Vilém Mathesius a Anton Marty: Problém souměřitelnosti a vlivu

Abstract

The paper is an attempt, both factographic and methodological, to compare the uncomparable: a Swiss philosopher and a Czech linguist, and thereby even two disciplines. Although both of them lived in Prague, the Swiss Anton Marty and the Czech Vilém Mathesius, with an age difference of 35 years between them, their paths do not seem to have crossed very much, if at all. Reports about their contacts on Marty’s part are non-existent, and there is only one mention made by Mathesius, which suggests that they had only a passing knowledge of one another. Marty was a philosopher, later placed among phenomenologists, with a strong psychologizing bent, who also concerned himself with linguistic topics and whose sources of inspiration were clearly philosophy and psychology. In contrast, Mathesius draws primarily on the work of contemporary European linguists. The paper briefly reviews the relevant parts of their work, especially with the aim of confirming or refuting the claim (made by Leška) that Mathesius was to some extent indebted to and influenced by Marty. The search has revealed very little by way of influence, i.e. little sense of the two having something in common or shared.