An Insight into Prefixed Verbs in Ch. Fürecker’s Dictionary

Abstract

Both manuscripts of the Latvian-German dictionary of Christophor Fürecker (second part of the 17th century) are a significant source for the „Historical Dictionary of Latvian (16th-17th Centuries)“ (LVVV). During the work on the latter, the authors established that Fürecker’s dictionary has a great amount of prefixed verbs. As both manuscripts contain a large number of prefixed verbs, this article is only an insight into the diversity and semantics of these verbs.

Altogether both manuscripts of the dictionary (copies) contain about 100 verbs having several prefixed derivatives. Most problematic is the semantics of these prefixed verbs. If the word is used in texts of the 16th or 17th centuries, it is easier for the authors of LVVV to discern its meaning.

In examining the prefixed verbs included in both manuscripts of Fürecker’s dictionary, it can be concluded that Fürecker had fully mastered the varied and semantically diverse system of Latvian prefixes and tried to apply them. In his dictionary all 11 Latvian prefixes are used in the prefixation of verbs, as well as the similar component caur. Considerable differences can be noticed in both copies – the 2nd manuscript differs in that the verbs often have the remark cum compositis, namely they have compounds or prefixed verbs; a list of prefixes or prefixed verbs is often characteristic as well. There are more differences between both manuscripts than it was supposed, so Fürecker’s dictionary should be studied further in this aspect.

Greater attention to prefixed verbs is found in the second copy of the dictionary, where verbs are supplemented also with the prefixes which are not included in the 1st manuscript, sometimes even as if trying to fill out the word-formation nest of the corresponding prefixed verbs. At times it seems that this had been done by analogy, without a proper use or context.

Every prefix has some more typical meaning appearing more often; also in the cases of a list of prefixes in the dictionary, these supposedly more typical meanings are used. Though some semantic groups of the prefixed verbs can be recognized, nevertheless every case should be examined individually.

The prefixed verbs included in Fürecker’s dictionary and their semantics will undoubtedly provide more than one puzzle for the authors of Historical Dictionary.