Mikołaj Rychło | University of Gdansk (original) (raw)

Books by Mikołaj Rychło

The book presents an attempt at combining contrastive analysis as applied to modern languages wit... more The book presents an attempt at combining contrastive analysis as applied to modern languages with a diachronic approach. The author analyses collected Polish-English cognates, referring to their Proto-Germanic and Proto-Slavic forms, and goes on to explain their relationship at the level of Proto-Indo-European. He investigates their similarities and disparities thoroughly, while illuminating the phonological, morphological and semantic processes that occurred in the development of the languages under comparison or in their prehistories.

The author has elaborated convincing methodological criteria for researching Polish-English cognates, which he skilfully develops, discussing not only evident and probable cases, but also controversial and difficult ones. The work under review is innovative both for methodological reasons and also by virtue of the author's approach to the issue of a Polish-English linguistic affinity. I recommend the study as being a major scientific contribution to the fields of contrastive and diachronic research.

Papers by Mikołaj Rychło

General Education and Language Teaching Methodology, 2015

Скандинавская филология, 2020

The article discusses the uncertainty around the etymology and origin of the Old Norse gammi m. '... more The article discusses the uncertainty around the etymology and origin of the Old Norse gammi m. 'Saami hut; earthen hut' , as well as its modern Scandinavian cognates, e. g. Icel. gammi m. 'earthen hut' , Norw. gamme m. 'id. ' , Swed. dial. (Elfd.) gamme m. 'porch; manger, cow manger' , Da. gamme c. 'animal stall, sheepfold, fence, fencing'. The Northern Germanic terms are traditionally explained as an Indo-European heritage. There are three different competing etymologies for the Scandinavian words in question. The first explanation, proposed by two Norwegian linguists Hjalmar Seierstedt Falk (1859-1928) and Alf Torp (1853-1916), connects the Old Norse term for 'earthen hut' with the Indo-European term for 'earth' (PIE.*d h ĝ h om-). The second etymology, given by the Swedish researcher Evald Lidén (1862-1939), relates it to Arm. gom 'cowshed, stable, sheepfold, pigsty'. He suggested a new Indo-European nominal root *g h om-'animal stall' on the basis of the alleged comparison of the Germanic and Armenian forms. Twenty years ago, the Danish linguist Birgit Anette Olsen (born 1952) reinterpreted Lidén's proposal, deriving the Germano-Armenian lexemes from the Indo-European root *g h os-'to eat' (cf. Old Indic ghas-'to eat') and finally explaining the protoform *g h os-mo(n)-as a nomen loci denoting 'eating place'. In our opinion, neither a derivation from PIE.*d h ĝ h om-'earth' , nor a comparison with Arm. gom 'stable, stall, pigsty' can be accepted for phonological, semantic, and cultural reasons. It is suggested that all the Scandinavian words should be treated as having been borrowed from North Saami gammi 'earthen hut'. In fact, the aforementioned Nordic appellatives are completely isolated in the Germanic and Indo-European language world, whereas the

General Education and Language Teaching Methodology, 2015

The aim of this paper is to investigate formal similarities between Polish and English words in o... more The aim of this paper is to investigate formal similarities between Polish and English words in order that teachers of English may understand the causes of the resemblances and notice the connections between various cognates and loanwords in which the similarity is disguised beneath systematic sound correspondences and parallel word-formation processes. e results of the research presented in this paper can also be used as an element in the education of language teachers, possibly as part of a course in etymology aiming to encourage a view of Polish and English as emerging from a common ancestor, either of them subsequently being a ected by mechanisms of language change as well as undergoing foreign in uences. Such a course could also provide an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge of descriptive and historical grammar so as to better understand the two languages. e proposal seeks to develop one of the central aspects in the education of language teachers, viz. a deeper understanding of the nature of the subject of teaching, which, in Ryszard Wenzel's model of the education of a language teacher, constitutes the rst sphere, devoted to the knowledge of the language and its general background.

Lege artis. Language yesterday, today, tomorrow. The journal of University of SS Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, 2021

The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, to clarify the morphological and phonological differen... more The aim of this paper is twofold: firstly, to clarify the morphological and phonological differences between Slavic *větrъ and Germanic *windaz (and their Polish and English reflexes); secondly, to explain their origin. In addition to outlining and comparing the strong and weak points of the etymologies offered so far, the article presents new arguments supporting the deducibility of *větrъ from *vět-, substantiated by the Kajkavian zavet / zavetje 'place sheltered from wind'.

Scandinavian Philology, 2022

This paper examines the Scandinavian terminology for ‘soot’ in connection with a number of Saami ... more This paper examines the Scandinavian terminology for ‘soot’ in connection with a number of Saami appellatives with a view to deciding which of them are native and which result from borrowing. Special attention is paid to the problem of adopting loanwords in Northern Europe, especially in the Scandinavian Peninsula. Two Proto- Germanic words denoting ‘soot’ are discussed from the morphological and etymological point of view. It is suggested that the West Germanic noun *hrōta- m./n. ‘soot’ is closely related to PG. *sōta- n. ‘soot’, which, in turn, is derived from the Proto-Indo- European verbal root *sed- ‘to sit’. The present authors intend to demonstrate that WG. *hrōta- derives from the Indo-European archetype *ku̯u-sōdo- ‘bad soot; thick layer of soot’, originally ‘what a soot!’. The original semantic distinction between PG. *sōta- and WG. *hrōta- seems to be preserved in the use of two independent Saamic loanwords, cf. Saa.N suohtti ‘soot (in the chimney)’ and ruohtti ‘big layer...

General Education and Language Teaching Methodology, 2015

Język Polski, 2014

Grimm’s Law is a sound change which caused considerable divergence between Germanic and other Ind... more Grimm’s Law is a sound change which caused considerable divergence between Germanic and other Indo-European languages, and consequently, is responsible for certain sound differences between modern Polish and modern English. The text of the present paper concentrates on the part of Grimm’s Law describing the change of PIE *p > PGmc *f and presents the traces of this change which are preserved in Polish-English cognates. Each example is accompanied by forms in Gothic and Old Church Slavonic and, if these are unattested, in other closely related languages as well as Proto-Slavic, Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European reconstructions. The paper reports on the initial findings of the research and focuses on cognates which descended from common etymons of identical phonological and morphological structure.

The focus of the paper is the historical comparison of E fist and P pięść from the perspective of... more The focus of the paper is the historical comparison of E fist and P pięść from the perspective of diachronic phonology. The paper specifically addresses the issue of the phonological development of this pair of cognates. The main aim is to explain the relatedness and differentiations of the modern reflexes of the original Proto-IndoEuropean roots and to account for their different phonological developments in both languages with a view to understanding the connection between the contemporary cognates. These aims are realised by means of searching for sound changes that explain the discrepancy in the phonological shapes of modern cognates and collecting other pairs of cognates that demonstrate the effect of these sound changes. As the result of the historical and comparative analysis, it is argued that some of the Proto-Germanic reconstructions are more likely than others and in conclusion the most probable development of the two cognates is outlined in the chronological order. It is...

Rasprave Instituta za hrvatski jezik i jezikoslovlje

Artykuł omawia zagadnienie klasyfikacji, funkcji oraz częstotliwości użycia pewnych form, które m... more Artykuł omawia zagadnienie klasyfikacji, funkcji oraz częstotliwości użycia pewnych form, które mogą przybierać niektóre przymiotniki w języku polskim, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem wyrazów określających kolory. Chodzi tu o derywaty utworzone przez dodanie do podstawy słowotwórczej danego leksemu formantów takich, jak -utki, -uteńki, -utenieczki, -uśki, -usieńki, -usienieczki, -eńki, -usi oraz -uchny. Względy formalne uzasadniają określenie derywatów z wymienionymi sufiksami jako hipokorystyków, które mogą przybierać różne funkcje semantyczne i pragmatyczne. Kategoria hipokorystyków w dotychczasowych opracowaniach słowotwórstwa polskiego odnosi się wyłącznie do rzeczowników odrzeczownikowych. Niniejszy artykuł postuluje wprowadzenie tej kategorii w odniesieniu do przymiotników odprzymiotnikowych.

Scandinavian Philology, 2020

Język Polski, 2014

Tekst niniejszego artykułu jest drugim z serii podsumowującej wyniki badań nad śladami prawa Grim... more Tekst niniejszego artykułu jest drugim z serii podsumowującej wyniki badań nad śladami prawa Grimma w angielszczyźnie w ujęciu kontrastywnym uwzględniającym polskie wyrazy pokrewne. Pierwszy (Rychło 2014), oprócz wyjaśnienia celów, zakresu oraz metodologii badań, poświęcony był odnalezieniu śladów zmiany pie. *p > pgerm. *f zachowanych w polsko-an-gielskich parach wyrazów pokrewnych wywodzących się z możliwie identycznych prapostaci. Były to przypadki względnie pewne, przede wszystkim składające się z dokładnych odpowied-ników, nazwane grupą A. Ten tekst koncentruje się na wyrazach pokrewnych wywodzących się z praform o różnej budowie słowotwórczej, odmiennych stopniach wokalizmu apofonicznego oraz na zmianach dźwiękowych, które mogły zmodyfikować odpowiedniość pol. p / ang. f.
Analizowane tu są zestawienia niejednoznaczne, nastręczające pewnych trudności metodologicznych. Są to wyrazy pokrewne zawierające ten sam rdzeń, choć wywodzące się z dwóch form różniących się budową słowotwórczą (w pierwszej kolejności (B1) podane zostały pary wywodzące się z tego samego stopnia wokalizmu apofonicznego, a następnie (B2) z różnych stopni) oraz pary, w których inne zmiany dźwiękowe utrudniają zidentyfikowanie prawa Grimma (prawo Vernera, przejście pie. *kw w przed-germ. *p, uproszczenie zbitek spółgłoskowych lub zmiany uwarunkowane analogią).

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Germanica

Studia Rossica Gedanensia

Germanic loanwords in Proto-Slavic have been comprehensively analysed by both Western and Eastern... more Germanic loanwords in Proto-Slavic have been comprehensively analysed by both Western and Eastern scholars, however the problem of borrowings in the opposite direction received far less attention, especially among Western academics. It is worth noticing that Viktor Martynov (1963) proposed as many as 40 borrowings and penetrations from Proto-Slavic into Proto-Germanic. Among these, there are nine (*bljudo, 40 Marta Noińska, Mikołaj Rychło *kupiti, *lěkъ, *lugъ, *lukъ, *plugъ, *pъlkъ, *skotъ, *tynъ) which are considered certain loanwords in the opposite direction in the newest monograph on the topic by Pronk-Tiethoff (2013). The aim of the present paper is to review and juxtapose linguists’ views on the direction and etymology of these borrowings. The authors take into consideration the analyses carried out not only by Saskia Pronk-Tiethoff (2013) and Viktor Martynov (1963), but also by Valentin Kiparsky (1934) and Zbigniew Gołąb (1992). An attempt is made to assess which of the nine...

Scandinavian Philology, 2020

This article discusses the collective names of trees used in the Scandinavian languages, as well ... more This article discusses the collective names of trees used in the Scandinavian languages, as well as the formation process of similar collective names in Eastern and Western Germanic. It should be emphasized that the Northern Germanic languages used the suffix *-ijan for creating collective nouns which denote ‘a group of trees’, e. g. ON. birki n. coll. ‘birch forest’, Icel. birki ‘birch forest; birch’, Norw. birki ‘birch forest’, Swed. björke ‘birch forest, birch grove’ (< PG. *berkijan n. coll. ‘a group of birches, birch forest, birch grove’ <-- PG. *berkō f. ‘birch, Betula’). The same suffix denoting collectivity and originating from the Proto-Indo-European language is also present as *-ьje in most Slavic languages, cf. Ru. dial. берéзье n. coll. ‘birch forest, birch twigs’; OPol. brzezie n. ‘birch grove or forest’; Cz. březí n. ‘small birch-grove’, also břízí n. ‘birch twigs, birch-wood’; Slovak brezie n. ‘small birch-forest, birch-grove’; SC. brȇzje n. coll. ‘birch forest’, Sloven. brẹ̑ zje n. ‘id.’ (< PSl. *berzьje n. coll. ‘group of birches, birch forest, birch- grove’ <-- PSl. *bȅrza f. ‘birch, Betula’). Further possible traces of the same suffix can be found in the Baltic languages (cf. OPrus. pannean n. ‘mossy fen’ vs. Go. fani n. ‘mud’, OSax. feni n. ‘fen’) suggesting that the Proto-Indo-European collective suffix can be reconstructed as *-ii̯om (n. coll.). It seems probable that some northern Indo-European tribes used the derivative word *bherh̥2ĝii̯ om (n.) to denote ‘a group of birch trees’, espe- cially ‘a birch grove’ or ‘a birch forest’.

The aim of this paper is to conduct a diachronic analysis of the Polish word rżysko 'stubble', wh... more The aim of this paper is to conduct a diachronic analysis of the Polish word rżysko 'stubble', whose root retains the primary designation of rye, namely reż 'rye, obs.'. Although this noun was ousted by żyto 'rye', a derivative of the verb żyć 'to live', its cognates are still used in many Slavic and Germanic languages, e.g. Russian rožь (рожь) 'rye', and English rye. The paper presents other cognates with a view to contrasting the English word rye with its obsolete Polish cognate reż and understanding the evolution of both words. For this purpose, the study seeks to identify the sound changes responsible for the discrepancy between the Polish-English cognates which developed from *rug h i-. The derivative rżysko 'stubble' has been analysed in the context of other nomina loci as well as the semantic change which affected the word. It is suggested that the phenomenon exemplifi ed by rżysko can be referred to as a root archaism.

General Education and Language Teaching Methodology, 2015

Скандинавская филология, 2020

General Education and Language Teaching Methodology, 2015

Lege artis. Language yesterday, today, tomorrow. The journal of University of SS Cyril and Methodius in Trnava, 2021

Scandinavian Philology, 2022

General Education and Language Teaching Methodology, 2015

Język Polski, 2014

Rasprave Instituta za hrvatski jezik i jezikoslovlje

Scandinavian Philology, 2020

Język Polski, 2014

Acta Universitatis Lodziensis. Folia Germanica

Studia Rossica Gedanensia

Scandinavian Philology, 2020

Weak verbs in Modern English are sometimes mistakenly identifi ed with regular verbs. Although mo... more Weak verbs in Modern English are sometimes mistakenly identifi ed with regular verbs. Although most weak verbs are indeed regular, there remain some which belong to the irregular group, for example spend, put, make, burn. Apart from drawing a clearer distinction between strong and weak verbs in relation to the regular and irregular division, the aim of this paper is to explain where the irregularity of these irregular weak verbs comes from and to gather possible relicts still present in Modern English. The paper discusses 56 such irregular weak verbs without vowel alternations and 9 archaisms preserving traces of such infl ection. The 56 irregular weak verbs are divided into groups according to the patterns they display and they are additionally marked depending on whether: (1) they have less common irregular preterite and past participle forms, which can be labelled as "literary" or "poetic," (2) they are literary themselves, (3) they have irregular preterite and past participle forms chiefl y in North American English, (4) they have regular variants. The initial plan included all irregular verbs but the extent of the problem coupled with the editorial limitations as to the size of the paper led to the following decisions: fi rst, to exclude the irregular strong verbs and save them for later analyses, and then, in the remaining irregular weak ones, to remove all those with vowel alternations (like keep, seek, lose, say) and to concentrate on the verbs without vowel alternations (investigated in the present paper). It is hoped that the aims of this paper as well as their realization can serve to make the content of the historical grammar course more meaningful to students by linking it to the problems present in Modern English and to the why-questions related to the subject of their studies.

Język Polski, 2017

The paper is the third in the series devoted to the traces of Grimm’s Law in Polish-English cogna... more The paper is the third in the series devoted to the traces of Grimm’s Law in Polish-English cognates and it concentrates on the change from PIE *p to PGmc *f, but this time the focus is on the controversial cases, which are omitted from Polish etymological dictionaries. Firstly, ten disputable etymologies are pre- sented together with argumentation pertaining to phonological, morphological and semantic developments and leading to new interpretations. e comparisons have been divided into three groups: (1) likely ety- mologies, which could enter Polish etymological dictionaries, (2) unclear or not fully clear and (3) doubtful/ mysterious etymologies, which, despite similarity, present serious formal problems. Secondly, loanwords are divided according to whether they demonstrate e ects of Grimm’s Law or not, as cases of Germanic loan- words in Proto-Slavic display the same sound correspondence for di erent reasons.