Baltic Borrowings in S. Gubert’s Stratagema Oeconomicum and Their Lexical Equivalents

Abstract

The German-language guide Stratagema Oeconomicum, oder Acker-Student by Salomon Gubert contains numerous words from the spheres of agriculture, farming and housekeeping, including colloquial object names that were used by peasants of the Baltic region in the 17th century. In the Russian translation – Liflyandskaya ekonomiya (Economy of Livonia) – signed by Mikhail Lomonosov, fragments with Baltic borrowings are abridged. Using data from scientific, reference and archival literature, we can clarify the referential attribution of some Baltic borrowings and their synonyms in the German text, as well as draw conclusions about the relationship between them and their Russian equivalents. For instance, the combination Dwessel laike refers to the pagan peasant holiday in remembrance of the deceased relatives and their souls, mentioned in 16th-century texts; Zirzing ‘cricket’ is a synonym for Embten and Grylle, while Skudra ‘ant’ is a synonym for Ameise and Formica; the name Szuring, as well as its colloquial German equivalents Flöhe-Kraut Persikaria and Schmertzkern Persikaria, most likely refer to water pepper (Polygonum hydropyper L.), a medicinal plant. In the Russian translation of excerpts containing colloquial borrowed names, numerous errors can be found, as well as cases when these names are not translated at all, which most likely indicates that these words and phrases presented difficulties to the translator. In some cases, the omission of parts of the original text does not significantly change the meaning, while in others, it distorts the practical recommendations given in the book.