Graphemic-Phonemic Relations in the Text of the FojnicaChronicle (XVII Century)

With Special Reference to theDifferences and Similarities According to the Texts of theFranciscan Writing Activity of the 17th and 18th Centuries

Abstract

This paper analyzes the graphemic-phonemic relationships in the Fojnica Chronicle, focusing on the differences and similarities in comparison to the texts of the Franciscan writing activity of the 17th and 18th centuries. First, graphemes that consistently denote the same phoneme in the Fojnica Chronicle are listed. Special emphasis is placed on the representation of certain phonemes marked with two graphemes, or, in some cases, the use of the same grapheme for several different phonemes. For example, the phonemes /ć/ and /đ/ are indicated by the jerv, and the jerv, in combination with the letters l and n, indicates the palatal phonemes /ļ/ and /ń/. The phonemes /č/ and /ǯ/ are marked with the same grapheme. Two graphemes are used to mark the phonemes /k/ and /o/, each with specific distributional rules for their use. The consonant cluster /št/ is denoted by a single letter. The accompanying letter a regularly appears with the vocal  ŗ/, and the phoneme /j/ is denoted by the grapheme for jat. All the mentioned peculiarities are compared with the practices of some Franciscan writers from the 17th and 18th centuries. The study examines not only writers who published in Croatian Cyrillic but also those whose works were published in Latin, as the influence of Latin graphic rules on marking some phonemes in Croatian Cyrillic is evident.