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Archiver > LITHUANIA > 2003-06 > 1054835908


From: David Zincavage <>
Subject: [LITHUANIA-L] Fw: RE: Kolwzan
Date: Thu, 05 Jun 2003 10:58:35 -0700


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Zincavage" <>
To: <>
Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: RE: Kolwzan


> All this is very ingenious, but I'm afraid the Lithuanian bajorai of the
> period early enough to still be using personal names of Lithuanian
> linguistic origin invariably used two-root names, made of a fairly
standard
> repertoire of syllabic components, expressing a parental aspiration for
the
> son's future characteristics or role, e.g. Vytautas "the people's (or the
> nation's ) knight," Daugelas "very powerful (or mighty)," Narbutas
> "essentially needed." Consequently, we must in this case look for a
> Belarussian linguistic source.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Leon Stevens" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 2:03 PM
> Subject: RE: RE: Kolwzan
>
>
> > Based on Tadeusz Kolwzan's description of the indigenous antiquity of
> > the Kolwzans, I have changed my mind completely about the etymology of
> > this surname. I originally suspected it to be of non-Slavic origin
> > owing to its consonant cluster, which Slavic languages disdain. I had
> > ruled out Lithuanian because the surname's vowel pattern did not match
> > modern Lithuanian sequences. I had assumed that Kolwzan had been
> > Polonized relatively recently (i.e. during the Commonwealth period) when
> > Polish made an effort, even if only half-hearted, to preserve the
> > vocalic integrity of foreign names. However as this surname may be
> > extremely old in the Grand Duchy, the present identity of vowels has
> > little significance, but the sequence of consonants and their close
> > phonetic relatives becomes far more operative. In short, I believe this
> > name has as its root proto-Lithuanian or Baltic "*kalv" ("smith" or
> > "forge") as in Latvian "kalvis" ("blacksmith") or "kalve" ("smithy" or
> > "forge"). This root survives in Lithuanian "kalavijas" ("sword"). In
> > Slavic languages, voiced and unvoiced consonants cannot occur next to
> > each other, so that "vs" must be converted either to "fs" or "vz." Of
> > course the latter seems to apply here. The final "n" is most likely the
> > remnant of the Baltic passive and attributive suffix "-n" corresponding
> > with the Latvian desubstantival suffix "-ain" as in "kalnains" ("hilly")
> > from "kalns" ("hill"), or the simple passive suffix "-en" as in
> > "slavens" ("glorified") from "slava" ("glory"). This suffix appears in
> > modern Lithuanian as "-om" as in "statomas" ("is being built") but the
> > suffix used to be "-on." This passive suffix is very old and dates to
> > Indo-European, surviving in English "taken," "given," "broken," etc.
> > Because this name has been buffeted by centuries (a millennium?) of
> > linguistic influences, I am not yet prepared to say whether it stems
> > from an old form of "kalavijas" plus the passive/attributive, as if
> > "equipped or girded with a sword" or from "*kalvis" plus the
> > passive/attributive, as if "equipped with a blacksmith" (topographic).
> > In any case, it's this general etymology upon which I am now placing my
> > bets. Here I do not necessarily disagree with Mr. (Tadeusz) Kolwzan's
> > speculation that "Kowzan" is a shortened or alternative form of
> > "Kolwzan," but my current "smith"-based theory accounts for the
> > otherwise seemingly intrusive "l."
> >
> >
> >
>
>

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