Ketefete: úvahy o jednom hapax legomenon
Ketefete: Reflections on a Hapax Legomenon
Author(s): Ľubor KrálikSubject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Lexis, Historical Linguistics, Western Slavic Languages
Published by: Jazykovedný ústav Ľudovíta Štúra Slovenskej akadémie vied
Keywords: Slovak language; etymology; interpretation of hapax legomena; Hungarian loanwords in Slovak
Summary/Abstract: The author discusses the word ketefete attested in a collection of historical legends from the Central Slovakian region of Turiec (hapax legomenon with unclear meaning used in a culinary context). The word seems to be of Hungarian origin, cf. Hungarian kötyfötöl "to mix, stir; to cook badly (without knowledge, in a hurry, while combining all kinds of ingredients, etc.)" (probably onomatopoeic). In the author’s opinion, it may be either a loanword from an unattested Hungarian *kötyföt (supposed nominal back-formation from kötyfötöl) or a back-formation from an assumed Slovak verb *keťfetelovať (< Hungarian kötyfötöl). In Slovak, the noun ketefete (with unclear morphological attributes: indeclinable neuter noun? plural form of a masculine *ketefeť?) was probably modified phonetically on the model of reduplicative words.
Journal: Kultúra slova
- Issue Year: 57/2023
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 76-81
- Page Count: 6
- Language: Slovak
