Altlettgallische Lehnwörter im Mordwinischen

Old Latgalian loanwords in Mordvin? Grunthal (2012) has counted 36 Baltic loanwords in Mordvin and divided them into two chronological layers according to their vowel substitutions. These borrowings have usually been connected to extinct Baltic dialects of the Dnepr and Oka basins, distinct from East Baltic. This article suggests some phonological and morphological evidence of an Old Latgalian origin for some Mordvin lexical items. They include (1) analogical a-present in OLtg *reďa ~ *redźa ‘to see’ → PMord. *raťa- ‘to notice’; (2) OLtg dź- → PMord. ś- in *śiŕa ‘good’, ?*śiva ‘wage’ and ?*śimeni ‘relative, friend’; (3) OLtg. ‑dź- → PMord. -ť- in *raťa-; (4) OLtg. -s- / ‑z‑ → PMord. -s- in *pusma ‘bunch, bundle’ and *riśma ‘chain, rope’; (5) EBalt. ei ~ PMord. eji in *pejili ‘knife’ vs. EBalt. ie ~ PMord. e, i in *leppa ‘alder’ and *lika ‘another, else’. The article also presents new loan etymologies for PMord. *śiŕa ‘good’ and ?*śiva ‘wage’.