Latviešu literārā biedrība un skolotāja Pētera Zēvalda savāktais jaunvārdu un mazāk zināmo vārdu krājums (1874)

Abstract

This research is a part of the analysis of the collection of articles of the Latvian Literary Society (Lettisch-literärische Gesellschaft) Magazin, herausgegeben von der Lettisch-Literärischen Gesellschaft (so-called “Magazin”) with special emphasis to the materials important in the history of Latvian language, especially, of the development of terminology in Latvian. This paper deals with the almost forgotten author Pēteris Zēvalds (Peter Seewald) (ca. 1838/1839–1910), a schoolteacher in Jelgava (Mitau) and active contributor of “Magazin” from 1865 to 1877. In 12 sequels (published in eight issues of “Magazin”), he collected 2198 words and expressions from his native place, now Birzgale parish, originally, from the private manor in Linde parish (aus Privatgut Lindenschen Gemeinde in Kurland)). This paper provides a more detailed analysis of two other word collections (both published in 1874 in issue 3 of XV volume of “Magazin”) of Zēvalds. They contained current lexis, including a lot of new terms. The first one is created as a successive excerpt of neologisms and lesser-known words (in Latvian-German comparison) from the weekly newspaper “Baltijas Vēstnesis” (using numbers 44th, 48th, 49th un 51st from 1872 and successive first 49 from 1873, excl. number 9th). There are 467 numbered entries or 495 words in total. Most of the words in Zēvalds’s collection are related to terminological lexis. They can be divided into four groups (indicating the serial number used in the original): (1) terms currently used in the same form or with minor changes of ending (7. greizsirdība, 29. pilnvare, 41. māksla, 33. cēlons, 69. veicināšana, 88. pirmvaloda, 237. izvilktne (= atvilktne), 275. viels); (2) terms which have a different correspondence in modern Latvian (32. valodas=iztirzāšana (= valodniecība), Sprachforschung; 49. lietuve (= lejkanna), Gieskanne; 54. rakstiens (=raksts, dokuments), Schriftstück; 183. atvēles=zīme (= atļauja), Erlaubnißschein; 187. jūras=pāržmauga (= jūrasšaurums), Meerenge); (3) words, that could still be considered as potential terms (11. tiesas=laulība, Zivilehe; 37. sauljumte, Sonnenschirm) and (4) those, which, from the moment of fixation, can be considered occasional words (43. spīdgans, Sternschnuppen, Meteor; 387. muldu=valsts, Reich der Träume; 409. tulpete (= runas=vieta), Katheder, Rednerbühne). Zēvalds’s collection is a unique material that allows identifying the perception of the interested reader about the lexical neologisms in one newspaper. Zēvalds’s second collection of words contains the technical expressions from legal country house purchase agreements. There are 83 numbered entries (in German-Latvian comparison) from the legal contract written in German with a lot of additional conditions and long pay-outs delay. This list (at least the part containing legal terms and terminological word-groups) can be regarded as the first term bulletin in Latvian. The possible addressee of this term list is the parish pastors to whom farmers sought advice on such matters. Publications of the teacher Pēteris Zēvalds is a small but interesting episode in the history of the Latvian language, which has not earned attention so far but provides researchers with interesting material about the lexical development in the 70s of XIX century.