Nazwy miast Wielkiego Księstwa Litewskiego w "Kronice Bychowca"

Abstract

Recorded in the "Bychovec Chronicle" town names on the par with appellative lexis reflect the Russian and regional south-western Belorussian language characteristics in phonetics and syntax. The formai diversity of analyzed names is expressed with the suffixes by means of which the names were derived, mostly adjectival. Among the derivational types occurring in the text the forms with the -bsk- suffix, derived mostly from hydronyms, e.g. Druck, Mensk/Minsk, Pinsk, Połtesk/Połock, Słuczesk/Słuck, Witebsk, are characterized by clarity and a significant number of occurrences. Another group of names, which occur frequently, is composed of the -jb type containing in its base Slavonic two-component names, cf. Brasław, Łukoml, Putwyl, Zasławl; Wołodymer/Wołodymir. Chronologically later structures, formed wit h the -ov-, -in-, -ec- suffixes are less numerous, e.g. Borysow, Turow, Drohiczyn, Ostaszyn; Kamenec. Single occurrences of toponyrns with the -bn (Horodeń/Horodno), -bje (Berestey/Berestie) are recorded. As to the sernantics of the analyzed names, the majority is composed of topographic and possessive names.