Spentany język, or on substitutions and calques in the language borderland, based on the material from the Breslav in Belarus  Cover Image

Spentany jenzyk, czyli o substytucji i kalkach na pograniczu językowym. na materiale z rejonu brasławskiego na Białorusi
Spentany język, or on substitutions and calques in the language borderland, based on the material from the Breslav in Belarus

Author(s): Elżbieta Smułkowa
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: bilingualism; substitution; status of the language; linguistic competence

Summary/Abstract: The article is concerning the semantic and structural dependence of the Polish language actually functioning on the Byelorussian-Polish-Lithuanian border line on the Byelorussian basis and Russian influence. One of the ways to maintain the usage of Polish language under the conditions of considerable limitation of its usage and, at the same time, its knowledge is a phonetic substitution and calquing of Byelorussian and Russian vocabulary and a permanent link of words. This opinion is illustrated by examples originating from field research, performed by the present author and her Byelorussian coworkers among rural population in the Braslav region in Byelorussia. Considered are, among others, such examples as spentany jenzyk ‘tangled, mixed language’ came into being as a result of semantic difference between the Rus. sputat', putat' ‘to mistake’, Brus.putac', sputac' ‘to mistake and to fetter (to hobble) and Pol. pętać, spętać ‘to fetter’; pentaniny ‘mixed people’ users of tangled language, spotykać się ‘to joust in speaking’ from Brus. spatykacca ‘the same’, przelot ‘a span in the fence’, Brus. praliom ‘the same’, przymak ‘the husband coming to the farm of his wife’ and phrase w przymaka poszedł from Brus. pajšou u prymaki, pajšou u prymy and others. Encountered in the area examples of difficulties in qualifying the language affiliation of the used lexemes leads the author to the conclusion that a tendency is appearing to loose the ability to delimitation of closely related languages functioning on the border line.

  • Issue Year: 2007
  • Issue No: 31
  • Page Range: 283-289
  • Page Count: 7
  • Language: Polish