Die grammatische Terminologie derOsnova slovnice slavjanske narěčja ilirskogavon Vjekoslav Babukić (1836)

SummaryDuring the past decennia, Vjekoslav Babukić’sOsnova slovnice slavjanske narěčja ilirskoga(Zagreb, 1836) has come to be widely regarded in Croatia as the first codification of a Štokavian-based standard language for all Croats and has enjoyed an accordingly privileged status. The present article is intended as a reminder that this grammar was undoubtedly written first and foremost as a foundation in order to create a common literary language for all South Slavs, at least for the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes. Such a broader view is firmly supported by the obvious “all-Slavic spirit” (sveslavenski duh) attributed to the text by Lj. Gaj already in 1836 and can further be substantiated by means of a short examination of Babukić’s peculiarly mixed metalanguage that combines Kajkavian-German-Latin and Serbian-Russian-Church Slavonic terms.