Linnaeus as a connecting link in Swedish language history

• The modern reader of Linnaeus's travel writings might be struck by the numerous passages in Latin that are interspersed throughout the Swedish texts, but certainly also by his keen-sighted observations formulated using concrete and illustrative Swedish words and expressions. Linnaeus's particular style of prose reveals both his acquaintance with the rethorical tradition of Latin and his unbiased creativity. Neither Linnaeus himself nor his students took an active part in the language debate as such. Linnaeus's importance lies, rather, in his establishment of a "model" for scientific writing in Swedish. It is argued that the particular kind of prose Linnaeus used in the diaries from his journeys to different parts of Sweden in the 1730s and 1740s was taken as a model by his "apostles". A homogeneous type of factual prose for scholarly purposes was thus developed, characterized by Linnaeus's stylistic ideals and his manner of detailed reporting. By using Swedish for scientific purposes the Linnaeans contributed to the standardization process. Linneaus's influence can also be extended to Swedish literature in general and to the modern breakthrough of impressionistic Swedish prose. Thus, the opening passage of the novel Röda rummet (1879) by the Swedish author August Strindberg echoes Linnaeus's rapid and expressive use of Swedish in his diaries.

Subject headings

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Studier av enskilda språk (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- Specific Languages (hsv//eng)

Keyword

svensk språkhistoria

Linneus

standardisering

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kap (subject category)