ACTA LINGUISTICA LITHUANICA
L (2004), 000–000
SUMMARIES
RENATA ENDZELYTĖ
Place names with the suffix -išk- in Northern Central Lithuania
The article offers a derivational, semantic and structural analysis of place
names with the suffix -išk- in Northern Central Lithuania (districts of Joniškis,
Pakruojis and Pasvalys). This suffix is found in all categories of toponyms: names of
human settlements, water and field names. Some variety is introduced by the diversity
of endings, which provides the possibility of deriving several toponyms from one
derivational base. The varieties most characteristic of Northern Central Lithuania are
-iškis, -iškiai and -škė, -iškės being somewhat rarer, e. g., Daunora, Daunoras PN:
Daunoriškė PlN; Daunoriškiai PlN, Šleideris PN : Šleidariškė PlN; Šleidariškiai PlN;
Šleideriškis PlN. Toponyms with the suffix -išk- seem to be relatively recent, as most
of them are derived from other proper names (usually personal names).
The place names with the suffix -išk- can be divided into two categories:
primary formations (in the case of derivational bases already containing the suffix
-išk-), and secondary formations (if the derivational base does not contain this suffix).
Most of the place names investigated were secondary formations (97,1%) with a
clearly possessive meaning. The derivational bases are usually nouns: personal names
of various origin (70,66%) and appellatives (10,92%). Formations of doubtful origin
make up 15,98%. Hydronyms and oeconyms are rarely used as derivational bases
(1,92% and 1,3% respectively). Only 0,2% of the investigated toponyms are not
derived from nouns. A similar ratio is observed in all three categories (names of
settlements, hydronyms and field names).
Apart from proper names, the derivational bases most frequently used are
appellatives denoting domestic animals, domestic fowl and birds, plants or
physiographical objects (kalnas, pakalnė, šilas), ethnonyms (gudas, čigonas, latvis,
žydas), animate nouns (bernas, kareivis, klebonas); names of body parts (garbana,
kupra, ragas), domestic implements (dūda, dalgis, kirvis). Adjectives refer to
characteristic properties of persons and objects (plikas, smailus, ramus), notably to
colour (baltas, juodas, rudas).
AURELIJA GENELYTĖ
Lithuanian phytonyms referring to the medicinal properties of plants
The article deals with phytonyms based on the medicinal properties ascribed
to the plants in question. The material is taken from the modern Lithuanian dialects
and from writings. They are analysed and grouped with respect to their meaning.
Quite a large portion of the popular plant names are derived from the names of human
body organs and fluids (kraujanosis, pūslelė, širdžiažolė). The number of terms
formed with names of diseases is also considerable (drugiažolė, sukatžolė, vėžiukas).
Such phytonyms indicate that the plants bearing these names are used to treat the
corresponding diseases. There are also many phytonyms based on symptoms or
consequences of diseases (raukažolė, pasiutžolė, traukutis). The paper offers an
exhaustive analyses of one-word suffixal phytonyms used in the Aukštaitian dialect of
the northern Panevėžys group. The conclusion is drawn that some phytonyms are stil
in use today, but the majority of popular terms naming plants after their medicinal
properties are narrowly spread.
JURGITA KEREVIČIENĖ
External possession in Lithuanian
In this article, a first attempt is made to characterise the Lithuanian constructions with
external possessors (alternating with adnominal genitives) taking into account the
results of recent typological research into external possession. Only preliminary
observations are made, but it is already possible to state that, in a European context,
the Lithuanian constructions with external possessors belong to the prototypical area,
in which these constructions are subject to a number of constraints mainly with regard
to animacy and degree of affectedness. In this respect, Lithuanian differs markedly
from its sister language Latvian. There is thus no common Baltic type of external
possession.
JŪRATĖ PAJĖDIENĖ
Adverbial time clauses in modern standard Lithuanian
In this article, a comparison is drawn between finite and non-finite adverbial time
clauses in modern standard Lithuanian. Special attention is given to the following
aspects:
• the agreement of tense forms in main and subordinate clause;
• the obligatory subject deletion in non-finite time clauses and in certain finite
clauses (in the case of coreferential subjects);
• the use of subordinators;
• the mutual relationship between subordinators and the aspectual properties of the
predicates;
• the mechanisms of subordination – direct or through correlative adverbs;
• the relative position of main and subordinate clause.
On the basis of a comparative analysis of finite and non-finite adverbial time
clauses it is possible to assert that finite clauses without overtly expressed subject are
characterised by a greater formal and functional variety. They offer the possibility of
putting into focus not only on the verb, but also its arguments, or even the clause as a
whole. Finite time clauses with subjects that are not coreferential with the main clause
subject are the most adequate means of describing generalised types of temporal
relationship, such as simultaneity or sequence. Subordinators make it possible to
bring to prominence certain additional shades of temporal meaning, e. g., they can
express duration in addition to simultaneity (Žiūrėjo laidà, [kol valgė] ‘S/he watched a
TV programme while s/he was eating’), and in addition to immediate succession
([Įėjęs į parduotuvę] pravirko ‘Having entered the shop s/he started crying’), they may
emphasise the precise moment at which an action occurs ([Kai tik įėjo į parduotuvę],
pravirko ‘At the moment when s/he entered the shop, s/he started crying’). Part of the
non-finite time clauses (with participles and converbs) can occur with the
subordinator prieš ‘before’, which is never used with finite time clauses. The meaning
is then that of anteriority.
Adverbial time clauses modifying main clauses with such verbs as laukti
‘wait’ and trukti ‘last’ are exceptional in that they are semantically required by the
main clause predicate, and they are therefore close to the status of complement
clauses. This transitional status between adverbial and complement clause may
manifest itself in the use of tense forms. In principle, the adverbial time clause should
show agreement of tense forms. If the main clause contains a past or present tense
form and the subordinate clause has a future tense form (kol +VFIN FUTURUM), the
subordinate clause must usually be interpreted as a complement clause, though
syntactically it does not differ from typical adverbial time clauses.
JURGIS PAKERYS
On the semantics of Lithuanian denominal and deadjectival suffixed verbs
In this article, the author combines a model of three-mode predication (essive,
inchoative and causative) with a set of syntactic functions and semantic roles to
describe the system of Lithuanian suffixed verbs derived from nouns and adjectives.
The analysis focuses on the syntactic and semantic properties of the base words in
derivational paraphrases.
The syntactic functions of the base words include: predicatives, subjects,
objects and adverbs, the latter three being further characterized by specific semantic
roles. Verbalized subjects are either processual patients (audra ‘storm’ → audroti
‘storm’, cf. praes. 3 audroja ‘there is storm, storm exists now’), or results (rūdys ‘rust’
→ rūdyti ‘rust’, cf. praes. 3 vartai rūdija ‘rust forms (comes into existence) on the
gate’). Objects include result, content, instrument and possessed, e.g.: juokai ‘jokes’
→ juokauti ‘make jokes’, filmas ‘film’ → filmuoti ‘make film’ (results), badas
‘hunger’ → badauti ‘starve, feel hunger’, prekė ‘commodity’ → prekiauti ‘trade, be
involved in action focusing on goods’ (content), meškerė ‘fishing-rod’ → meškerioti
‘fish, use a fishing rod’, slidės ‘skis’ → slidinėti ‘go skiing, use skis’ (instruments),
galia ‘power’ → galioti ‘be valid, have power’, turtas ‘wealth, property’ → turtėti
‘become richer, get more wealth, property’ (possessed). Adverbs specify location and
time, e.g.: stovykla ‘camp’ → stovyklauti ‘camp, be in a camp’ (location), žiema
‘winter’ → žiemoti ‘winter, spend winter (somewhere)’ (time).
The three-mode predication model is applicable to most of the syntactic and
semantic types of the verbs discussed, although not all theoretical possibilities are
realized. Predicative verbs employ a full range of predications, e.g.: baltas ‘white’ →
baltuoti ‘be white’, baltėti ‘become white’, baltinti ‘make white’, kvailas (-ys) ‘fool
(adj. / sb.)’ → kvailioti ‘be like a fool, act as a fool’, kvailėti ‘become fool(ish)’,
kvailinti ‘consider someone as fool, make into fool’. The same is true of possessive
verbs, although one cannot provide full triads of derivatives based on the same noun,
e.g.: galioti, turtėti (essive and inchoative possessives, see above), ginklas ‘weapon,
arm’ → ginkluoti ‘arm, make someone have (provide with) weapons’ (causative
possessive), grybas → grybauti ‘mushroom, pick mushrooms’ (verbs of this type are
interpreted as autocausative possessives / ornatives: Jonas grybauja ~ Jonas makes
himself have mushrooms, provides himself with mushrooms). Contentive and locative
verbs are either essive (sielvartas ‘sorrow’ → sielvartauti ‘feel sorrow’, stovyklauti
(see above)), or causative (gėda ‘shame’ → gėdinti ‘make someone feel shame’,
sandėlis ‘warehouse’ → sandėliuoti ‘store, make something be in a warehouse’).
Resultive verbs can have semantic inchoative or causative value (cf. rūdyti, juokauti
above), while processual, instrumental and temporal verbs are normally formed as
essive predications (cf. audroti, meškerioti, žiemoti above).
INETA SAVICKIENĖ, ASTA KAZLAUSKIENĖ, LAURA KAMANDULYTĖ
A new look at the declensional classes of the Lithuanian noun in the framework of
natural morphology
There are no recent studies reflecting new approaches to Lithuanian noun inflection.
In this study the authors introduce a new classification of noun classes based on
Dressler’s (1995–1996) concepts and on definitions advanced within the framework
of Natural Morphology. It involves a hierarchical organisation of noun classes
comprising the levels of microclass, subsubclass, subclass, class, and macroclass. A
paradigm comprises all inflectional forms of one word. An isolated paradigm is a
paradigm which differs morphologically or morphonologicaly from all other
paradigms. A thematic marker is the inflectional marker of an inflectional class. A
class is a set of paradigms. It comprises subclasses which differ only in morphological
or morphonological details. It is established by a common thematic marker. We
differentiate hierarchically: macroclass and its successive subset classes: class, (sub)
subclass, microclass. A microclass is the smallest subset of an inflectional class. A
macroclass is the highest, most general type of class, subsuming several classes,
subclasses or microclasses. Inflectional productivity is the capability of applying rules
(e.g., characterizing inflectional paradigms) to new words.
LORETA SEMĖNIENĖ
The case marking of nouns as predicate nominals in Lithuanian
The article deals with the distribution of the nominative and the instrumental as
predicative cases in Lithuanian. Only the case marking pattern for nouns is dealt with
here; for adjectives a separate investigation is needed. Lithuanian grammars
traditionally state that, if a noun functions as a predicate nominal in a copular
construction, the instrumental is used to mark a temporary quality whereas a
permanent, inherent quality is marked by a nominative. Contemporary usage does not
confirm this rule.
The conclusions advanced in the present article are based on data from
Modern Standard Lithuanian as reflected in the Kaunas Corpus of Modern Lithuanian,
and recent literature on case marking variation is taken into account in interpreting the
results.
Semantic factors (i. e., such oppositions as ‘temporary quality : permanent
quality’, ‘animate : inanimate’) have a certain influence on the use of case forms, but
syntactic factors (word order) and morphosyntacic factors (the form of the copula etc.)
are considerably more important. Both nominatives and instrumentals are used to
describe permanent as well as temporary qualities; inanimacy contributes to a higher
frequency of the instrumental, but only slightly. In cases of marked word order the
instrumental often has a dicriminatory function (it differentiates subject and predicate
noun). The tense and mood form of the copula is also relevant: irrealis and non-finite
forms ar more often used with the instrumental.
BOHUMIL VYKYPĚL
The place of prosody in typology
In this article an attempt is made to integrate prosody in the typological model
proposed by Vladimír Skalička. Examples are taken from Lithuanian, English and
Chinese. The accentuation of Lithuanian would be, according to Skalička’s
terminology, ‘flective’, whereas the rules of accent movement applied for derivational
purposes in English and Chinese would be ‘introflective’.