173 Insigh s om he audi
ZigMas ZinkeVičius
The di ec ions o scien i ic esea ch a e: Bal ic s udies, his o y
o Li huanian language, dialec ology, onomas ics.
Li huanian place names a e place names ha a e no longe used due o he
disappea ance o objec s ma ked by hem. Howe e , such place names a e a
easu e o he Li huanian language and should be included in he Dic iona y. They' e
usually only known o he olde gene a ion, who should be collec ing and desc ibing
hem. i does no ma e ha hose place names a e men ioned in w i en sou ces.
he memo ies o he ancien s would ha e gi en signi ican addi ional da a o hei
his o y and he objec s ma ked by hem. You can see i in a ew examples in my
home own. Cbiškės ( a ian s: Cbikės, Cibiknė, plg. cbė ‘ožka) is he name gi en o he
le bank o he Holy Ri e o he no heas o he Ukme gė in he in e wa pe iod,
when he i e o med a la ge body o wa e due o he dam, which disappea ed wi h
he dam. hen he place name Cbiškės wi h i s a ian s became unnecessa y. In my
childhood, i was called he wai ing oom, which was on he le bank o he Holy
Ri e , be ween he i e s Šišupis and Duobu lis. As he wa e le el changed, he
Paupė oak became an unb eakable pine ee and i s old name disappea ed. I don' know
i anyone uses i now, unless hey' e emembe ing he pas . In my childhood, jo niškė
was he name o a beau i ul gi a e ha was on he way om he a he 's house o
he illage o jog ilas. I had a lo o bi ds ha we liked o pick. This gi a e has long
since o e g own he nea by o es and as a sepa a e objec i has disappea ed. A
he same ime, he name was o go en. I ha en' had a chance o look in o i .
The o me pa ilion was on he le bank o he Holy Ri e , sou hwes o he p esen
highway. I was sepa a ed om he sou h by a slope, which ga e he place i s name.
This place name became unnecessa y and disappea ed a e he cons uc ion o he
highway. The name Pašlai ė can some imes be used only by he olde gene a ion,
emembe ing he pas . The place whe e he swo d was placed has long since become
an un ouchable pea l in he e i o y o he Holy Land. The name comes om he wo d
pig, al hough in my childhood no one emembe ed ha such a oubadou had s ood
he e. Appa en ly, i was a long ime ago.
he ela ionship be ween he men ioned and simila place names and he analogous
place names in w i en sou ces his is al eady a ma e o he c ea o s o he
174 ac a
ZigMas ZinkeVičius
Linguis ica Li huanica LXX
wo d. The e is no doub ha he au ho s o he Zodyna would be g ea ly pleased
wi h such memo ies o he elde ly i mo e o hem we e published.
The disappea ance o Vie namese wo ds is a e y complica ed p ocess. I depends
on he na u e o he speech: i may no be used in o icial speech, bu i is s ill used
in con e sa ion. I is also hea d om he age o he speake s: he young may no
know a all, bu he olde gene a ion s ill emembe s. All o his has o be he ocus
o he esea che . I makes his job di icul , bu in e es ing.
I wan o end his a icle wi h wha I s a ed wi h u ging you o look o
ex inc place names in you homeland o he i s ime.
Deli e ed on 6 June 2014
ZigMas ZinkeVičius
Jus iniškių 41-24, LT-05127 Vilnius, Li huania This Decision is add essed o he Membe S a es.
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