Polish dialectal wild herbaceous plant names in the context of Slavic and European names Cover Image

Polskie gwarowe nazwy dziko rosnących roślin zielnych na tle nazw słowiańskich i europejskich
Polish dialectal wild herbaceous plant names in the context of Slavic and European names

Author(s): Jadwiga Waniakowa
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: KSIĘGARNIA AKADEMICKA Sp. z o.o.
Keywords: etymology; inherited names; truly dialectal names; borrowings; calques

Summary/Abstract: The article claims that many Polish dialectal plant names are not folk in their origin. The only way to ascertain the true origin of a given name is by analysing the history of the dialectal name and the related names in other languages. Such analysis leads to the conclusion that Polish dialectal names have various origins. A part of them constitute truly dialectal names, i.e. such that originate from Polish dialects, another group consists of colloquial non-dialectal native names that have been adopted by given dialects, if they are relatively new or have been inherited. Yet another part comprises relatively new borrowings, and new calques. Yet another group originates from Old Polish forms no longer in use in non-dialectal Polish. The latter do not comprise a homogenous collection. They fall into three subgroups: Polish names originating in the Polish language or inherited from Old Slavic, old loanwords in use in Old Polish and no longer in use today with the exception of Polish dialects, and finally, there is also the often misclassified group of old calques. The recapitulation of this work emphasises the importance of a diachronic and comparative approach to the analysis of dialectal plant names. It highlights the existence of numerous calques, especially old ones, whose presence was previously overlooked due to their native and sometimes even truly dialectal character. Therefore, a superficial, synchronic analysis does not reveal their long and rich history, and the fact that they have their counterparts also in non-Slavic languages and often originate in antiquity.

  • Issue Year: 2014
  • Issue No: 17
  • Page Range: 109-122
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish