BREV TIL: Louis Hjelmslev FRA: Roman Jakobson (1945-09-13)

/S

Urniii*

''jp-i.o-bvtx

Linguistic Circle of New York CERCLE LINGUISTIQUE DE NEW YORK 66 FIFTH AVENUE (Seventh Floor) NEW YORK 11, N. Y.

Executive Board: President: Henri F. Muller Vice-Presidents: Louis H. Gray Roman Jakobson Secretary-Treas.: Wolf Leslau Managing Editor: Pauline Taylor Executive Committee: the preceding and Giuliano Bon fan te George Herzog' Joseph M. F. Manque, S. J. Morris Swadesh Ralph W. Weiman

13A/45 * *

LJ

Dear Louis, We were happy at receiving your cable and letter, and glad to know that you are all well and safe. I hope to receive soon your publications since 1941. From Øahiers SaBUBiaxjR Saussure I have known that you h^ve published many things and I am very eager • Since 1942 Im teaching at Ecole Libre des ^autes Etudes / New York French University/ as prefessor of general linguistics and Slavic languages. Moreover, since 1943 I have toeen working as visiting professor of comparative linguistics at Columbia University. I didn't publish much since I hax» came to this country! a paper on Paleosiberian languages in AA| some contri- butions to Slavic philology; a Czech book on the history of the Czech national idea , particularly in the Middle Ages; and an article about the late Boas, as linguist,in the resumed Journal of American Linguistics. Now Voegelln, at Indiana University, edits it. During the last year? of Boas , I was very close to him add learned to like and appreciate him very highly. As soon it will be possible technically i'll send you all these. But the principle result of my research of the last year?, ±x a large book "Sound and Meaning",is still unfinished. I hope to publish it in the next year,and I would so much like to M*jk discuss with you these basic problems. In this book I pursue to the end the toork which I began years ago : the dissociation of the phoneme* into the ultimate x&xisum?. nuc3-el/’distinctive features", and on these undissociable units I try to base both the phonemic transcrip- tion and the classification and typology of the phonemic systems. The remarkable results of the accoustic investigations of the Bell Company were very helpful to this work. My other publications, in printing and preparation,are ajcomprehensive analysis of the ancient epopee /Igor s Tale/ , a monograph about the Czech glosses In the Hebrew texts of the ll-±8 13 th centuries, and a structural analysis of the Gilyak language. I have just returned from Chicago where I lectured at the University about the meaning as a pivotal problem of modern linguistics and it becomes now my concern. I m anxious to know what are your current subjects and plans. We organized here a linguistic circle which unite^most of the linguists of this city and the neighboring towns. We began publishing a review "Word";the first issue appeared, the second Is in print and I shall send them to you. My study on comparative metrics will aSEua?VPFPk&bly in the third issue. We will be very happy to have contributions from you and your friends, particularly from Uldall.

Any linguistic subject is welcome and , in the first place, problems of general linguistics. If you can send us, moreover, a summarizing chronicle of the Danish linguistic life during the wartime and now, we shall be very glad to publish it.in my next letter I shall try to inform you about the American linguistic life of today. I have a very urgent question for you: where ±s are Mr. and Mrs. Paulsen and has he the photostat of the Russian manuscript from the King s Library prepared for our common edition by the Rask Foundation? How far is he in his work^? I should like very much to have the photostat and a copy of Paulsen s transcription in order to begin my work. Svatava is lecturing on the Czech language in Columbia University and the Ecole Libre. We hope to see you again in the next year. We are still thinking about both of you, your whole family, aid all our Danish friends.

Columbia Univers New York, N.Y.

Ever yours, % ^ ‘Job ^

017

Til

. snc

i.f

■m ;.n •'

rr r

i /

0 . 8

r r

10 3

£ D 0*X;

a U‘

5 O