-skaja is the feminine counterpart of
-skij. The Proto-Slavic forms were *-Isk-U/*-Isk-a plus a clitic pronoun
(-jU/-ja) added to adjectives in one type of Slavic adjectival declension. The
adjective-forming suffix *-Isk- (< *-isk-) is common to Slavic and Germanic
(English -ish < OE -isc < PGmc. *-isk-).
In Polish we have -ski/-ska. My wife's
name, for example, is Agata Ga,siorowska. Adjectival surnames in most (all?)
Slavic languages are feminine if used by women. Same in Lithuanian; e.g. Marija
Gimbutas used the masculine form of her name while she lived and worked in the
US (so do Polish Americans), but to the Lithuanians she's Marija
Gimbutiene.
Piotr Ga,siorowski.
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2000 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: [tied] -(o,e)vic^
Speaking of familial suffixes, does
anyone know where the female Russian (is it just Russian?) "-skaya" suffix
came from? Is it a take on the "-ski"/"-sky" male (I think?... Polish?)
suffix?