NGA ONOMASTIKA NË VEPRËN “HISTORIA E JETËS DHE E VEPRAVE TË GJERGJ KASTRIOTITSKËNDERBEUT” TË MARIN BARLETIT
ONOMASTICS IN THE WORK “HISTORY OF LIFE AND DEEDS OF GEORGE CASTRIOTI – SCANDERBEG”

Summary/Abstract: In this study I’ve tried to present and analyze from a language standpoint family names Kastrioti, Berisha and toponyms Buzëgjarpëni and Bulgari in the work of the famous Albanian chronicler and humanist Marin Barleti: “History of Life and Deeds of George Castrioti – Scanderbeg” (Historia de vita et rebus gestis Scanderbegi), Rome, 1508-1510. According to the data of the book we understand that in the 14th and 15th century the tribe of the Kastriots was noted and from among them the most famous was the Prince George Kastrioti – Scanderbeg. It is clear from the data that the name Kastriot at that period of two centuries was held by the famous tribe of Kastriot, and hence it had an ethnic and patronymic meaning. The first meaning of the word kastriot is connected to the fortess or castle of the old time, which was called kastër-a, a derivative of the Latin castrum, or Greek kastra respectively, while the owner of a kastra or fortress was called kastriot. Later, this word became a denominator for fraternity or tribe changing into a patronym by which Pal Kastrioti, Gjon Kastrioti, George Kastrioti, and others were called. From a linguistical point, the patronym Kastriot was formed from the Latin castrum, or Greek kastra respectively with the suffic –iot. The name is closely connected to the toponym Kastrat (linguistically formed with the Illyrian suffix – at), with which two villages were named: one in the High Mountains and one in the ancient Dardania, presently in Serbia. The patronym and toponym Berisha is likely to have derived from a botanic name ber with the suffix –ishë, meaning first in the sense of a tree or bush, a place rich with that plant, analogically dushkajë (a rich bushy place) and place name Dushkajë, ahishtë (beech forest, al. Ah), shkozet (hornbeam forest), with its toponym Shkozet, etc. The toponym Buzëgjarpëni, found in Marin Barleti’s work is a composite formed through the unification of the words buzë (lip) and gjarpën (snake) analogous to other Albanian toponyms and patronyms, such as: Buzujë, Buzëmadh, Buzëzez, Buzuk, etc. Among the place names found in Marin Barleti’s work I consider it of importance to explain an evolution through which historically underwent the toponym Bulgari, as it was in the beginning of the 16th century as a mountain name (Mali i Bulgarit), in its present-day form Bulgër/Bulgjër, which is the name of a village in the Lezha Highlands. The transformation of the old form Bulgar to the present-day Bulgër, or Bulgjër respectively (according to dialectological pronunciation) coincides with the historical phonetic laws of the Albanian language and may be explained with a weakening of the un-accentuated vowel –a to –ë analogically as lavdoj-lëvdoj, lavroj-lëvroj.

• Details
• Contents