PHILOLOGIST – Journal of Language, Literature, and Cultural Studies

CONFERENCE ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERARY STUDIES

Emir Z. Muhić — 2025-12-30

COLOUR-BASED ANGLICISMS IN THE SERBIAN LANGUAGE

Jasmina M. Miljković — 2025-12-30

English as the dominant language of global communication has a significant influence on the Serbian language through the process of lexical borrowing. This study focuses on the phenomenon of lexical borrowing from English, examining lexemes containing colour components (e.g., Black Friday, Red Bull, blue jeans) that have been adopted into Serbian in their original form. Such borrowings not only enrich the Serbian lexicon but also reflect the language’s adaptation to new social, cultural, and technological realities.

DEFINITENESS AND ENGLISH ARTICLES AS CHALLENGES FOR CROATIAN EFL LEARNERS

Tonina Ibrulj — 2025-12-30

This paper explores the challenges faced by Croatian native speakers - students of English- in acquiring the article system (a, an, the). Since the Croatian language does not possess a grammatical category of articles, students must learn an entirely new grammatical structure and the concept of definiteness/indefiniteness. Through a theoretical framework grounded in cognitive linguistics and an empirical error analysis based on a gap-filling task, the paper shows that students often perceive definiteness differently from native speakers. The results indicate that the strict application of rules leads to systematic errors, whereas a meaning- and context-based approach enables greater accuracy and understanding. The analysis of three student groups (students of English, computer science, and law) reveals that academic discipline affects success in article use, with English language students demonstrating the highest accuracy. The paper highlights the need for a balance between grammatical explanation and contextual practice in language teaching.

(MIS)HEARING ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE: THE VENIAL DESOLATION OF SOUND(S)

Emir Z. Muhić — 2025-12-30

Speakers of a kaleidoscopic myriad of equally mystifying and mesmerizing languages across the board have done battle since time immemorial over the notions of clarity and precision of the 'spoken' output generated by dint of an either preferred or accessible linguistic mechanism. It comes as no surprise that the bone of contention is yet to be buried with the ever-deepening and widening margin of diparity neither taken in good part nor always seen as a 'licenced' variant. Despite the ostensible cline to greater permissiveness, a recrudescence of deepseated strait-laced prejudices can be observed while novel forms of communication are often dismissed as substandard and consigned to a peripheralised state of inescapable inexactitude. The small-scale survey at hand takes a dive into the cognitive arenas of pervasive social media for the two-fold sake – mining a germane corpus and acquiring the toolkit to decipher novel semantic subsystems. The next port of call is a closer look at the backlash from academia and other 'authorised' communities, all the while keeping an eye out for reasonably sound grounds to justify these revitalised tendencies towards what, for a time, seemed an antiquated and obsolete convention. Use is made of the concepts pertaining to confirmation bias, heterophemy and more broadly why we mishear or choose to mishear each other ever so often.

ONENESS IN DONNE

Božica Jović — 2025-12-30

In this paper we will explore the concept of “oneness” in Donne’s religious and love poetry. As such, this concept can be viewed as a philosophical concept of enlightenment either through devotion or love commitment. Also, this concept can be furthermore defined in opposition to the existing concepts of “fair” and “black” that permeated the early love sonnet in the English Renaissance. The duality between “fair” and “black,” one denoting purity and virtue, generally speaking, and the other “desire” and “passion” as its opposites, was crucial for the early English sonneteers that it can posit a profound question of why Donne does not continue with or embrace this duality in his love poetry. Instead, he introduces the concept of “oneness” consistently throughout his poetry.

METONYMICAL EXPRESSIONS ABOUT PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES IN AMERICAN AND BOSNIAN-HERZEGOVINIAN MEDIA

Anela J. Mulahmetović Ibrišimović — 2025-12-30

When engaging with media content, its consumers need to be mindful of potential negative media bias and stereotypical representation of minority groups, such as the disabled community. Critical consumption is essential in the context of the ableist perception of the world, often conveyed through metaphor and metonymy. Both frequently appear in the media, reinforcing prevalent societal attitudes and opinions. This paper examines the presence of conceptual metonymies in the American and Bosnian-Herzegovinian media coverage of individuals with disabilities. While a limited number of studies delved into the interplay between metaphor and disability, no studies were conducted on the relationship between media, disability, and conceptual metonymy. We believe that this study will contribute to an informative, cross-cultural understanding of disability media coverage practices since conceptual metonymy offers insights into the patterns of disability representation and perception.

VISUAL MATERIALS IN THE EFL CLASSROOM AT UNIVERSITY: A CASE STUDY

Maja Mandić — 2025-12-30

The aim of this paper is to present and discuss the results of a small-scale study of student perceptions and opinions on the use of visual materials in the EFL classroom at university. Teaching new generations of students who grew up with smart phones in their hands and social media accounts implies the need for more integration of visual materials in university classes, and this need is particularly visible in foreign language classes. Visual literacy has become one of the objectives of education in general and must not be neglected at university. The study was conducted after two EFL elective courses, which were largely based on visual assignments, were completed (two semesters) and the students who took the courses were asked to respond to a questionnaire. Their responses were then analyzed and positive and negative aspects of the visual assignments were identified and discussed in order to understand their potential in working with new student groups. The paper looks at both the students’ responses and the EFL instructor’s expectations and class observations, and provides suggestions for future work with university students.

LANGUAGE SO OFTEN FAILS US: COINING NEW WORDS TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT WE LIVE IN: A CASE STUDY OF RUDY FRANCISCO

Neira Lojić — 2025-12-30

The ever-changing world requires new vocabulary for humans to understand certain concepts that have existed for a longer period of time but have never been labelled. This paper deals with the form and meaning of the newly-coined words in a poetry collection I'll Fly Away by American-Belizean poet Rudy Francisco. A thorough morphological analysis will be given in order to conclude whether these words follow the usual word-formation processes or their form is gone astray from the English language and is not rule-governed at all. By referring to the previously done research on coinages that come into the language, there will be a word about various characteristics proposed by Peter Hohenhaus and Pavol Štekauer that these words might have and share among one another, therefore hapax legomena, nonce-formations and neologisms will all be discussed about respectively. Most of the words that the poet came up with represent a certain personal context that many readers can relate to, hence context-dependency of these hapax legomena will be observed in a great deal. The analysis of 12 newly-coined words from the given corpus is necessary because they might enter the language and therefore the people that live the same or similar life as the poet will finally be able to understand certain phenomena in their everyday life.

ESP FOR ART STUDENTS: TESTING VISUAL AND LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE

Jelena D. Brkić — 2025-12-30

This study investigates the comprehension and use of the elements and principles of design by art students during the 2022–2023 and 2024–2025 spring midterm tests. Using The ABCs of Art: The Elements and Principles of Design booklet by M. C. Gillis as a core teaching tool, the research analyzes common errors in vocabulary, spelling, and conceptual understanding across four specializations. Particular attention is given to difficulties with artistic terminology, visual representation in drawing tasks, and oral exams where students interpret works by renowned painters. In the 2022–2023 academic year, the booklet was used in eight classes, and the average score (out of a maximum of 20 points) on the second midterm test for 38 students was 16.44; no student achieved the maximum score. In the 2024– 2025 academic year, the average score was 13.68 for 29 students, but the number of students who achieved the maximum score increased to five. Recurring issues included misunderstandings of distorted proportions, spatial relationships, and the meaning of quantifiers such as a couple of. The findings highlight the booklet’s effectiveness within an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) context, supporting faster learning and the development of both linguistic and artistic skills. To conclude, we believe this study will contribute to improving pedagogical approaches in art education.

ENGLISH AS LINGUA FRANCA IN CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHING AT UNIVERSITY OF BANJA LUKA SINOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Sonja D. Stanković — 2025-12-30

With China’s reform and opening-up policy, alongside its growing global influence, Chinese language education has gained significant international attention. This global interest has led to the establishment of specialised programs in universities worldwide. The Sinology Department at the University of Banja Luka, founded in 2022, is the youngest such program at the Faculty of Philology. This paper examines the role of English Language and the English department in influencing the teaching methods of Sinology. As one of the newest Sinology departments in Europe, the development of Sinology at the University of Banja Luka offers a unique opportunity to explore the linguistic influences that shape its identity. Since its inception, English has served as the primary medium of instruction between native Chinese-speaking teachers and Sinology students. This study aims to investigate students' attitudes toward the use of English as a lingua franca (ELF) in teaching Chinese at the University of Banja Luka Sinology Department, exploring its effectiveness and potential challenges in the learning process. By conducting a survey, the study will assess how ELF has facilitated communication and contributed to the development of Sinology teaching methods.

ANALYSIS OF TRANSLATION STRATEGIES TOWARD CULTURE-SPECIFIC ELEMENTS IN THE NOVEL TALKING IT OVER BY JULIAN BARNES

Milica Vuković — 2025-12-30

The subject of this paper titled Analysis of translation strategies toward culture- specific elements in the novel Talking It Over by Julian Barnes are the cultural elements that represent a challenge for translators when being translated from the source to the target language. The present paper aims to determine the specific translation processes used in translating culturally specific elements from English to Serbian. The paper focuses on determining which translation strategies the translator used the most during his translation work. Different types of translation strategies are singled out, retention, specification, direct translation, generalization, substitution and omission. The analysis of the novel “Talking it Over” by Julian Barnes translation shows that the translation processes used are a combination of domestication and foreignization strategies. Finally, the paper identifies those cultural elements that represent a challenge for translators, potential problems and mistakes that occurred during translation.

BETWEEN MEMORY AND MODERNITY: THE VISUAL AND SONIC LANGUAGE OF WONG KAR-WAI’S CINEMA

Ljiljana Ž. Stević — 2025-12-30

The paper deals with Wong Kar-wai’s (王家衛) films Chungking Express (重慶森林) (1994) and In the Mood for Love (花樣年華) (2000), focusing on mood, music, and clothing as conduits for cultural messages. By situating these films within the framework of globalisation, the study explores how Wong’s aesthetic choices engage with transnational identity, nostalgia, and cultural hybridity. Drawing on film theory, cultural studies, and historical analysis, the paper argues that Wong Kar-wai’s films articulate a unique dialogue between local and global cultural dynamics, offering insights into Hong Kong’s shifting identity in a globalised world. The primary objective of the study is to investigate how Wong Kar-wai’s cinematic techniques—particularly his use of mood, music, and costume design—construct cultural narratives that resonate both locally and globally. The paper seeks to analyse the aesthetic and emotional impact of these elements in Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love. We also attempt to examine the films’ engagement with Hong Kong’s cultural identity amid the forces of globalisation and to explore the interrelationship between nostalgia, modernity, and transnationalism in Wong’s visual storytelling. Several themes are explored throughout the argumentation, including mood and aesthetic sensibility, music as a cultural memory, the choice of soundtracks in constructing nostalgia, and bridging local and global sensibilities, as well as the use of costumes as a means of cultural semiotics.

DIGITAL RITUALS AND EVERYDAY NARRATIVES: A VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF SHORT-FORM VIDEO CULTURE

Ivana Ercegovac — 2025-12-30

This paper examines how short-form video platforms transform everyday routines into recognizable narrative and visual patterns. Through qualitative content analysis of 21 videos from TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts, this pilot study identifies how compressed sequences of action become procedural micro-narratives. These videos rely on minimal cues of setup, shift, and closure, reinforced by visual grammars and culturally coded symbols that ensure legibility at feed speed. The analysis shows how repetition and template use function as digital rituals that both reflect and standardize everyday storytelling. By combining narratology, semiotics, and digital anthropology, the study contributes to understanding how short-form platforms not only distribute content but also actively shape cultural expression and identity. Methodologically, the adoption of the micro-narrative as a unit of analysis enables comparison across languages and platforms, while also highlighting the influence of algorithmic curation on sample formation. The findings open paths for future research using larger datasets and mixed methods, offering insights into how platforms shape the forms and rhythms of everyday narratives over time.

ANDRIĆ AND KIERKEGAARD: THE IRONICAL FORMATION OF THE CHARACTER OF ALIJA ĐERZELEZ (WITH CONSTANT REFERENCE TO SOCRATES)

Igor M. Simanovic — 2025-12-30

This paper analyzes Andrić's early short story The Journey of Alija Đerzelez (1920) from the perspective of the philosophical framework of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who is often considered one of the significant influences that, to some extent, shaped the formation of his literary corpus. Given that this influence has primarily been recognized and demonstrated in Andrić's poetry collections (such as Ex Ponto, Nemiri), which the author himself emphasized as an indisputable fact, the aim here is to extend this connection with Kierkegaard to his prose debut, which effectively revealed and anticipated Andrić's immense creative potential. Specifically, the ironic transposition of the folkloric character Alija Đerzelez is based on Kierkegaard's seminal work On the Concept of Irony (with constant reference to Socrates), while also not overlooking Either/Or. Therefore, the focus is not on mechanically imposing Kierkegaard's philosophy onto Andrić's text, but rather, in the manner of proper comparative studies, to facilitate a broader understanding of the relationship between the two thinkers, connected by their very similar ways of expressing their own vision of the world and human existence within it, which ultimately resulted in a remarkable literary hero.

FRAGMENTED IDENTITY OF THE SPEAKING SUBJECT IN BECKETT’S FOOTFALLS: THE AUTHENTIC SELF AND ITS INTERNAL OTHERS

Sultan Komut Bakinc — 2025-12-30

The act of “seeing” or more precisely, realizing “the ill around and within us” necessitates a mode of expression that does not mask disturbance but instead echoes its fractured rhythms. Samuel Beckett’s Footfalls, marked by its fragmented structure, spectral characters and playful language, falls into this category. Drawing on Cathy Caruth’s theory of trauma as a belated, unassimilable experience that resists narrative coherence, this paper explores how the play reflects and enacts psychological trauma. At the center is May, a ghostly figure engaged in repetitive pacing and fragmented dialogue with a Woman’s Voice who is presumed to be her mother but arguably a projection of May’s own fractured psyche. Through this lens, the play becomes more about dramatizing the breakdown of a unified self. Accordingly, May is not an authentic, coherent subject but an embodiment of the internal other. Employing Jacques Derrida’s concepts of différance and the instability of presence, the paper argues that Footfalls disrupts conventional binaries such as self/other, presence/absence, and voice/silence and accordingly, the ambiguity of the speaking self, combined with the lack of verifiable reality within the play’s world, destabilizes reader/audience expectations and invites multiple, even contradictory interpretations. The play, thus, becomes a site where language falters, the self dissolves, and trauma endlessly replays, foregrounding the impossibility of arriving at a final or stable truth.

A COMMEMORATION OF WOUNDS ENDURED: WRITING AS RESISTANCE IN MARGARET ATWOOD’S THE BLIND ASSASSIN

Marija N. Gagić — 2025-12-30

Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin depicts repressive patriarchal practices such as insistence upon the cult of Victorian womanhood and the sacrificial angel trope imposed on women in 1930s and 1940s Canada. Focusing on the protagonist, Iris Chase Griffen, the paper will explore the ways in which female voices are silenced within patriarchal structures, finding an outlet of resistance in the act of writing. The Blind Assassin utilizes the mode of fictional autobiography to challenge dominant male perspectives, as Iris rewrites her own history, realizing the potential for female agency and self-expression.

SOCIAL FEMININE NOUNS IN DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

Mijana Č. Kuburić Macura — 2025-12-30

This paper analyzes the frequency and competition between social feminine and (generic) social masculine nouns in a sample of daily newspapers in the Republic of Srpska, focusing on fluctuations in their usage. The study also examines the recorded forms from a neological perspective by checking their presence in Serbian dictionaries. The findings provide a snapshot of the current linguistic situation, showing that social feminine nouns are widely used in print media and can be regarded as the dominant lexical choice for denoting women’s professions and social roles. The most frequent and stable forms appear in the sports lexicon, but numerous examples are also found in references to occupations, functions, and roles in other areas of social life. While most of these feminine forms belong to standardized lexis, the use of unregistered forms is not uncommon, indicating a dynamic process in which social changes are closely mirrored in language. These results highlight the importance of continued, longitudinal research on the spread and acceptance of social feminine nouns, as well as the active role of language-planning institutions in evaluating individual solutions.

ON THE MODAL VERB TREBATI IN THE LANGUAGE OF DAILY NEWSPAPERS IN THE REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA

Goran B. Milašin — 2025-12-30

This paper examines the syntactic and semantic behaviour of the modal verb trebati (‘to need’) in contemporary standard Serbian on the basis of a corpus drawn from the daily newspapers Glas Srpske and Nezavisne novine published in the first week of June 2025. Relying on relevant grammatical and normative-linguistic literature, special attention is given to those types of constructions in which the use of the impersonal form is not recommended by the norm: (1) when trebati appears in the perfect or conditional after the subject, and (2) in relative clauses with the relative pronoun / the conjunction koji functioning as the subject. The analysis shows that journalistic style largely departs from the explicit norm. Impersonal forms of trebati frequently occur even in syntactic environments where they are normatively restricted, while personal forms, although less common, also appear in certain constructions. These deviations do not seem to be accidental errors or stylistically motivated variants, but rather stable tendencies in actual language use. The findings support the view that some prescriptive rules are not aligned with either the grammatical system or real usage, and that allowing personal forms of the modal verb trebati could contribute to greater systemic consistency and clearer codification.

POSITIONING SOURCE WORDS IN TWO-MEMBER SERBIAN LEXICAL BLENDS: AN ANALYSIS OF SOURCE WORDS’ SYLLABLE NUMBER AND FREQUENCY

Gorica R. Tomić — 2025-12-30

Starting from the research results for intentional English blends which demonstrate that their first source word tends to have fewer syllables (Kelly, 1998;Renner, 2014 for coordinate blends; Gries, 2004b; 2004c; 2012 for (non-)coordinate blends) as well as greater frequency than their second source word (Kelly, 1998 for coordinate blends; Gries, 2004c; 2012 for (non-)coordinate blends), this paper aims to investigate whether the factors of syllable number and word frequency influence the positions of two source words in intentional paradigmatic and non-paradigmatic Serbian blends. To this end, a sample of 358 (non-)paradigmatic blends was drawn from the existing collections of blends in Serbian. The results of the statistical analysis show that the positioning of two source words in both paradigmatic and non-paradigmatic blends is significantly influenced by the source words’ number of syllables, but not their frequency.

CONCEPTUALISATION OF DEATH IN THE SLOVENIAN AND MACEDONIAN LANGUAGES

Gjoko Nikolovski — 2025-12-30

This paper presents the conceptualisation of death in the Slovenian and Macedonian languages through the prism of the cognitive mechanisms of metaphor and metonymy. With this aim, phraseological material from the two languages is analysed, which conveys a linguistic image of non-violent death. The conceptual and comparative analysis showed that conceptual domains are involved in the formation of Slovenian and Macedonian phrasemes and their meaning. The cognitive mechanism of metaphor (often intertwined with the cognitive mechanism of metonymy) acts as an established link between the initial concrete and the target abstract domain, and the linguistic realisation of this link is the phrasemes. The analysis showed that to understand and facilitate the acceptance of the abstract concept of death, we are helped by familiar experiences from the environment, and these mappings are usually from the more concrete to the more abstract domain (death), namely: (1) the image of the human body instead of death (with dysphemistic potential), (2) migration à death (with euphemistic potential), (3) the grave as a location à death (with dysphemistic potential), (4) sleeping (the human body in a horizontal position)àdeath (with euphemistic potential), (5) a living being à death (with dysphemistic and euphemistic potential), (6) light outàdeath (with euphemistic potential), (7) time à death (with euphemistic potential), (8) a valuable object à death (with euphemistic potential), (9) a substance à death (with euphemistic potential), (10) people à animals (with dysphemistic potential).Compared to dictionary and lexicon definitions of death, which define it mainly as the cessation of life and life processes, the cognitive view offers a broader perspective, addressing (1) the physiological effects of death, (2) death as migration, (3) death as movement underground, (4) death as sleep, (5) death as a living being, (6) death as darkness, (7) death as a final act, (8) death as the loss of a precious object, (9) death as the loss of substance, and (10) death of humans as the death of animals. The cognitive view of death is rooted in the human perception of death, which coincides with the anthropocentric nature of phraseology and its linguistic units based on the cognitive mechanisms of metaphor and metonymy.

MODELS OF THE SPEAKER'S TEMPORAL ORIENTATION IN VIRTUAL REALITY AND THEIR IMPACT ON HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACE SYSTEMS

Konstantin I. Belousov — 2025-12-30

The manuscript addresses models concerning the speaker's temporal orientation during communication within virtual reality (VR). VR denotes an environment constructed through computer technologies and technical apparatus. Presently, VR is regarded as an experimental domain or research methodology. The research was procured via experiment and analyzed 725 reactions from 24 participants, identifying temporal deictics that indicate temporal proximity or distance, which helped delineate temporal orientation modalities within VR. This research seeks to delve into the complexities of temporal orientation models within VR environments, concentrating on their role in shaping communication and optimizing human-machine interaction (HMI). Through a detailed VR-based experimental framework, the study investigates cognitive and communicative processes, uncovering distinctive temporal orientation models and their variations, which are influenced by extralinguistic factors. The analysis further highlights the speaker's temporal orientation in VR, referred to as virtual-temporal deixis, which forms a unique communicative-indicative coordinate system. The results underscore VR’s utility as a powerful tool for exploring cognitive and communicative dynamics, alongside mechanisms of language transformation. Moreover, the findings offer a theoretical basis for developing HMI systems that more closely align with human temporal perception, fostering more intuitive and natural user interactions.

FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EUPHEMISMS IN BUSINESS DISCOURSE (BASED ON THE EXAMPLE OF PRINCIPLED NEGOTIATIONS)

Lusine Harutyunyan — 2025-12-30

In recent years, the business community has acknowledged that negotiations should be built upon mutual respect and collaboration with a focus on interests rather than positions. This has set an updated standard against which successful negotiation criteria should be measured and analysed. This research paper examines the effectiveness of euphemisms in business negotiation discourse within the framework of principled negotiation (developed by the Harvard Negotiation Project). One of the key components of principled negotiation is BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement). With the introduction of BATNA, the culture of conducting negotiations and the perception of trade-offs have immensely altered. It has now become a prevalent practice to concentrate on shared interests rather than positions, separate people from the problem, and constantly work on the process itself. In this research, the following methods have been applied: linguostylistic analysis, pragmalinguistic analysis, discourse analysis, and case study. The results of the analysis have shown that the use of euphemisms substantially fosters the efficiency of advancing core values of principled negotiations while reducing tension. As linguistic tools, they allow parties to avoid unnecessary directness, enhancing a constructive and collaborative atmosphere, even under challenging circumstances.

COGNITIVE, EMOTIONAL, AND BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF ATTITUDES TOWARD ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KOSOVSKA MITROVICA: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Snežana M. Zečević — 2025-12-30

This study examines the attitudes of secondary school students in Kosovska Mitrovica toward English language learning. Given adolescents’ susceptibility to diverse social, emotional, and contextual influences, a quantitative, empirical, cross-sectional study was conducted to: (1) analyze the cognitive dimension of students’ attitudes; (2) explore the emotional dimension; (3) assess the behavioral dimension; and (4) determine whether statistically significant differences exist in students’ attitudes with respect to gender, age, school type, school year, and average grade in English. The research involved a convenience sample of 201 students from four secondary schools in Kosovska Mitrovica. Data were collected using an adapted version of the Attitude Questionnaire toward Learning English (Abidin et al., 2012) and analyzed through descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and independent-samples t-tests in IBM SPSS Statistics 20. The findings indicate that: (a) secondary school students in Kosovska Mitrovica generally exhibit positive attitudes toward English language learning across all three examined dimensions; (b) a statistically significant difference was found only in relation to students’ average English grade, with no such differences observed for gender, age, school type, or school year; and (c) there is a clear need to implement contemporary teaching approaches and methods designed to enhance students’ motivation and engagement in learning English at the secondary level.

ON THE FUNCTIONS OF PHRASEOLOGISMS CHARACTERISTIC OF PUBLIC DISCOURSE IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Dragana R. Krstić — 2025-12-30

In this research, we aimed to highlight the most significant functions of phraseologisms in public discourse in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We divided discourse into primary and secondary types, and within these two categories, we attempted to shed light on what is achieved through the use of phraseologisms based on verbal rection. Through the analysis of material collected from various online portals in Republic of Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, we concluded that phraseologisms are linguistic units with significant manipulative power. This power manifests through several functions. When it comes to primary discourse, that is, the speech of politicians, phraseologisms serve to achieve emotionality, expressiveness, and vividness. If we talk about secondary discourse, created exclusively by journalists, phraseologisms are most significant in attracting the audience’s attention. They contribute to vividness, conciseness, engagement, and expressiveness. Considering all these characteristics, we viewed phraseologisms as manipulative linguistic constructions, and such constructions are precisely characteristic of the language used by politicians and journalists, as they are well-suited for influencing the public.

PHONETIC AND PHONOLOGICAL FEATURES OF BOSANSKA LJEKARUŠA (POMOČA OD SVAKE BOLESTI KOI IMA) FROM THE 18TH CENTURY

Georgina B. Šipovac — 2025-12-30

This paper presents the phonetic and phonological features of Bosanska Ljekaruša (Pomoča od svake bolesti koi ima) from 18th century. Ljekaruša is a term that refers to folk remedy books which usually contain plant-based medical recipes and verbal healing practices such as prayers, incantations and amulets. This manuscript is preserved in the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade. Bosanska Ljekaruša was found in Bosnia, from which it derives its geographically motivated name. The manuscript consists of 30 pages and it includes recipes for the treatment of 47 human ailments and one ailment affecting domestic animals. Research demonstrates that the phonetic features of the Bosnian ljekaruša primarily correspond to the Serbian vernacular, and that, in addition, certain phonetic features are characteristics of the Russian Church Slavonic language. This is best illustrated by the fact that the preposition *vъ- and the prefixes *vъ- и *vъz- have the reflex /u/; vocalic /r/ exhibits Serbian phonetic features; final /l/ shifts to /o/; the consonant /h/ is lost in some instances; the results of Old iotation show the dental /t/ as /ć/. The reflex of the long yat is predominantly ijekavian, although ikavian and (possibly) ekavian reflexes are also attested. The short yat most frequently shows a jekavian reflex, except in the group /re/ and in the prefix /ne-/ in indefinite pronominal forms. Russian Church Slavonic features are less frequent and primarily concern the Russian Church Slavonic vocalization of semi-vowels and the reflex of vocalic /r/. In conclusion, the structure of the excerpted material does not provide reliable isoglosses on the basis of which the speech type present here could be precisely determined.

POSVETA ELSI MORANTE (1912–1985), VJEČNO INSPIRATIVNOM KNJIŽEVNOM GLASU

Sanja N. Kobilj Ćuić — 2025-12-30

DEDICA A ELSA MORANTE (1912–1985), UNA FONTE INESAURIBILE DI ISPIRAZIONE LETTERARIA

Sanja N. Kobilj Ćuić — 2025-12-30

FANTASTIC PASSIONS. ON TWO UNPUBLISHED STORIES BY THE YOUNG MORANTE

Elena Porciani — 2025-12-30

In this paper, I will dwell upon two unpublished stories by the young Elsa Morante: La piccola, written between 1929 and 1935, and Dionisia, composed between 1935 and March 1936. These two texts bear witness to the transition, around the mid-1930s, from the very early phase of Morante’s youthful production, in which d'Annunzio's and sentimental models are intertwined with the practice of children’s literature, to a more elaborate and conscious phase, in which Morante measures herself against the tradition of the fantastic tale and the Kafkaesque model to build female characters with hypertrophic inner lives who somehow anticipate Elisa in Menzogna e sortilegio. In particular, in La piccola, I will tackle the unresolved coexistence of romance with Morante's progressive attraction to hallucinatory situations and morbid psychologies. With regard to Dionisia, I will show how the author plays with some typical motifs of 19th-century fantastic tales to give life to a female figure sorrowfully torn between oppressive religion and Eros.

THE SECRET GAME BY ELSA MORANTE

Mara Josi — 2025-12-30

In 1999, Marco Bardini attributed the lack of interest shown by critics and the public toward Elsa Morante’s short stories to two main factors: on the one hand, their limited availability, as they were scattered across periodicals that are now difficult to access; on the other, the severe and dismissive judgment expressed by certain critics—among them Cesare Garboli—who tended to regard this early work as merely a means for Morante to earn a living. On the eve of the centenary of Morante’s birth, however, there emerged a growing interest in what has been defined as the Morantian prehistory. Scholarly attention initially focused on the dreamlike universe (e.g., Porciani, 2006), and subsequently expanded to thematic continuities between the short stories and the novels (e.g., Bardini, 2012; Porciani, 2013), to the presence of elements linked to the author’s Jewish background (e.g., Beer, 2013), and, finally, to the fairy-tale, fantastic, and sacred dimensions (e.g., Garrido, 2014; Zangrandi, 2014; Manetti, 2014). The gothic dimension of Morante’s short fiction, however, has so far remained at the margins of critical discussion. This article aims to explore this theme by examining the presence and function of gothic motifs in Elsa Morante’s short stories collected in Il gioco segreto (1941). Drawing on the specificities of the gothic within the Italian literary tradition (e.g., Farnetti, 1988; Ceserani, 2007; Camilletti, 2018 and 2024; Serafini and Malvestio, 2023; Serafini, 2024), and considering its potential as a form of symbolic resistance to oppressive political and cultural structures—as well as its role as a vehicle for social critique (e.g., Billiani and Sulis, 2007; Billiani, 2023)—the article analyzes the ways in which Morante employed gothic elements to express anxieties and dissent related to the Fascist dictatorship.

THE PREHISTORY OF ELSA MORANTE: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FANTASTIC-GOTHIC IN FIVE TRANSLATED STORIES FROM IL GIOCO SEGRETO

Sanja N. Kobilj Ćuić — 2025-12-30

This paper explores the presence of Gothic and fantastic elements in five translated short stories by Elsa Morante from the collection Il gioco segreto, which belong to her early creative period, often referred to in literary criticism as her „prehistory.” Aiming to shed light on the concept of this prehistory and its importance within Morante’s oeuvre, the study combines a biographical-contextual approach with close textual analysis. The analysis is based on Tzvetan Todorov’s theoretical framework for the classification of the fantastic and Sigmund Freud’s concept of the Unheimliche, while also drawing on Morante’s posthumously published Diario 1938, where the author herself reflects on the relationship between dreams, death, and literary creation, offering valuable insights for interpreting her early prose. The paper argues that Morante’s so-called prehistory—long overlooked by critics and the public—plays a crucial role in shaping her poetics. This early period already reveals key thematic and stylistic elements that would later define her work: the centrality of ambiguity, the dominance of inner anxiety in character’s psychology, and the emergence of homodiegetic narration. These findings show that the foundations of Morante’s unique literary voice were laid in the very texts once considered marginal within her oeuvre.

REPRESENTATIONS OF CHILDHOOD IN ELSA MORANTE

Martina Sanković Ivančić — 2025-12-30

This essay explores the representation of childhood in several major works by Elsa Morante, including Menzogna e sortilegio, L’isola di Arturo, La Storia, and Aracoeli. Through the child characters Elisa, Arturo, Useppe, and Manuele, Morante places childhood at the center of her literary vision, using it to reflect on human identity, vulnerability, and relationships. The study highlights how Morante portrays childhood not only as a phase of life but also as a space of sensitivity, openness, and exposure to difference. Particular attention is given to the themes of solitude and communication, showing how moments of isolation become occasions for exploring non-verbal and bodily forms of language. The essay also considers Morante’s engagement with psychological and philosophical ideas concerning the development of identity and social experience, emphasizing the relevance of childhood as a key perspective for understanding both individual and collective dynamics in her works.

16 AND 18 OCTOBER 1943 IN ELSA MORANTE’S HISTORY: A NOVEL: AN INFERNAL TRAGIC CRESCENDO OF P/ PASSION

Elisa Martínez Garrido — 2025-12-30

Morante’s novel La Storia (1974) is probably not a “true” historical work; however, it is evident that the writer intended to reflect on the tragic lives of innocent people during Europe’s agony in the Second World War. The author arrives at conclusions similar to those of non-official historiography, because, through the memory of the victims and the history of the defeated, she attempts to act upon her present and upon the possible future. In this sense, the study of traumatic devastation in Morante’s third novel highlights the narration of the Jewish massacre and their deportation to the Lager, mainly presented in section seven of the chapter “1943”, one of the most tragic and mournful parts of the work. Consequently, the main aim of this article is the analysis of the tragic and emotional construction of this narrative section, dedicated to the deportation of the Roman Jews on 16 and 18 October 1943. This section consists of only eight pages and is subdivided into ten micro-sequences. The empathetic effect of the text is based on the intensive repetitio of words belonging to the semantic field of vocal acoustics; throughout the ten thematic micro-sequences, a clear tragic and tonal crescendo develops, referring to Jewish suffering. The obsessive repetition of lexemes such as voices, screams, laments, groans, choirs, sustained by the narrative diachrony of the entire section, appears like a lament or an oratorio of passion and death. The crescendo of voices tragically reveals the Jews’ torment and pain on their way to the extermination camps, in clear opposition to the silence of Rome’s Tiburtina railway station and to the indifference of the workers present there. The reflection on the banality of evil is thus introduced in La Storia. Elsa Morante activates the emotions of her readers through a rhetorical strategy that transcends mere textual elaboration. The author creates an overwhelming musical rhythm close to the oratorio form, and more specifically to J. S. Bach’s St Matthew Passion. The music cross La Storia: songs, lullabies, folk themes fill the life of the main characters. In this sense it is important the reference to the bird scherzi along the chapters 1943 and 1947, happy moments for Useppe, when he dialogues with the animals, inside the forest clearing. However in the analised examples the approach to the musical resonances of the text are of diverse caracter. If the Mozart’s traces are present in the wood scenes, in the deportation of the jews in the Tiburtina Railway Station seems to resonate in a indirect way the tragic modulations of Bach oratory.

Culturally Marked Lexis in the Serbian Language from a Linguocultural Perspective

Горан Б. Милашин — 2025-12-30

A Cognitive Linguistic Study of Verbal Prefixes in the Serbian Language

Марина Љ. Спасојевић — 2025-12-30

A Critical Edition of the Works of Marko Pećki

Наташа Ж. Драгин — 2025-12-30

Alba de Cėspedes Between Literature and Political-Cultural Engagement

Danijela M. Janjić — 2025-12-30

Joyce and Anderson in Parallel: Convergences of Great Modernists

Јована Јоргић — 2025-12-30

The Messianism of the Proud and the Humble

Зорана Ж. Штрбац — 2025-12-30