Alex:
>> Yes. Such names were originally adjectives of possession. <X-ova>
>> stands
>> elliptically for 'X's PLACE', where PLACE = any common noun that
>> means
>> some kind of settlement. The adjective adjusts its gender to the
>> gender
>> of the omitted noun. In Polish, and of course similarly in other
>> Slavic
>> languages, the adjective is feminine if PLACE = <wies'> 'village'
>> (<
>> *vIsI), neuter if PLACE = <siol/o> 'village, settlement', and
>> masculine
>> if PLACE = <gród> 'fort, enclosure, town' (< *gordU) -- these are
>> the
>> most common possibilities. Thus, e.g. Lviv < *lIvovU is masculine
>> because it was a <horod>, not a mere village, at the time of its
>> naming;
>> so was the place where I am at the moment, Poznan' < *poznanjI (a
>> possessive adjective derived from the personal name Poznan <
>> *poznanU),
>> as opposed to Warszowa.
>>
>> Piotr
>
>
>But what about the river's names?
>For Instance the river "Prahova" in Rom. is supposed to got its name
>from Slavs. Can it be true or the river should have been called after
>a settlement whith a feminine noun? If the river got its name from a
>settlement, then "prag-", "prah" as feminine noun in Slavic will mean
>what? (for making of prah+ova)
As prah, prag (<PS *porgU) means "a threshold", "a doorsill", "a sill"
(originally a thick base timber on which the front wall of the house stood;
it is iften compared to Lith. pérgas "fishing boat (made of a single
trunk)", OIc forkr "a club, stake, stave" and also - with certain doubts, as
it is generally considered to come from pergere "to continue the journey, to
hurry" - Lat. pergula "pergola"), Prahova might have meant "a river you have
to cross", "a border river", or (with respect to its possible original
meaning and to Lith) it might also mean "the fordable river", or rather the
other way round - "the river, we have to use {prag{prah}'s to cross, as it
is pretty deep" :-) But this would have to be backed up historically,
archaeologically and hydro-/geologically.
Václav Machek in his Etymological Dictionary of the Czech Language
(Etymologicky' Slovni'k Jazyka C^eske'ho, 1997 photoreprint of the 3rd
edition of 1971, Lidove' noviny) says (I will try to translate it) ..."prah
was actually the strong undermost trunk which the house wall rested on,
uninterrupted (uncut) nor even where the door was (it has still been like
that in Romania, explanation and photogaraphy at T. Papahagi, 3.92). These
old /prahy/ were huge and high, and therefore children and old people liked
to sit on them during the warm seasons..." Václav Machek thus talks about
the semantical developement "trunk" > "sill"
This may offer another possible explanation of the Prahova river name: "the
river used for timber transport". As I have mentioned, all these
possiblities have to be evaluated by archaeologists and historians.
Popular folk etymology of the Czech capital name Praha (Prague) comes form
the foundation legend. It was founded on a place where "...a huge /pra'h/
was found..." (I think, it might mean the same thing: a place where lots of
trunks where found (a wood, forest???) and hence, they could be used to
build houses and found a settlement... :-)).
Well, now it is up to you, which of the possibilities given you will
choose...and up to other neccessary prooves and findings, of course :-) What
do you think, which do you like, Alex?
Petusek
>
>Alex