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TheSoviet Union actively tried to incorporateMarxist ideals into the study oflinguistics.
Linguists had important positions in the early Soviet state, as they were needed to develop alphabets for languages that previously had never been written.[1]
In the 1920s, language began to be seen as a social phenomenon, and Russian and Soviet linguists tried to give a sociological explanation to features of language. At the same time, Soviet linguists sought to develop a "Marxist" linguistics, as opposed to the early theories that were viewed asbourgeois. Based on this, linguists focused more on the spoken forms of the language, and devoted more time to the study of non-standard dialects than previous linguists had done. This can be seen in the work ofBoris Alexandrovich Larin andLev Petrovich Iakubinskii.[1]
The leading linguist of the early Soviet era wasNicholas Marr, known for hisJaphetic theory. The theory suggested that theKartvelian languages had a common origin with theSemitic languages. He also applied the idea ofclass struggle to the development of language. After Marr died, an article byStalin blasted Marr's theory, stating "Soviet linguistics cannot be advanced on the basis of an incorrect formula which is contrary to the whole course of the history of peoples and languages." Politically, World War II caused a rise innationalism, which Japhetic theory argued against. This theory was never accepted outside the Soviet Union.[2]
In stark contrast to the "splitters" of mainstream Westernhistorical linguistics, the majority of prominent Soviet historical linguists were "lumpers" belonging to theMoscow School of Comparative Linguistics. These linguists, who were all staunch proponents of theNostratic theory, includedVladislav Illich-Svitych,Aharon Dolgopolsky, andSergei Starostin.[3]
