Mind and heart – memory in selected Indo-European languages Cover Image

Rozum i serce. Pamięć w wybranych językach indoeuropejskich
Mind and heart – memory in selected Indo-European languages

Author(s): Katarzyna Wyrwas
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Uniwersytet Opolski
Keywords: Indo-European languages; etymology; memory; mind; emotions; remembering

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the subject of memory-related pie. etymons in Indo-European languages. In the group of dictionary data which was collected, memory is an ability of the human mind and ability located in the heart. Remembering is one of the functions of the human mind, a cognitive ability that is communicated in the Indo-European language verbs from the mental group based on the pie. etymons: *men- ‘think; mind, spirituals activities,’*(s)mer- ‘mourn, remember with sadness,’ ‘remember, think, take care,’ and *tong- ‘think, feel’. Numerous derivatives of these etymons in particular language groups referred to different features and states of mind: thinking, reflecting, contemplating, consulting, debating, remembering, experiencing sadness, grief, pleasure, kindness, gratitude, etc. Less numerous are the forms referring to remembrance based on the pie. etymon*k̑r̥ d- ‘heart’, which, according to the beliefs of ancient Greeks, is the seat of intelligence and memory, as well as of emotions. In European conceptualisations, there are also references to human characteristics, such as moral and mental strength, courage, mercy, purity of heart, pride, faith and mercy. Indo-European lexemes related to memory in their meanings and etymology show a linguistic image of how our distant ancestors understood the human phenomenon of knowledge storage. The source from which the lexemes were obtained was the etymological dictionaries of Indo-European languages.

  • Issue Year: 2019
  • Issue No: XXVIII
  • Page Range: 65-78
  • Page Count: 14
  • Language: Polish