Zero Semantic Extension of the Persian Origin Words in the Contemporary Bosnian Language

Abstract

The Bosnian language lexis is characterised by a number of words of eastern origin, i.e. the words from Turkish, Arabic or Persian have a prominent place. The Bosnian language vocabulary contains a number of the Persian origin words that were introduced to the Bosnian language mainly through Turkish language as an intermediary language during the Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Comparison of the Persian words meaning in Bosnian language resulted in a conclusion that a number of Persian words experienced zero semantic extension. The Persian Origin Words that experienced zero semantic extension in Bosnian language are mostly related to expressions limited to narrow specialized areas that we thematically grouped in: flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs; dishes, furniture and different objects; buildings, rooms, different places; apparel, cloths, and jewelry; colors, metals, minerals and chemical elements; food, drinks and spices; religious and sufi expressions; occupations; music instruments and animals. Keywords: Persian origin words, zero semantic extension, thematic areas