ABSTRACT
The main source for polysystem theory, as Itamar Even-Zohar has always fully acknowledged, lies in Russian Formalism. Polysystem theory is best thought of as a latter-day manifestation of Formalism with a dash of Structuralism, general systems theory and cultural semiotics. Even-Zohar originally thought up the term ‘polysystem’ in connection with language rather than literature. In his doctoral dissertation he spoke of “the polysystemic nature of language”, meaning that heterogeneous sets of linguistic means such as high and low registers, and diverse stylistic modes, all co-exist within one language. For Even-Zohar, polysystem theory forms part of a broader current of thought which he calls ‘dynamic functionalism’, stressing the complexity, openness and flexibility of cultural systems existing in a historical continuum. Individual translations or certain modes of translating may play a primary or a secondary role in a polysystem. Using polysystem theory as a toolkit for historical research seems a more profitable line.
