BREV TIL: Eloise Kerlin FRA: Louis Hjelmslev (1952-11-22)

JC, A November 22, 1952

Miss ifLøise Berlin 210 2. illader nnn Årbor, bileh*, U.e.A# Dear Miss Kerlin, i;b---irik- you very much i*oi’ your lotter of November 14 and for sending me a copy of your paper 'Language and Cultures Notes on V/horf'* I need hardly say that it interests me to a very high de- groe* unfortunately, my knowledge of Wharf * & contributions to theoretical linguistics is so fax* still to some extent incomplete? what I know best is his work on Hopij 1 have Just read 'Language, Mind and Reality', reprinted in the journal dec* 9*167-86 (1952)I unfortunately, the FSI-publication (Four articles on metalinguistics) dirnot seem to be available in Denmark yet# So I hardly venture to have an.; opinion on your evaluation - positive and negative - of Whorl. As far as my own theory is concerned, there are no misro- presentations! I can whole-heartedly subscribe to everything, excej^ perhaps that I would like you to say that the sign is a rolabionaå field (i.e* a relation with its two terminals, C and J2), not that it is a relatxon £sections 2*6 and 5*5, in the latter place funC tlon should be changed accordingly into functional field). 'Uaif **8 a matter of minor importance, although, for the sake of clarity* 31011 absolutely unimportant. 1 find your contribution very well done and very st .nula^k,« 1 hop© it will be published somewhere § this would be very >æful. Pleas© let me know if you would like to have it published Europe# Bsrh&ps would you find it still more useful to have it published in ti.b., where content analysis is maybe loss known (better bo says still more unknown) than in Durop#? In that case, I wc^ld advis© you to have it published in a periodical with a sufficient number of European readers. I recall my stay in America, and my students in Bloomington who were so enthusiastic about problems of linguistic theory, with the

strongest feelings of satisfaction and gratitude. t frank you for remembering me, and please don*b hesitate to write again any time .you would like. I shall be glad to follow o'our work. Yours sincerely,

Louis Hjelmslev