Leksyka na pograniczu polsko-wschodniosłowiańskim jako świadectwo wielojęzycznej przeszłości
Lexis of the Polish-East Slavic Borderland as a Testimony to a Multilingual Past

Summary/Abstract: The importance of borderlands has been considered in many studies in various fields, both theoretical and empirical. In this study, the borderland is approached as a geographical term, an area in Poland which is located in close proximity to the eastern border. At the same time, this spatial understanding of the border area determines cultural, linguistic and ethnic borders, which are difficult to define precisely. This article deals with the issue of difficulties in unambiguously defining the origin of certain lexemes, a fact stemming from the complicated cultural, ethnic and linguistic past of the borderlands between the West and the East Slavic regions. This has been demonstrated drawing on the example of two words: czugun ‘cast iron’, ‘cast-iron pot’ and opołonik ‘large spoon, ladle’. On the one hand, they show the complexity of the multilingual past of the areas where they can be found; on the other hand, they are a testimony to old rural realities.

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