ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆԻ -ՆԱԿ ՎԵՐՋԱԾԱՆՑՈՎ ԼԵԶՎԱՆՎԱՆԱԿԱՆ ՄԻԱՎՈՐՆԵՐԸ

Abstract

The suffix –նակ, which goes back to the Classical Armenian (Grabar) adverbial suffix –անակ /-anak/, has been involved in word-formation processes since the Middle Armenian period. About two dozen words containing this formative have been recorded, most of them dialectal in nature. Initially, these words functioned as adverbs; later, however, they acquired the part-of-speech status of adjectives or nouns used as linguonyms. Derivative words with the suffix –նակ are of particular interest from the perspective of the historical lexicology of the Armenian language. The bases of derivatives with this suffix are most often ethnonyms: հայ /hay/ “Armenian”– հայնակ /haynak/ “Armenian (language)”, լէհ /leh/ “Pole”– լէհնակ /lehnak/ “Polish (language)”, թաթար /tatar/ “Tatar” – թաթարնակ /tatarnak/ “Tatar (language)”. There are also a number of exceptions, i.e. derivatives where bases are not ethnonyms: երկրցնակ /erkrcnak/ “Armenian” (< երկրացի /erkrtasi/ “compatriot, fellow countryman”), համշենցնակ /hamshentsnyak/ “Hamshen Armenian” (< Համշեն /Hamshen/, համշենցի /hamshentsi/ “Hamshen Armenian”). Synonymy is often observed among linguonyms formed from different bases: հայնակ – երկրցնակ /haynak–erkrtsnak/ “Armenian”, թուրքնակ – տաճկնակ /turknak–tatshchnak/ “Turkish”, ալամաննակ – նեմեցնակ /alamannak–nemetsnak/ “German”. Phonetic variants may also occur: ռուսնակ – ռսնակ /rusnak–rsnak/ “Russian”, ֆրանցուզնակ – փրանցուզնակ /frantsuznak–prantsuznak/ “French”, մաճռնակ – մաճրնակ /matshrrnak–matshrnak/ “Hungarian”. A significant part of the lexical units examined in the article has been recorded in various dictionaries of the Armenian language.