Original Title: Hrvatsko kazališno nazivlje
Demonstrating that one can speak of there being Croatian theatre terminology from the middle of the 19th century onwards, the author of this book deals with the theme in great detail. Referring to all the sources available – printed drama works, periodicals, theatre announcements, and interviews with living participants in theatre life – she lists theatre terminology, analysing it according to conceptual particularities, notes down the data on the time of the first notations, and then provides a brief explanation of each term.
Đurđa Škavić establishes that a language of the theatre and theatre jargon exists in Croatia. This book undoubtedly fulfils the need in the Croatian theatre for a review of terminology, only partly dealt with until now, especially since this is more than a mere list. Each term is treated to a scholarly analysis.
The author shows the way in which the theatre terms developed; they were not translated but arose through a variation of the general lexis or were taken over from terminology in some other field. Although the terminology largely emerged in the 19th century and had established itself at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, still being in use today, the terms covered had even earlier origins in the first forays into theatre in Croatia. So the author has managed to show continuity in the development of the terms, and also to provide an insight into the development of the Croatian language in general.
Written at the end of the 1980s as a doctoral dissertation, the author opens the door in her book to further research and study in this field which has been given little attention until now. This book is important for both theatre scholarship and for the development of the Croatian language, which has been confirmed by its inclusion in the official text-book list of the University of Zagreb.
The book was published with the funding assistance of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Science of the Republic of Croatia. It was awarded the Mark