Res Humanitariae

In the article, separate stages of the evolution of the cupboard («mysnyk») in the Polissia dwelling are considered. It was established that at first its functions were performed by a system structurally connected with a log-house «hriad» (decks or beams), which were gradually transformed into «hriady»-shelfs. The shelves placed on the threshold and facial walls were one of the oldest, and the initial stage of the genesis of «myshynyk», which later took their place, is connected with them. At Polissia two types of «myshynyk» has been developed: stationary – structurally associated with a log-house or «lava» (older), and mobile, mostly hinged (of a new origin).

The article presents the Lithuanian fishing glossary in the text of 1792 Curonian lagoon fishing rules. It discusses the problems of creation of this source, authorship, the historical context. It is analysed ethnographic content in glossary of Lithuanian fishing terms. The Baltic linguists haven’t noticed it earlier. New publication of this source could encourage scientists to broader analyze of 1792 fishing rules. It is intended to draw attention to Lithuanistic material in Prussian law documents in German language.

The article presents the analysis of onomasiological system of one group of infixed and sta-stem verbs attested in the old Lithuanian scripts, denominative verbs in particular, derived from adjectives and nouns. The analysed verbs belong to the type of fientive word formation: their derivational meaning is ‘to become or to acquire/experience something which is denoted by the primary word’. The primary words are specific and abstract adjectives and nouns which by the means of affixal nomination – paradigmation – are used to form fientives or, more rarely, stative verbs. What is more, in the process of verbalization, additional means of derivation, namely, the infix and affix sta, play a significant role in attributing the verb to the derivational model of fientives. The centre of fientive derivational type is comprised of deadjectives, while desubstantives stand in the periphery of this type. The semantics of the denominatives analyzed is determined explicitly (in rarer cases, implicitly) by semantics of primary adjectives and nouns. According to properties/objects denoted by the lexical motivator, seven motivational models of denominative verbs have been established: colourative, morphological, physiomorphological, psychomorphological, the model of possession and social relationship, gustatory, and thermal one.

The article is devoted to the analysis of rational and irrational conceptions about the bread baking flour, its substitutes and admixtures, as a component of a daily nutrition culture of dwellers of South-Western Historic-Ethnographic Macro-region of Ukraine. The main attention was paid to the analysis of ritual orders which regulated bread baking flour dealing with.

Field section for the delivery ceremonies village Veremiivka Chernobai District, Cherkasy Region of Ukraine allows to conclude that the individual local community ritual actions and folk beliefs associated with the birth of the child, with the all-Ukrainian tradition. At the same time, it is possible to ascertain the presence of a number of locally-territorial peculiarities that distinguish itself Veremiivka’s maternity rite among others. In addition, the opportunity to interview a significant number of inhabitants of the village for the study enabled the implementation of a quality slice of existence of traditional birthing rituals and its transformation that allows you to make a monographic study of certain areas.

The article analyses primary nicknames that were recorded at Veliuona vicinity during the project of the Institute of the Lithuanian Language “Modern Research of Geolinguistics in Lithuania: Optimisation of Network of Points and Interactive Spread of Dialectal Information”. The aim of the article is to analyse characteristic features of semantics of the appellative nicknames. Usually, the appellative nicknames are tropical – metaphorical or metonymic – therefore, it is crucial to determine what is the connection between metaphors and metonyms. The scientific research reveals what kind of characteristics are imagined to be shared with a person and a plant, a person and a mammal or a bird.

The Latvian language dictionary of J. Langius (1685) does not contain a large number of terms denoting monetary units – altogether there are 11 of them (ārtaugs, dālderis, diķis, eiduks, grosis, kauss, mārka, skatiks, šķiliņģis, vērdiņģis, zelta gabals), as well as some other money-related lexemes (e.g., sīknauda, vara nauda etc.) which are not designations of monetary units and therefore are not analyzed in this article. These lexemes are included in most 17–19th century dictionaries, and sometimes are borrowed from one dictionary into another. For instance, J. Langius has taken over the words included in the dictionary of G. Mancelius, but later J. Lange, in his turn, refers to J. Langius in his work.

he Lithuanian Trinitarian formula includes within it the word God. It is supposed that Lithuanians received this parenthesis from the Teutonic Order as early as the Baptism of King Mindaugas. The author of this present study has focused his attention on German liturgical texts used in the Baltic region in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Analysis of these documents indicates that the parenthesis God was included in the Trinitarian formula in almost every German liturgical book, and this suggests that such a formula may well have been used among the Baltic Germans before the Reformation. The author supports the thesis of those scholars who suggest that Lithuanians in the Grand Duchy as well inherited the use of the word God in their formula from the Teutonic Order.

In the article is surveyed the calendar-ritual tradition and its change from the magical beginning to poetic, aesthetic one. It is presented dominant level – suggestive, seen in the formula desirable – real. The focus is on a calendar memory, its main factors by which it is relayed. The emphasis is on repetition, variation of traditional actions and verbal expression.

The article reviews and attempts to verify mythical information provided by Matthaeus Praetorius (Matthäus Prätorius, the end of the 17th century) in his work “Deliciae Prussicae or Prussian Theater” (Deliciae Prussicae, oder Preussische Schaubϋhne), which is directly concerned with childbirth and christening rituals, at the same time the role of Laimė, Laumė and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the mentioned customs is revealed. In parallel with this, the article discusses interpretations by more significant researchers of the 19th–21st centuries who were concerned with M. Praetorius’s mythical material on childbirth and christening. The context of the researches of the 19th–21st centuries has shown that researchers of earlier periods did not consider the question of reliability of M. Praetorius’s mythical material. The present research has also revealed that mythical information on childbirth and christening described by M. Praetorius is reliable and that patrons of human birth – Laimė / Laumė / the Blessed Virgin Mary – should be treated as some kind of (each other’s) continuation or as a constant and variables. Human birth is a constant which is made meaningful by rituals that, taking into account historical and religious context, are patronised by a certain variable.