Složeni uslovni veznici u administrativno-pravnom stilu srpskoga jezika 19. veka

Abstract

In this paper we have analyzed complex conjunctions in conditional semantics employed within the administrative and legal register of the 19th century Serbian language. The corpus consists of Constitutions introduced during the 19th century, legal texts from the Collections of Laws and Decrees and regulatory decrees of the Principality of Serbia. Additionally, we used stenographic notes from the meetings of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Serbia from the year 1898. We utilized the following methods of analysis: semantic, functional, stylistic, historical linguistic and theory of law. In the observed corpus we found complex conjunctions у случају ако, у случају кад, у случају где, у случају да and на случај да – some of which are no longer used in the contemporary Serbian language. The majority of the noted examples were in the process of standardization. Complex conjunctions in conditional semantics are formed in order to precisely pinpoint to certain semantic nuances (such as the negative consequences of introducing specifi c laws) or to diversify the vocabulary of the text and lessen the dominance of the monolexical unspecifi ed conjunctions that were primarily used to express conditionality in the 19th century