“The life of words” in Romanian verbal idioms with key element of Turkish origin

Abstract

The present study analyzes an aspect of the formation and circulation in time and space of Romanian verbal idioms with key elements of Turkish origin. More precisely, we are thinking about the changes of meaning in Romanian as a result of the integration of the respective Turkish loans, in phrases that are old Turkish, but which mostly developed in Romanian language. The process of the linguistic contact has not always been smooth, obvious. The phrases have been subjected to eras in which meaning became opaque, then to periods in which they were revitalized, into new forms. To the difficulties created by the selection of the key terms of the old and/or regional layers of the Turkish language, we add their use in similar conditions (archaicity etc.) in Romanian, with additional connotative, metaphoric charge. The mechanisms are mostly known from historical semantics: metaphor, adaptation to the socio-cultural context etc., and the result is the permanent enrichment and modeling of the Romanian language.