the XX century. The linguostylistic analysis has shown that the most frequent linguistic device used in reflective linguistic games is homonymy, rarely polysemy, the use of synonyms, hyperonyms or loanwords. The most frequent stylistic devices are personification and pun. Reflective linguistic games in Zmaj’s Neven have numerous and diverse forms; they occur as different forms of riddles, anagrams, palindromes and missing words games, as well as daštanja, jednačice, ljuštice, mućuljci, razmeštaljke. The linguistic analysis of stylistic devices used in the games points to the importance that the most prominent Serbian children’s journal of all time attributed to children’s language development, linguistic awareness and language culture. In addition to linguostylistic analysis, the paper offers the possibilities of using short literary forms from Neven to enhance language development in preschool children.