Original scientific paper
HOW OLD ARE THE CROATO-ROMAN LANGUAGE CONTACTS IN ISTRIA?
Branimir Crljenko
; Croatian Secondary School Zvane Črnja
Abstract
The Roman population of Istria took over from their Croatian
neighbours numerous Croatian words which have been part of the
lexis of Istro-Roman dialects from times immemorial. Some words
adopted from Croatian by the Istro-Roman language have
remained unchanged in form to the present day, and as such,
together with the oldest layer of Croatized Roman toponyms are
proof of very old Croato-Roman language contacts in Istria
(grendana, k6ulizQ, J6nisa, J6tika...). These terms predominantly
include Croatian agricultural terminology, but many other words
as well. Scientific arguments produced by means of the
substitutional phonetics method infer that some of these terms
could have been taken over from the Croats about one thousand
years ago. The oldest layer of Croatian toponyms is yet another
piece of evidence that the Croatian geographical names of Istria
emerged in the period immediately after the great migration, when
the phonological system of their language had still not suffered
the changes that took place in the period prior to the 12th and 13th
centuries. Language rules which had bearing over the oldest
Croatian toponyms, at the same time also extended to
toponymical loan-words, in other words those names which had
been accepted from the old settle rs and Croatized by the Croats
when they came to Istria (Vodnjan, Buzet, Poreč, Labin, Kopar...).
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
33192
URI
Publication date:
1.7.1993.
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