Snježana Kordić facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Snježana Kordić
Kordić in 2010
Born	(1964-10-29) 29 October 1964 (age 61) Osijek, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Nationality	Croatian
Education	MSci, DPhil (Zagreb), Dr habil. (Münster)
Alma mater	University of Osijek University of Zagreb University of Münster
Occupation	Linguistics
Years active	1990–present
Employer	Joseph George Strossmayer University of Osijek University of Zagreb Ruhr-University Bochum Westphalian Wilhelms-University of Münster Humboldt University of Berlin Goethe University Frankfurt am Main
Notable work	Relativna rečenica (1995) Riječi na granici punoznačnosti (2002) Jezik i nacionalizam (2010)

Snježana Kordić (born October 29, 1964) is a Croatian linguist. A linguist is a scientist who studies language. She has done important work in syntax, which is about how words are put together to form sentences. She also writes about sociolinguistics, which looks at how language and society affect each other.

Kordić is well-known for writing many articles against strict language rules in Croatia. These rules, called "puristic" or "prescriptive" language policies, try to control how people speak and write. Her book from 2010, Language and Nationalism, helped make the idea of pluricentric languages popular in the Balkans. A pluricentric language is one that has several different standard forms, used in different countries or regions.

About Snježana Kordić

Her Education Journey

Snježana Kordić started her studies at Osijek University, where she earned her first degree in 1988. She then went to Zagreb University and got her Master of Science degree in Linguistics in 1992.

She continued her studies and received her Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) from Zagreb in 1993. Later, in 2002, she earned a special qualification called a "habilitation" from the University of Münster in Germany. This qualification is like reaching a professorship level in Slavic languages.

Where She Taught and Studied

Kordić has taught and done research at several universities in both Croatia and Germany. From 1990 to 1991, she was an assistant at Osijek University. Then, from 1991 to 1995, she was an assistant at Zagreb University.

After that, she moved to Germany. She was a lecturer at Bochum University from 1993 to 1998. She then became an associate professor at Münster University from 1998 to 2004. She also spent time as a visiting professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin from 2004 to 2005. Finally, from 2005 to 2007, she was a lecturer at Frankfurt University.

Her Important Books

Snježana Kordić has written several important books about language. These books share her ideas and research with other linguists and the public.

• Relative Clauses (1995): This book is about how "relative clauses" work in language. Relative clauses are parts of sentences that give more information about a noun, like "the dog that barked loudly."
• Words on the Border Between Lexicon and Grammar (2002): This book explores words that act like both regular words (lexicon) and grammar rules.
• Language and Nationalism (2010): This book is one of her most famous. It talks about how language is often used to create national identity and sometimes to divide people. It explains her ideas about how languages in the Balkans are actually very similar, even if different countries call them by different names.

She also wrote a grammar book called Serbo-Croatian (1997, updated in 2006) and a textbook for advanced students titled Serbo-Croatian: A Textbook for Advanced Students with Grammar (1997, updated in 2004).

Interviews and Public Discussions

Snježana Kordić has given many interviews to newspapers, magazines, and radio stations. In these interviews, she shares her views on language and society, especially about how language is used in the Balkan region. She often talks about how language should not be used to separate people or create conflict.

She has been interviewed in:

• Croatia: Newspapers like Feral Tribune, Novosti, Globus, Novi list, Slobodna Dalmacija, and Večernji list. She also appeared on Croatian Radio 3.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Publications like Slobodna Bosna, Dani, Tačno.net, Diskriminacija, Buka, Urban magazin, and Radio Free Europe.
• Serbia: Magazines like NIN and newspapers like Danas and Večernje novosti. She also spoke on Radio Belgrade 2 and Novi magazin TV.
• Montenegro: Newspapers like Dan and Vijesti, and on Radio DUX.

In these interviews, she often discusses topics like:

• How linguists sometimes avoid disagreeing with political ideas about language.
• The idea that different languages are sometimes just "legally verified lies" when they are actually very similar.
• How schools and universities can sometimes spread myths about language that are based on nationalism.
• The importance of having a neutral name for a language that is spoken by many different groups.

See also

In Spanish: Snježana Kordić para niños

Images for kids

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  Book cover of Snježana Kordić's grammar book Serbo-Croatian (published 1997, 2006)