old church slavic
Definition
Proper noun * A historical Slavic language: Old Church Slavic refers to the first written Slavic language. It was created in the 9th century primarily for translating Christian texts, most importantly the Bible, and for use in church liturgy. It is the oldest attested Slavic literary language and is based on the dialect of Slavs living near Thessaloniki.
Usage
- Old Church Slavic is of immense importance to linguists studying the history and development of Slavic languages.
- The language is preserved in a small corpus of religious manuscripts from the 10th and 11th centuries.
- It is also known as Old Church Slavonic.
Examples
- The Gospels were first translated into Old Church Slavic by Saints Cyril and Methodius.
- Scholars study Old Church Slavic to reconstruct Proto-Slavic, the common ancestor of all Slavic languages.
- Many modern Slavic languages, including Russian and Bulgarian, have borrowed religious and cultural vocabulary from Old Church Slavic.
Advanced Usage
- As a liturgical language: While historically created for this purpose, Old Church Slavic is still used as a liturgical language in some Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, though in its later adapted forms (often called Church Slavonic).
Variants and Related Words
- Old Church Slavonic: The most common synonym for Old Church Slavic. The terms are often used interchangeably.
- Church Slavonic: Refers to the later, adapted forms of the language used in liturgy up to the present day in various national recensions (e.g., Russian Church Slavonic).
- Old Bulgarian: An older term, still sometimes used, reflecting the theory that its dialectal base was Old Bulgarian.
Synonyms
- Old Church Slavonic
Notes on Different Meanings
This term refers specifically to a single, defined historical language. It does not refer to a modern language or a general concept of "old Slavic." Its primary identity is tied to its creation for ecclesiastical purposes in the 9th century.
Noun
-
the Slavic language into which the Bible was translated in the 9th century
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