Suimi-tüvelistest sõnadest
Words with suimi-stem

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with distribution, meanings, and origin of the words containing the suimi-stem ‘eat’ in Estonian, Finnish, and Karelian. The focus is on the Estonian language where words with the suimi-stem suimima, suimitada, suimi, suimit are most frequent in the Western dialect (13 sub-dialects). The stem can be found also in Saaremaa and Muhu (5 sub-dialects) but not in Hiiumaa. The words with the suimi-stem, mainly suimitama and suimit, occur also in North Estonia where their distribution is diffuse and peripheral (altogether in 12 sub-dialects). The distribution of the suimi-stem is uncommon in South Estonia (suim ‘food, meal’ in one parish and suimit in three parishes). The simultaneous occurrence of different words with the suimi-stem in an Estonian sub-dialect is relatively rare (5 cases). The ta-suffix in suimitama has been added either due to the influence of verbs with the meanings ‘eat’ and ‘drink’ (e.g. lõunatama ‘dine’, napsitama ‘tipple’) or following the example of Russian loanwords (-ta- < ть; e.g. kormitama ‘provide food’). In addition to the Estonian language, the verb suimit ‘to eat; (he) eats; (they) eat’ occurs also in Finnish (‘eat’). In both languages the use of suimit is connected with imitation of the parlance of the Russian people (cf. also suimit-juimit ‘eat-drink’, suimit-luimit ‘eat-beat’). Suimit seems to have been derived from the suimi-stem under the influence of the Russian language. The Estonian suimima (not sööma ~ süümä ‘to eat’) is a loan source for the Latvian suimît ‘eat avidly’.

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