LIETUVIŲ KALBOTYROS KLAUSIMAI, XXXII (1993)

BALTŲ ONOMASTIKOS TYRINĖJIMAI

LEMBIT VABA

ARE THERE LATVIAN LANDSCAPE NAMES IN ESTONIAN?

When the monograph on Latvian loanwords in Estonian, written by the undersigned, appeared in the 1970s (VABA 1977), only one geographical appellative of Latvian origin was known. It had already been identified as a Latvian loanword in 1937 by Peeter Arumaa (ARUMAA 1937, 42): atak Gen. atagu “old riverbed, an abandoned bend in a river, which joins the actual river channel during high water” (HARGIA Koikkula) < Latv. attaka, atteka “a river branch that flows back into the river; an old riverbed filled with water when the water level is high; a pond, a lake, especially one formed in a former riverbed” (ME I 203).

The semantic analysis of long-established Latvian loanwords in Estonian shows that terms for food and drink form a particularly large group, which clearly points to Estonian-Latvian contacts in the domestic sphere. It is noteworthy that, in the extensive Latvian-origin vocabulary used in the Estonian language enclaves (Lutsi and Leivä) now located on Latvian territory—for which 876 Latvian stems were analyzed in VABA 1977—not a single Latvian landscape name is found.

In further research into the origin of the Estonian vocabulary, three more such Estonian landscape names have now, surprisingly, come to light; these may possibly be Latvian loanwords. They will be examined in more detail below.

(1) lõnk Gen. lõngi “damp (near a river) hay meadow; swamp” (KARKSI Mäe, Vöhmast), longas Gen. lonka~lõngas Gen. lõnka “land situated in a river bend” (HARJU-JAANI) <Latv. lunka “a sea bay; a low-lying meadow (at a river bend) that is flooded in spring” (ME II 513–514); see also: VABA 1991, 56.

Further research is needed to determine whether KADRINA Tõugu lõngas “a narrow ridge of land extending into the sea” is etymologically connected with the Latvian-origin toponym discussed here.

(2) läva “a large, bare hay meadow; a bare swamp” (KARKSI Metsakuru) <Latv. pļava “meadow, hay meadow” (ME III 367).

In view of the possible telmatological content of läva (ma_i·lma suu lāva “an extensive bare swamp area”, Lāve/soo mets (a forest name in Karksi; soo “a swamp”), one can here [consider] Latvian appellatives

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and toponymic word stems ʃeu(a)-, lava-, lev(e)- should not be entirely disregarded, e.g. lava “a boggy, shifting place, a partly overgrown lake” (ME III 533); see also: VABA 1988, 47—48.

(3) tiir Gen? “swamp” (WIED 1163) < Latv. tīrs = tīrelis (EH II 686); tīrelis “a (large and deep) bog, an elevated bog, a bog cleared for haymaking (or scrub); an unsown field” (ME IV 203).

H. Göseken recorded a rare designation for a swamp in his work “Manuductio ad Linguam Oesthonicam. Anführung zur Öhstnischen Sprache” (Reval 1660, 406): Sumpff /lacuna/ Tiir (palus). Wiedemann adopted this word from Göseken and listed it in his Estonian–German dictionary. It should be mentioned here that other obsolete words can also be found in Göseken, apparently current especially in the Estonian western dialect and partly in the island dialect as well (for further details, see: VALMET 1960, 616—617).

Julius Mägiste included this word in his etymological dictionary, noting: “etymol[ogically] unclear” (EEW X 3157). Nevertheless, Kazimieras Jaunius had already pointed out the Baltic origin of this landscape name; it appears in his manuscript for the Lithuanian–Estonian etymological dictionary (see Jaunius 1972, 355). As is generally the case with comparisons, Jaunius did not provide more detailed explanations in his list. Further information about the distribution and etymology of tiir can be found in VABA 1991, 59.

The landscape names atak and läva are found along the Latvian border, i.e. in the active contact zone between Estonian and Latvian. The same applies to lońk, which, however, occurs not only in border-adjacent Karksi but also farther inland, where it is quite possible that it is distributed as an enclave in two separate areas of Estonia.

As for tiir, several questions arise, but there are no clear answers to them. The word’s distribution cannot be established. As noted, tiir occurs only in Göseken’s dictionary, which mainly contains linguistic material from Kullamaa and its surroundings (Göseken was a pastor in Kullamaa for most of his life). However, this vocabulary was undoubtedly in use throughout West Estonia at the time, as Aino Valmet established. The actual origin of the word is also problematic. In Estonian tiir, one cannot assume the widespread Latvian designation for a swamp, tīrelis (or tīrulis; the only possible source of borrowing is the unextended word stem *tir, which occurs, among other uses, as a designation for a swamp in Lithuanian: týras “desolate land, steppe, bog, empty, deserted place, wilderness” (LEW II 1099—1100 sub týras), but it also occurs in the Latvian spoken in Courland: tirs² (EH II 686; LAUMANE 1987, 199). Estonian tiir does not show phonetic features that would indicate whether it is an early Baltic or a later Latvian loanword. The etymological analysis of Estonian landscape vocabulary leads to the conclusion that a considerable number of distinct landscape names of Baltic origin are concentrated in West Estonia (VABA 1989, 138ff., especially 217—218; distribution map p. 209). I ha-

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ve hypothesized that some of these landscape names are Baltic relic words with substrate characteristics, whose distribution resulted from the language use of Balts who had merged with the Finnic peoples of the Baltic region. It is possible that Estonian tür, with its presumed distribution in West Estonia, belongs to such a layer of borrowings.

In the border area with mixed Estonian–Latvian settlement, farm names typical of Latvian occur. They are particularly numerous, for example, in the former county of Kaagjärve and Lannametsa, east of Valga. Thorough investigation of these areas and further expeditions might lead to the discovery of previously unknown Latvian landscape names in the Estonian-speaking area.

The distribution of landscape names of Latvian origin in the Estonian-speaking area

LITERATURE

ARUMAA 1937 — Arumaa P. Läti laensõnu lõuna–eesti murdeis, II.—Eesti Keel 1937, 42–50.

EEW — Mägiste J. Estnisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Helsinki, 1982. T. 1–12.

EH — Endzelīns J., Hauzenberga E. Papildinājumi un labojumi K. Mīlenbacha Latviešu valodas vārdnīcai, Rīga, 1934–1946.

JAUNIUS 1972 — The manuscript legacy of linguist Kazimieras Jaunius, catalogue and publications. Vilnius.

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LAUMANE 1987 — Laumane B. Lejaskurzemes fiziogeogrāfiskie apēlatīvi (kuršu—prūšu paralēles). // Onomastikas apcerējumi, Riga, P. 170—214.

LEW — Franken E. Lithuanian Etymological Dictionary. Heidelberg—Göttingen, 1962—1965.

ME — K. Mühlenbacha Latviešu valodas vārdnīca/Rediģējis, papildinājis, turpinājis J. Endzelīns. Rīga, 1923—1932.

VABA 1977 — Vaba L. Läti laensõnad eesti keeles. Tallinn.

VABA 1988 — Vaba L. Läti laensõnu eesti murdekeeles. // Emakeele Seltsi Aastaraamat 32 1986, Tallinn, P. 46—56.

VABA 1989 — Vaba L. Balti laenud läänemeresoome maastikusõnavaras // Keel ja Kirjandus, 1989, P. 138—141, 206—218.

VABA 1991 — Vaba L. Läti laensõnu eesti murdekeeles II // Emakeele Seltsi Aastaraamat 34 1988, Tallinn, P. 55—61.

VALMET 1960 — Valmet A. H. Gösekeni sõnaraamatust. // Keel ja Kirjandus 10 1960, P. 612—617.

WIED — Wiedemann F. J. Eesti—saksa sõnaraamat. Neljas, muutmata trükk teisest, Jakob Hurda redigeeritud väljaandest. Tallinn, 1973.

ARE THERE PLACE NAMES OF LATVIAN ORIGIN IN ESTONIAN?

Summary

A monograph on Latvian borrowings in Estonian, written in the seventies, lists only one appellative (geographical term) that, in Peter Arumaa’s opinion, is borrowed from Latvian—atak Gen. atagu “river inlet, backwater... < Latv. attka, atteka “branch of a river where the water flows back; an old riverbed...”

The semantic analysis of old Latvian borrowings in Estonian shows that there were close contacts between Estonian and Latvian in everyday and other spheres. The article discusses three more geographical terms, place names, which are also believed to be borrowings from Latvian.

1. lonk Gen. lõngi “wet meadow, marsh, bog”, longas Gen. lonka~lõngas Gen. lõnka “land situated in a river bend, riverbank” < Latv. lunka “sea inlet, bay; low-lying meadow, flooded in spring and subject to inundation”.

2. lāva “large open bog, quagmire”, < Latv. pļava “meadow for mowing”.

3. tīr Gen.? “marsh, bog” < Latv. tīrs—tirelis “a large and deep marsh, bog”. Julius Mägiste, who included this appellative in his etymological dictionary, did indeed note that it is “a word of unclear etymology”. However, Kazimieras Jaunius explained the word’s Baltic origin in his manuscript Lithuanian–Estonian etymological dictionary.

These three geographical names are also found in Estonian toponyms.

The geographical place names atak and lāva have been noted near the Latvian border, in the active zone of Estonian–Latvian language contact. The situation is similar with the name lonk, which begins around the Karksi borderland and extends inland.

There is uncertainty about the distribution of the appellative tīr, and its origin is also problematic.

However, it can be hypothesized that some terms of this type—geographical place names—are Baltic substratal relics in the territory of Estonia, which spread there when the Finnic peoples of the Baltic Sea came into contact with the Balts.

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