Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

The article concerns linguistic indicators of the function of the woman which are crucial to the creation of common etymologies (folk) of the place names. It was pointed that among generally used methods of common etymologizing the use of anthroponyms and feminine appellatives as well as other feminine motives which may perform both a linguistic and literary function takes a very important place. In the analysis the most frequent common models were distinguised in which the justification of the toponym was connected with: 1) the name or the feminine nickname (Jurata : Jurata; Częstochowa : Częstochowa; Żywiec : Żywia; Klimontów : Klementynka // Klementyna); 2) the feminine and masculine name (Skarżysko : Skar + Żyska; Warszawa : Wars + Sawa); 3) the utterance including the feminine name (Micigózd : Mici gust, Warszawa : Warsz Ewa / Warz, Ewo! / warz, Ewa; Grajewo : Graj, Ewo!) or the appellative(s) of the feminine gender (Iłża : jej łza; Starachowice : stara chowa tajemnicę). The inconsistencies between the linguistic structure of the toponym and the derivative morphemic division made in the common etymologies as well as a noticeable tendency to spread the memorial semantics of the place names were emphasized.