Abstract
<jats:p>The linguistic views of A. F. Veltman have not yet received a comprehensive and objective description. This research aims to identify Veltman’s linguistic views within the context of the ideological disputes of the era and to determine his stance on the marked elements that formed the basis of linguistic debates concerning the composition of the Russian literary language – such as Slavicisms, the folk language, and borrowings. These elements represent fundamental linguacultural oppositions in the language: “self vs. other” and “old vs. new”. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that Veltman’s texts remain insufficiently explored from both a linguistic perspective and in terms of his metalinguistic reflection. This article is the first to examine specific aspects of the writer’s linguistic views, particularly his attitude toward marked elements of the Russian literary language. The study yielded several key results. First, Veltman’s linguistic views were identified in relation to fundamental cultural oppositions; for the writer, “one’s own”, “the old”, and “the past” – in both culture and language – take priority as reflections of the national, Russian, and broadly Slavic identity. Second, the study determined Veltman’s attitude toward marked linguistic elements: he perceived the folk language as an integral part of Russian, freely incorporating dialectisms and colloquialisms into his literary works. Regarding his stance on Slavicisms and the Church Slavonic language, a clear position could not be identified; he likely did not view Church Slavonic as an independent linguistic system in the historical past. He maintained a negative attitude toward borrowings from European languages. Third, the specific linguacultural opposition of “space and time” in Veltman’s work is manifested through the idealization of the distant past; consequently, preference is given to the ancient Russian language (interpreted by him quite broadly).</jats:p>