Lithuanian Hydronyms of Allegedly Finno-Ugric Origin

Abstract

The study aims to verify the Finno-Ugric etymology of 40 Lithuanian hydronyms suggested by Aleksandras Vanagas and other linguists comparing them to Finno-Ugric appellatives and proper names that sound similar. However, such a comparison is not suitable as the supposed contacts took place 4000 yers ago when Baltic and Finno-Ugric languages had different phonological structures.

Therefore, there was made historical-phonological reconstruction of the compared forms and scrutinised if the Lithuanian form could have been developed from the reconstructed Finnou-Ugric form. If the answer was negative, then the Finno-Ugric etymology was rejectable. It was also verified if the Finno-Ugric appellative to which a Lithuanian hydronym was compared was used in Finno-Ugric toponym formation. In case of a negative answer the Finno-Ugric etymology was rejectable. Finally, the etymology of the compared Finno-Ugric appellative was verified and in some cases it appeared that they were loanwords from other languages borrowed later than the supposed contacts between Balts and Finno-Ugrians took place in Lithuania.

After investigating the suggested etymologies it appeared that all of them were wrong. According to recent archaeological data it can be claimed that there cannot be Finno-Ugric substrate in Lithuania from the Stone Age.

Nevertheless, it is not excluded that in Lithuania there could be Finno-Ugric (Votic-Kreevin) proper names, which the author of the article is looking for in his PhD studies.