Old Lithuanisms in the Polish Dialects of Trakai Region Cover Image

Dawne pożyczki litewskie i ich funkcjonowanie w gwarach polskich z okolic Trok
Old Lithuanisms in the Polish Dialects of Trakai Region

Author(s): Krystyna Rutkowska
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Polish dialects in Lithuania; language contact; lexic; lithuanisms

Summary/Abstract: The article analyses lexical Lithuanisms in the Polish dialects of Trakai region. The aim of this research was to show some aspects of archaic Lithuanian loanwords functioning such as: sphere of usage in certain semantic groups; their constant or occasional usage; their independent functioning or usage side by side with other languages borrowings. Up to now only a small group of widely spread words has been defined. As a rule, these are words which don't have any Polish eqiuivalent. They name people's physical appearance (kliszawy, łępaty, murzaty;), their characteristic actions (kuciniać, rozkiereczyć się), as well as plants (burkulki, łębiaki, jurginia), atmosphere phenomena (odliga, burbułki), etc. However, most Lithuanisms are used occasionally only in conversations about past life and old rural work (poszor, rezgini, płaskoni, szamocha, szylnik, skaracz). There is now doubt that these words occupied a certain place in the dialect in the past, while nowadays they are disappearing completely or are used equally with native Polish lexis or other languages adoptions, exx: bronkt : orczyk; waga : brzozna; kudra : bizulka; szwilpiki : kakory. The article also analyses amorphous lexis and onomatopoeia functions in the Polish dialects of this region, exx: szkir, juksz, put'-put'; gargać, krektać.

  • Issue Year: 2006
  • Issue No: 30
  • Page Range: 359-371
  • Page Count: 13
  • Language: Polish