Ukrainian and Russian borrowings in Polish of the petty nobility village of Dorohan in Zhytomyr region

Abstract

The article presents Ukrainian and/or Russian borrowings used by Poles living in a small petty nobility village in Zhytomyr region in Ukraine in comparison with some other Polish dialects in the same territory. There are excerpted and analyzed 121 borrowed words divided into several thematic groups: “General notions” – e.g. budzień workday’, nazad back’, semia family’; “Person and his characteristics” – e.g. durny foolish, stupid, silly’, harny nice, beautiful’, Kacap of Russian nationality’, pjanica drunkard’; “Activities and physical condition” – e.g. rozpowiadać to tell’, wzuć się to put on one’s shoes’, otdychiwać to have a rest’; “Feelings, emotions and behaviour” – e.g. przezierać to despise, disdain’, swarzyć się to argue, quarrel’, wołnować się to worry about’; “Food, dishes and kitchenware” – e.g. hreczka buckwheat’, deruny potato pancakes’, kastrulka saucepan’; “State, administration and policy” – e.g. pensja retirement’, partiejny belonging to a party’, bryhadir brigadier’.

Among the borrowings words of Ukrainian origin prevail – there are 59 of them, i.e. about 49%; there are 42 lexical units of possible Ukrainian and/or Russian origin, i.e. about 35%, and 20 lexemes of strictly Russian origin, i.e. 16%.

The comparison with other Polish dialects in Ukraine showed that out of 121 analyzed words 91 words are known and used also in other neighbouring settlements, what constitutes 75%. The most similarities – 59 words, i.e. about 49%, have been noted with the petty nobility dialect of Siaberka and peasant Oleshkivtsi and Hrechany.