Ekaterina Chown
Lecturer in Russian, Faculty of Arts
Contact
Biography
I obtained an MA in Russian and German from Novosibirsk University, spending one semester at Rostock University (Germany), where I studied the history of German and comparative linguistics as part of my course. Three years later, I completed my PhD which focused on the loan language material in West-Russian and Belarusian medieval chronicles. In February 2004, I joined the Bakhtin Centre at the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies, University of Sheffield, as a research fellow to work on a project investigating the formation and development of early Soviet sociological linguistics (1917-1938). During my time in Sheffield I also contributed to delivering a range of modules in Russian and Russian linguistics. For a brief period I taught Soviet and East European Post-communist culture at the University of Leeds before joining the Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies in Nottingham as a lecturer in Russian language in 2010.
Research Summary
The archival material I collected during my previous work on early Soviet sociological linguistics encouraged me to take a closer look at the phenomenon of Russian theatre as a form of… read more
Recent Publications
CHOWN, K., 2010. Linguistic determinism and the history of early Soviet language planning. VOL 34(NUMBER 2), 139-141
BRANDIST, C and CHOWN, K., eds., 2010. Politics and the Theory of Language in the USSR, 1917-1938 Anthem Press.
CHOWN, K., 2008. The Soviet Language Workshop (1930-1939): The Struggle for Tools, Principles and Approaches. VOL 63(NUMBER 2-4), 201-219
CHOWN, K., 2008. Reflex theory in a linguistic context: Sergej M. Dobrogaev on the social nature of speech production. VOL 60(NUMBER 4), 307-319
Current Research
The archival material I collected during my previous work on early Soviet sociological linguistics encouraged me to take a closer look at the phenomenon of Russian theatre as a form of multidisciplinary research centre. Having played one of the central roles in Russian cultural life, theatres naturally constituted influential institutions which often enjoyed considerable financial and administrative support as well as a wide audience and a well-established multidisciplinary network of enthusiasts. Theatres were therefore often viewed as a productive research base for academic scholars, and were also able to pursue research work of their own.My current research is focused on the contribution of Russian theatre and performance studies to the development of early Soviet linguistics. I am particularly interested in the role of late pre-revolutionary and early Soviet theatre periodicals on the formation of the functional approach to the study of language in the early Soviet Union. I recently delivered three papers on the topic in Switzerland, Helsinki and the US, and am currently preparing an article which will summarize and expand on the ideas discussed in these papers.
An additional strand of my research is contact linguistics, particularly the process of structural and semantic changes in medieval and modern Russian brought about by an intense influence of foreign oral and written material. I am currently investigating the phenomenon of Russian-English faux amis conversion into cognates caused by the rising influx of English texts into Russian everyday culture.
Past Research
After completing my PhD studies I joined the research team at the University of Sheffield working on the project The rise of Sociological Linguistics in the Soviet Union, 1917-1938: Institutions, Ideas and Agendas (for more details on the project please visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/bakhtin/projects/sociolinguistics).A significant proportion of the project dealt with the beginnings of Soviet communication theories, which made me interested in inter-disciplinary research into language and the cross-fertilization of ideas that took place between linguistics, performance studies and bio-medical sciences of the period and beyond. The work on the project resulted in a series of conference papers and publications, including the recent collection of articles, Politics and the Theory of Language in the USSR 1917-1938, co-edited with Professor Craig Brandist.
Future Research
My future research will generally remain within the same disciplinary framework of the history of early Soviet linguistics. I intend to investigate the influence of the works of the Petersburg-based Bekhterev's school (cranial studies) on the development of early Soviet language theory, particularly in the area of neuro- and psycholinguistics. During my previous research I came across some archival evidence suggesting Bekhterev's personal involvement in the attempted establishment of a language research centre just before the Revolution. I believe that detailed research in this area will help to shed light on an additional dimension to the history of linguistic studies in the USSR and, possibly, beyond.