BREV TIL: Thomas Albert Sebeok FRA: Louis Hjelmslev (1952-06-30)

ftføok, / hnMÆl t // Thomas A. Sebeok: The Structure and Contønt of Cheremls Charms.

I have read the article with considerable interest, particularly II: Structural Analysis in Folklore. which presents an exceptionally large view and contains highly interesting observations concerning the history of scholarship, (1 am particularly interested in the statement p. 11 1. 8-1o: "a structural statement is everywhere one which says something about relations rather than about the relate themselves". This, by the way, has, as far as I remember, been point- ad out not only by Carnap but also by Falla, and of course by Hilbert, It is, at least to tqy own opinion, the main point in my article »Struc- tural Analysis of Language* 1947, which you cite in your Bibliography.) I have gone through 1X1: Sample Analysis, with particular care.- I have no objection to the dichotomy principle as carried out here, Partly because all necessary reservations have been taken in fn. 85 p, 15), and partly because it is evident that the dichotomy principle works excellently,, and sufficiently, in the example(s) chosen. -- I have been particularly Interested in th® statement p. 15, according to which the reasons for the boundaries laid down between the resul- tants of one single analysis can only be given by the further analyses; this, in fact, is a completely general principle which holds good for all analyses of this kind, although it is often neglected or ignored in present-day linguistics; much discussion on immediate constituents might have been avoided as superfluous, If this (together-with the recognization of the necessity of an exhaustive procedure, passing through as many stages of analysis as possible) had been recognized. These remarks are-not objections. I have no alterations to suggest. (In the Bibliography, it might however be added that Brtfndal*s paper »Linguistique structurale* 1945 is a reprint of his editorial paper in the Acta Linguistics I, 1959«) 1 might, of course, suggest mari as an alternative term beside Cheremls, It is pleasant to me to see that your vast and well-informed documen- tation includes my old »guide, philosopher and friend* and my first teacher of Finnish, F, Ohrt. Among his qualifications was that of be- ing what in Banish is called a »German-eater* (»tyskeræder*), so he might have felt a little uneasy about your fn, 2, although I do not doubt that your statement about his discussion being essentially Ger- man-based is fully adequate. I might suggest that you contact Prof. Ad. Stender-Petersen (Aarhus) for a general discussion on structural analysis in folklore, in case you have not already done so. He has been working in the field and will no doubt be highly interested in your approach. Some years ago he wrote a short article on the structure of a folk-tale with metho- dological remarks, in a Festschrift to Arthur Christensen of which un- fortunately I cannot recall the title just now.

Bloomington, Ind., June 50, 1952.

Louis Hjelmslev.