Reflections on the work of R.O. Šor: Materials from institutional archives

The work of Rozalija Osipovna Šor (1894-1939) is examined through materials held in the archives of institutions in which she worked. Particularly important is the text of her self-criticism of 1932 in which she examines the formation of her own ideas and the influences on her work. This is supplemented with reflections on her published work and new information about aspects of her contribution to Soviet linguistc thought in the 1920s and 1930s that have remained unexplored. This brings new light to bear on Šor’s work by illustrating her relationship to European linguistic thought and the development of Soviet intellectual life in the period of the ascendency of the ideas of Nikolaj Marr.