Tako mi Bog pomogao - sintaksičko-semantička struktura zakletvi u administrativno-pravnom stilu srpskoga jezika 19. veka

Abstract

The subject of this paper is the analysis of semantic and syntactic structures of oaths in administrative and legal text originating from the Principality/Kingdom of Serbia in the 19th century. Тhe main focus of the paper are the oaths of the King/Prince, state officials, soldiers and teachers. We have established that the syntactic structure of oaths is consistent and that it is comprised of the performative verb заклети се and a few object complements introduced by the conjunction да. On the semantic level, oaths consist of a description of duties and a loyalty oath, as well as a commitment statement expressing that one will fulfill their duties towards the state and God diligently. Many of the oaths contain a statement concerning one’s commitment to God and one’s faith and duties to God, which demonstrates how much of an impact religion had on the daily life in Serbia in the 19th century. The form of the oaths is based on the forms of sanctions in medieval times, thus, we can note some repeating formulas, such as одговор Богу на страшноме суду. In the structures of oaths we follow the traditional hierarchy and bond between the Serbian government and the Orthodox Church, with the notable difference in the 19th century, where the loyalty towards the sacral government, the Constitution and the King has precedence over one’s loyalty to God, further supporting the general development of the legal system which is based on rationality and the development of Serbia as a modern, European state.