Chestnut-motivated non-settlement names in Bohemia
Reflection of the country's history and culture in toponyms motivated by the names of trees. Formal, lexical-semantic and motivational analysis of anonyms from the territory of the Czech Republic, which contain the appellative kastan or its derivatives.
| Рубрика | Иностранные языки и языкознание |
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| Язык | английский |
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Chestnut-motivated non-settlement names in Bohemia
M. Zirhutova
Annotation
The paper contributes to the research of toponyms with tree elements by presenting findings of formal, lexical-semantic and motivational analysis of 231 anoikonyms from the area of Bohemia which include the Czech appellative kastan `chestnut' or its derivatives (the nouns kastanek, kastanka, kastanovka, kastanice, and the adjectives kastanovy, kastankovy). The research has revealed that the vast majority of the anoikonyms relate to the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), while only two names are motivated by thesweet chestnut (Castanea sativa).
This reflects the occurrence of these two tree-species in Czechia: while the horse chestnut is widely spread in the whole of the country, sweet chestnut is rather rare, being planted only in parks and gardens in warmer regions. Most of the names are prepositional phrases which include a preposition and the common noun kastan and indicate the localization of the object (mostly a field or another piece of land) in the vicinity of chestnut trees: a solitary tree, a group of trees, an orchard or a chestnut-tree lined road.
A large number of names contain the diminutive kastanek `small chestnut'. We assume that these names mostly do not relate to small trees. The use of a diminutive in the name usually reflects the name giver's emotional relationship towards a particular chestnut tree rather than the tree's size. It is a well-known fact that anoikonyms reflect the history and culture of a particular country or a region. In the instance of chestnut-related anoikonyms, this can be illustrated by names reflecting the old Czech tradition to plant certain tree-species near Christian wayside shrines (small chapels, crosses, statues, etc.).
Keywords: toponymy, non-settlement names in Bohemia, the common noun kastan `chestnut', name analysis, naming motive.
Анотація
Зірнутова М. Мікротопоніми в Чехії, мотиваційно пов'язані з каштаном
Мета статті - зробити внесок у вивчення топонімів, мотиваційно пов'язаних із назвами дерев. Увагу зосереджено на формальному, лексико-семантичному та мотиваційному аналізі 231 анойконіма з території Чехії, які містять апелятив kastan або його похідні (іменники kastanek, kastanka, kastanovka, kastanice та прикметники kastanovy, kastankovy).
Дослідження засвідчило, що переважна більшість цих назв була мотивована наявністю гіркокаштану звичайного (кінського каштану) (Aesculus hippocastanum) і лише дві назви пов'язані з каштаном їстівним (Castanea sativa). Це відповідає розповсюдженості цих двох видів дерев у Чеській Республіці: гіркокаштан звичайний (кінський каштан) поширений по всій країні, натомість каштан їстівний трапляється рідше, його вирощують лише в парках і садах у більш теплих районах.
Серед досліджуваних анойконімів переважають прийменникові назви, що містять прийменник та апелятив kastan і позначають об'єкти (переважно поля та інші угіддя) відповідно до їхнього розташування стосовно каштана, зокрема щодо окремого дерева, групи дерев, алеї чи саду. Велика кількість назв містить зменшувальну форму kastanek. Припускаємо, що ці анойконіми не позначають невеликі дерева, а радше виражають емоційне ставлення номінатора до дерева, про яке йдеться. Мікротопоніми, як відомо, відображають історію та культуру певної країни чи регіону. Щодо мікротопонімів, мотиваційно пов'язаних із каштаном, це можна показати на прикладі назв, які нагадують про давній чеський звичай висаджувати певні види дерев біля невеликих релігійних пам'яток, таких, як каплиці, хрести, фігури святих тощо. Ключові слова: топонімія, мікротопоніми Чехії, апелятив kastan, аналіз назв, мотив називання
Introduction of the issue
Trees have always played an important role in human life. Besides other benefits, they can serve as a relatively stable point of orientation in the landscape. Large solitary trees, as well as groups of trees or tree-lined roads, are often well visible from distance and well-known within the local community. They attract attention and can be easily used to identify objects in their vicinity. Therefore, the occurrence of trees represents a relatively frequent naming motive in toponymy [4: 267]. Tree-motivated place names are to be found in considerable numbers all over the Czech Republic and constitute a large and significant group of both settlement and non-settlement names.
Terminology. In Czech toponomastics, it is usual to distinguish between two groups of place names (toponyms):settlement names (oikonyms) and non-settlement names (anoikonyms). Whereas settlement names designate settlements (towns, villages), non-settlement names are used for uninhabited objects and can be divided into many categories (hydronyms, oronyms, hodonyms, fieldnames, etc.). Unlike in some other languages, in Czech these two groups of toponyms differ significantly not only in the type of object they denote but also in many structural and semantical aspects. Therefore, it is a common practice to deal with them separately. Though the term microtoponym (often defined as a name only known to a limited number of people, for example the inhabitants of a village) could be applied to most nonsettlement names, Czech scholars predominantly prefer not to use it, for this approach would exclude nonsettlement names known to a larger group of people (for example the inhabitants of a bigger region or the whole country).
However, between the two presented groups of names (oikonyms and anoikonyms), there is a transitional name category. It consists of names denoting settlement objects situated outside a town or a village: various buildings or groups of buildings (solitary houses, farms, pubs, gamekeeper's lodges, cottages, mills, etc.). Although these names actually belong to oikonyms (they denote settlement objects), in Czech, they are structurally and semantically very close to anoikonyms. Hence, there is a common practice in Czech onomastics to examine them together with anoikonyms. Building names have also become a part of the non-settlement name collection (see below) used in our research. Therefore, they have been also included in our analysis.
Literature overview. The issue of tree-motivated Czech place names has already been the subject of several toponomastic studies. While a large part of the research has been so far devoted to settlement names, less attention has been paid to tree-related names of unsettled objects. V. Smilauer [16] mainly examined the names originating in Czech words meaning `forest', for instance hvozd, les, haj, doubrava (`deciduous forest'), bor (`coniferous forest'), but also touched the issue of place names (chiefly oikonyms) motivated by particular tree/shrubspecies, namely fruit trees (apple, pear, cherry, plum trees, etc.), grapevine and hop plants. W. Sperling [15] dealt with the topic, but the scope of his research work was much broader. Besides the settlement and non-settlement names motivated by trees, he also paid attention to names related to a forest in general, forest economy, deforestation, etc. Finally, a recent publication by K. Dufkova [4] offers the most detailed analysis of Czech settlement names motivated by trees and shrubs.
However, there are certain tree- species which have never been examined in Czech toponymy. None of the works mentioned here has paid attention to place names motivated by the occurrence of (horse or sweet) chestnut trees. As for the scholars solely concerned with settlement names, the reason is obvious: chestnut-motivated oikonyms do not occur in Czech toponymy (the reasons for this absence will be discussed later). W. Sperling [15] was the only researcher who also took anoikonyms into consideration but his name sources were limited, his study is by no means exhaustive and not all tree- species have been included into his research. Consequently, the occurrence of the appellative kastan `chestnut' in Czech place names has never been properly examined. Moreover, as far as we know, no in-depth analysis of chestnut-motivated toponyms has been carried out elsewhere, though studies on place names motivated by trees have also been published in other Slavic countries, for example in Poland [9] or Ukraine [10].
The aim of the paper is to fill the current research gap by providing the results of a linguistic analysis of non-settlement names in Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic) originating in the appellative kastan. This Czech common noun can refer to two tree-species: either to the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), called jirovec mad'al in Czech botanical nomenclature, or the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), having a Czech botanical name kastanovnik jedly or kastanovnik sety.
Our research is based on 231 anoikonyms motivated by the occurrence of chestnut trees, included in the Alphabetical General Catalogue of Non-Settlement Names in Bohemia which is stored in the Archive of the Onomastic Department of the Czech Language Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, in Prague [1]. The catalogue, containing approximately 450,000 items, has been created as excerpts from the lists of no settlement names worked out by voluntary informants from the individual villages in the years 1963-1980. It only includes anoikonyms from the area of Bohemia. The collection of Silesian and Moravian non-settlement names is stored in the Dialectology Department of the Czech Language Institute in Brno and is not accessible.
We will analyse the names both formally (examining their structure) and semantically (from the motivational point of view). As names originating in the appellative kastan can be related to two tree-species, a particular attention will be paid to answering the question whether it was a horse chestnut or a sweet chestnut tree which had motivated the particular names. Finally, we will examine how the non-settlement names can reflect some aspects of history and culture in the given region.
Background information. According to J. Rejzek [12: 268], the appellative kastan, used already in the Old Czech, descends from the Latin castanea (also a part of the scientific name of the sweet chestnut), which derives from the Greek kastana (pl.), whose origin is unclear. (Sometimes, it is linked to the Greek place names Kastan Cs, Kastanea, but both toponyms are probably named after the trees, not the other way around.) The same applies to the Slovak gastan, Polish kasztan, or the Ukrainian каштан. Whereas in The Mediterranean, the words in question have denoted sweet chestnut, in Czech, the appellative kastan is also used to designate Aesculus Hippocastanum - probably because it produces similar seeds.
The horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) is a tall deciduous tree with a large crown, growing to about 30 metres. Originally native to the Balkans, it has been cultivated almost in the whole of Europe. It was introduced into Central Europe in the 16 th century: the first seeds were taken from Istanbul to the Vienna Botanical Garden in 1576. Today, it is widely cultivated in streets, parks, gardens, avenues and along roads in the whole of the Czech Republic, except for mountainous regions [14: 5: 161-162].
In Czechia, the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) is not as widespread as the horse chestnut. This deciduous tree which attains a height of 20-30 m is planted mostly for its edible seeds (chestnuts). Native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, it is widely cultivated across The Mediterranean region.
In Bohemia, where it has been known since the 16th century, it is planted only in warmer regions (most of the locations are at an altitude of 200-500 m). Except for several old orchards, sweet chestnuts nowadays occur mostly as solitary trees or groups of trees in parks and gardens [6: 2: 20-21].
Results and discussion
1. Named objects and formal aspects
In the research material, a total of 231 nonsettlement names motivated by the occurrence of chestnut trees have been recorded. They are found in the whole of Bohemia, with most instances in central Bohemia. Over half of the anoikonyms (132 names) include the non-derived noun kastan and more than a quarter (66 names) its diminutive form kastanek `small chestnut'. Other lexicalitems (thenouns kastanka/kastanka, kastanovka, kastanice; the adjectives kastanovy and kastankovy) occur much less frequently. See Table 1.
Table 1
|
Lexical item |
Suffix |
Number of names |
|
|
Kastan |
0 |
132 |
|
|
Kastanek |
-ek |
66 |
|
|
kastanka /kastanka |
-ka |
17 (11+6) |
|
|
Kastanovka |
-ovka |
7 |
|
|
Kastanice |
-ice |
1 |
|
|
Kastanovy |
-ovy |
7 |
|
|
Kastankovy |
(kastanek +) -ovy |
1 |
|
|
Total |
231 |
231 recorded non-settlement names relate to 248 objects (one name can relate to more than one object). Fieldnames (names of fields, forests, meadows, pastures, etc.), hodonyms (names of roads, paths, avenues) and building names (names of houses, groups of houses, farms, pubs, etc.) occur most frequently. Other objects, such as hydronyms (names of ponds, springs, wells, brooks), oronyms (names of hills) or dendronyms (names of individual trees) are much less frequent. See Chart 1.
Most of the anoikonyms including the appellative kastan (127 names) are prepositional phrases. The names U kastanu [By the chestnut tree] and U kastanu [By the chestnut trees] are the most frequent instances; they designate various objects in the vicinity of a chestnut tree or a group of (two or more) chestnut trees. Other examples of prepositionalnamesinclude
Pod kastanem, Pod kastany, V kastanech [Under the chestnut tree, Under the chestnut trees, At the chestnut trees]. Only four names are non- prepositional:the name Kastany [Chestnut trees] occurring three times and the dendronym Pitruv kastan [Piter's chestnut tree]. However, three of these non-prepositional anoikonyms also haveoccurring twice, and U Pitru pod a prepositional name variant:kastanem [By the Piters family under the V kastanech [At the chestnut trees], chestnut tree].
The name Pitruv kastan, containing the surname Piter, deserves a comment. Documented in the list of non-settlement names in the town of Trebechovice pod Orebem (near Hradec Kralove), it denoted a chestnut tree which is said to be planted by Josef Bonaventura Piter (1708-1764), who later became the abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Rajhrad. According to the town chronicle, the tree was planted in a garden belonging to the Piters family in 1720. Later on, this part of the garden became a well-known place where learned citizens held their meetings. The chestnut tree had to be cut down in 1891. For long, the town museum had deposited a part of this “legendary” tree in its collections [13: 16].
The anoikonyms with the appellative kastan can be characterized not only by the prevalence of prepositional phrases, but also by the absence of names with an attribute. Apart from the above- mentioned name Pitruv kastan, the only examples of such anoikonyms are five names containing the numerals tri `three' and ctyri `four': the name U tri kastanu [By three chestnut trees] occurs four times, the name U ctyrech kastanu [By four chestnut trees] once.
As stated above, anoikonyms including the diminutive kastanek are also frequent. They occur in the whole of Bohemia, with the highest concentration in eastern and north-eastern Bohemia, almost no instances occurring in the south and south-west. Compared to the names including the common noun kastan, those with its diminutive form occur more frequently without a preposition (eight names): The singular name without an attribute Kastanek is recorded twice, the plural form Kastanky five times. A name with an attribute (Dubinske kastanky) has also been documented. However, prepositional names, such as U kastanku, V kastankach, Ke kastanku [By the small chestnut tree, At the small chestnut trees, Towards the small chestnut tree], again prevail.
The common noun kastanka meaning `a chestnut-tree lined road or a chestnut orchard' occurs in names in two forms, either kastanka or kastanka. Anoikonyms with both forms are found exclusively in the northern half of Bohemia.
Eight names are non-prepositional (Kastanka or Kastanka) and denote chestnut orchards, chestnut-tree lined avenues, roads or paths. The best-known instance is the oldest Czech sweet chestnut orchard Kastanka in Nasavrky near Chrudim (in eastern Bohemia), founded at the end of the 16th century. The rest of the names are prepositional phrases designating chestnut-tree lined avenues, alleys, and objects in their vicinity. No name with an attribute has been recorded. As for distribution of the two variants (kastanka and kastanka), no specific areas can be outlined. Moreover, in the district of Nove Strasec (in central Bohemia), the two different forms have been recorded in two villages which are located within four km of one another (the forest Kastanka in Msecke Zehrovice and the park V kastance in Srbec).
Seven names contain the lexical item kastanovka which is not included as an appellative in Czech dictionaries. Again, the names denote chestnut-tree lined avenues, roads or paths (often found in towns). The examples include the road Kastanovka in Pisek or the former avenue Kastanovka in Caslav. While the appellative kastanka /kastanka can denote both an avenue and an orchard, the noun kastanovka (at least in names) only relates to avenues and alleys. The name Kastanka in Zbiroh, with a name variant Kastanovka, proves that the meanings of the two nouns partially overlap. The anoikonyms including the lexical item kastanovka occur in the above delimited area of the occurrence of the anoikonyms containing the appellative kastanka /kastanka, exceeding it only in the south towards Pnbram and Pаsek districts.
The lexical item kastanice occurs in names only once: in the field name V kastanici, recorded in the village of Skalsko near Mlada Boleslav (in central Bohemia). Unfortunately, the nonsettlement name list from Skalsko does not provide any information about the name and the noun kastanice is not included in Czech dictionaries. We assume that the meaning is similar to that of the nouns kastanovka and kastanka (a chestnut-tree lined road or perhaps a chestnut orchard), but the material does not allow us to provide a more precise definition.
The adjective kastanovy `related to chestnut trees' appears in seven anoikonyms. They are often hodonyms, again designating chestnut-tree lined avenues, roads or paths, or pieces of land named after a nearby chestnut avenue or a group of chestnut trees. Examples include the names Kastanova [The chestnut path], Kastanova alej [The chestnut avenue], Kastanova louka [The chestnut meadow]. The adjective kastankovy `related to small chestnut trees' appears only in one name: the hodonym Kastankova cesta [The path lined by small chestnut trees] in Stara Hut near Dobns (in central Bohemia).
2. Naming motivation: general aspects
The non-settlement names originating in the appellative kastan are motivated by the occurrence of (horse or sweet) chestnut trees: a solitary tree, a group of (two or more) trees, an avenue, an orchard or a garden.
The objects are most frequently named after their location near a large, old, solitary or otherwise remarkable chestnut tree. In the lists of nonsettlement names, such a tree may be characterised as stary [old], velky [big], mohutny [huge], statny [sturdy], vzrostly [full-grown] or osamely [solitary]. For instance, the field U kastanu [By the chestnut tree] in Syrov near Pelhrimov (in south-eastern Bohemia) is situated "near a large chestnut tree”; the pub Pod kastanem [Under the chestnut tree] in Drozdice near Pardubice (in eastern Bohemia) is named "after a full-grown chestnut tree". As for the latter example, it is worth noting that the name Pod kastanem, which occurs in our research material several times, has been a very frequent name of pubs and restaurants in the Czech Republic up to the present.
Interestingly, the same motivation also applies to anoikonyms originating in the diminutive kastanek. The explanation of the particular name, provided by the author of the non-settlement name list, in most cases does not state that the object is named after a small or young tree. On the contrary, the tree in question is, exactly like in the previous instances, characterised as big, old, huge, etc. For instance, the hill Na kastanku [On the small chestnut tree] in Voderady near Mlada Boleslav (in central Bohemia) was named "after a huge chestnut tree which used to grow in the fields"; the field U kastanku [By the small chestnut tree] in Proloh near Rychnov nad Kneznou (in eastern Bohemia) relates to "a large, shade tree which dominates the landscape"; the field Pod kastankem [Under the small chestnut tree] in Cerveny Kostelec near Nachod (in eastern Bohemia) was named "after a well-visible tree".
There are only few names with the diminutive kastanek which are considered to be related to a small or young tree by the author of the nonsettlement name list: the meadow Pod kastankem [Under the small chestnut tree] in Keblice near Litomerice (in northwestern Bohemia) relates to "an old, underdeveloped chestnut tree"; the forest U Kastanku [By the small chestnut tree] in Kunvald-Zajeciny near Zamberk (in eastern Bohemia) bears a name based on its location "near a chestnut tree which did not prosper well and had withered in the end. Now, a newly planted tree is growing there". However, even in these cases, the name may have originated at the time when the tree in question was relatively big and could serve as a point of orientation, helping to identify objects in its vicinity. For a small tree, this is less probable.
In Czech, the primary function of diminutives is to express small size, height, etc. However, they can also be used to express familiarity, informality and endearment [3: 112]. Therefore, it is obvious that in most of the nonsettlement names, the reason for the use of a diminutive was not the tree's limited height but emotional reasons, i. e. the expression of positive emotions name givers felt towards a particular tree (avenue, orchard, etc.). This function of diminutives in anoikonyms, already observed by J. Pleskalova [11:69], explains both the large quantity of non-settlement names containing the diminutive kastanek and the seemingly illogical explanations connecting the names to tall and big trees, which occur in many non-settlement name lists.
However, not only solitary chestnut trees (or groups of several trees) have motivated the names. Another large group of anoikonyms is related to horse chestnut-tree lined roads which are found in many Czech towns and villages. Leading to castles, churches, monasteries and pilgrimage places, as well as through town parks or along local roads, tree-lined avenues and alleys are a typical feature of the Czech landscape, especially in some regions. The horse chestnut, which is the largest flowering tree with a majestic appearance, belongs to the tree-species which have been planted in avenues and alleys most frequently (along with linden trees, ashes, maples, oaks and fruit trees).
Anoikonyms motivated by the presence of a chestnut-tree lined road, avenue etc. include the nouns kastan, kastanek, kastanka /kastanka, kastanovka or the adjectives kastanovy and kastankovy. They are predominantly hodonyms denoting the avenues, alleys, roads or paths themselves. Examples include the avenue/alley names: V kastanech in Jemmky near Slany (in central Bohemia); Kastanka in Jirny near Prague; Kastanova alej in Pruhonice near Prague. In addition, other objects may be named according to their location in the vicinity of a chestnut-tree lined road. For instance, chestnut avenues lead along the fields U kastanky in Rocov near Louny (in north-western Bohemia) and U kastanove aleje in Stetice near Vodnany (in southern Bohemia).
Finally, the presence of a sweet chestnut orchard or a garden with horse chestnut trees has motivated some names. The best example is the name of the sweet chestnut orchard Kastanka in Nasavrky. Furthermore, Pod kastany [Under the chestnut trees] is a former horse chestnut garden in Vojkov near Votice (in central Bohemia), V kastanech [At the chestnut trees] is a house in Zdice near Beroun (in central Bohemia) situated near a garden with horse chestnut trees.
history culture czech republic lexical semantic toponym kastan
3. Naming motivation: the horse chestnut or the sweet chestnut?
Most of the non-settlement name lists provide the information that the given name was motivated by a chestnut tree. In most instances, however, it is not easy to determine whether it was a horse chestnut tree or a sweet chestnut tree which had motivated the particular name.
There are only few instances when the tree-species is clearly identified. For example, the field U kastanu in Novy Ples near Jaromer (in north-eastern Bohemia) "was named after a horse chestnut tree". In the case of the above- mentioned tree name Pitruv kastan in Trebechovice pod Orebem, the name list provides the information that J.B. Piter "had planted a wild chestnut tree here", which undoubtedly relates to horse chestnut. In some instances, the tree-species is identified indirectly. For example, due to the information that "the seeds of the trees are fed to deer", concerning the field U tn kastanu in Cervene Pecky near Kolm (in central Bohemia), we can presume that the trees are horse chestnuts.
There are, nevertheless, other sources which can provide the information needed. Most importantly, P. Haltofova and L. Jankovsky [5] have published a complete list of sweet chestnut localities in Czechia (including those where the occurrence has not been recently confirmed). Therefore, it was possible to compare our research material with the list and thus verify or disprove the occurrence of the sweet chestnut in a given locality.
The comparison has shown that, most probably, only two anoikonyms (out of 231) have been motivated by the occurrence of sweet chestnut. Besides the well-known sweet chestnut orchard Kastanka in Nasavrky, the occurrence of sweet chestnut trees has been confirmed in the case of the avenue Kastanka in Slatinany near Chrudim (in eastern Bohemia) where both tree-species are actually present [5: 264]. The results are not that surprising, considering the fact that the horse chestnut is wide-spread in the Czech Republic, whereas the sweet chestnut has been planted rather sporadically.
4. Historical and cultural aspects reflected in the names
It is well-known that anoikonyms may reflect earlier conditions of the natural and cultural landscape in a particular country or a region. In the instance of chestnut- related non-settlement names, this can be illustrated by names reflecting the old Czech common practice of planting horse chestnut trees (as well as other tree- species, for example linden trees or oaks) near Christian (Catholic) wayside shrines, such as small chapels, wayside crosses, statues of saints, etc., which are typical for the Czech landscape.
Erected near roads and paths, at crossroads or along old pilgrim routes, they often commemorate a tragical accident which had happened near the site, but can also express gratitude or penance. They were meant to encourage passers-by to stop for a rest, prayer or reflection. Trees had beautified such a place and provided shade and shelter but were not planted close to wayside shrines only for aesthetical or practical purposes. They had also a symbolical function, being considered a symbol of life. It was usual to plant one or two trees near the shrine; in the latter case the chapel, the cross or the statue stood between the trees. In some instances, there could be even three (reminding of the Holy Trinity) or four trees at the site. However, a wayside shrine could be also erected at a place where a large tree already had grown [8: 12]. Together with the trees, the shrines also served as important points of orientation. Therefore, this phenomenon is reflected in anoikonyms. In the case of chestnut-motivated non-settlement names, there are three points worth mentioning:
Firstly, many anoikonyms originating in the appellative kastan have a variant name which is related to a wayside shrine (plus the information about the occurrence of the shrine is often mentioned in the non-settlement name list from the particular village). For instance, the field U kastanu [By the chestnut tree] in Radonice near Louny (in north-western Bohemia) has a variant name U kaplicky [By the small chapel]. The author of the name list from the village of Radonice has recorded a short story related to this name: "There used to be a small chapel here, but a drunk postman has demolished it. Just a chestnut tree has remained until now." Other examples include:the field U kastanu [By the chestnut tree] in Velke Zamachy near Melmk (in central Bohemia), also called U krizku [By the small cross]; the orchard Pod kastany [Under the chestnut trees] in Suchomasty near Beroun (in central Bohemia), also called U svateho Jana [By the Statue of Saint John of Nepomuk]; the field U kastanu [By the chestnut trees] in Budyne nad Ohn near Litomerice (in north-western Bohemia), formerly called U svate Anny [By the Statue of Saint Anna], etc.
Secondly, in some cases such a variant name does not exist (or has not been recorded) but the information about the occurrence of a wayside shrine at the site can be found in the list of non-settlement names. For instance, the field U kastanu [By the chestnut tree] in Radim near Jicm (in north-eastern Bohemia) is located near a chestnut tree growing close to a stone cross; another name U kastanu belongs to a site in Mirosov near Rokycany (in south-western Bohemia) where a cross used to stand between two chestnut trees; U kastanu is also a name of a crossroads in Velka near Pnbram (in central Bohemia) where a solitary chestnut tree and a cross are found.
Thirdly, there are two anoikonyms which include both the appellative kastan and the appellative kriz meaning `cross': the field-names U krize pod kastanem [By the cross under the chestnut tree] in Tuchlovice near Kladno and U krize u kastanu [By the cross by the chestnut tree] in Jemmky near Slany (both in central Bohemia). In these two instances, it is obvious that the name U krize needed a further specification for there were probably more crosses in the villages and it was necessary to differ between them.
5. Additional remarks
Nowadays, the horse chestnut is in danger both in the Czech Republic and other European countries as the horse chestnut leaf miner (Cameraria ohridella) causes severe damage to the trees [7: 47]. This, in combination with other threats, might lead to a decline in number of horse chestnut trees in the landscape as there might be tendencies to replace them with other species. What impact this situation might have on chestnut-related non-settlement names is beyond the scope of this work. However, we will briefly touch the issue by providing two examples. They concern two identical names (hodonyms), both motivated by horse chestnut trees which had to be cut down.
The first example is of an avenue name Kastanka (also called Kastanovka) in Zbiroh (in western Bohemia), documented in the non-settlement name list from 1970. Founded in the 19th century, this horse chestnut-tree lined avenue lead from the village of Svabm to the Zbiroh castle. According to B. Sopejstalova [17], the trees had to be cut down because of their bad condition caused by horse chestnut leaf minor damage and other threats. In 2015, the local authorities decided to renew the avenue. However, instead of horse chestnut trees, linden trees were planted along the road. In connection with this development, the road has acquired an official name Pod parkem [Below the park] and the name Kastanka is not used anymore.
Another is the situation of a horse chestnut-tree lined alley Kastanka in Jirny near Prague, documented in the non-settlement name list from 1973. According to M. Bednar [2: 8-9], the trees were planted in 1850s or 1860s and the alley had soon become very popular with local inhabitants. However, in 1990s, some of the old trees had been severely damaged by the horse chestnut leaf miner. In combination with earlier damage, the condition of many trees became very bad and there was a danger of their falling on passers-by. Therefore, it was decided in 2015 to cut off a total of 48 trees. However, in an effort to preserve the horse chestnut alley, 58 new horse chestnut trees were planted there. Nowadays, in spite of many threats, the alley Kastanka still exists and is known under the same name.
The examples presented above have shown that the situation of various objects named after threatened horse chestnut trees does not have to be the same and also the impact on the names can differ depending on many factors.
Conclusion and research perspectives
The Czech common noun kastan is used to denote two tree- species: the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) and the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa). Not native to Central Europe, these two tree-species were introduced to this region as late as in the 16th century. This late introduction has resulted in the absence of settlement names motivated by (horse or sweet) chestnut trees because these names are usually older than that. However, chestnut-motivatednon-settlement names have been recorded in a relatively great number. The reason is clear. Except for a few specific types (hydronyms, oronyms), anoikonyms are usually younger than oikonyms. Most of them have originated later than the 16th century, that is at the time when especially horse chestnut trees had been widely spread throughout the area of today's Czech Republic and could easily stand for a naming motive.
In Bohemia, 231 anoikonyms including the Czech appellative kastan or its derivatives (namely the nouns kastanek, kastanka/kastanka, kastanovka, kastanice, and the adjectives kastanovy, kastankovy) have been recorded. A large number of the names contain the diminutive kastanek. We assume that these names mostly do not relate to small trees. The use of a diminutive in the name usually reflects the name giver's emotional relationship to a particular tree rather than its size.
The anoikonyms are most often fieldnames and hodonyms. Chestnut-related dendronyms are not that frequent, but they occur. It is typical for this name category that the names usually consist of an appellative denoting a particular tree-species and a personal name of a well-known person who is said to be somehow related to that particular tree. This often involves a legend saying that the person had planted the tree, picnicked under it etc. An example of such a name is Pitruv kastan to which a legend about a future abbot planting the tree is related.
Almost all of the anoikonyms have been motivated by horse chestnut, only two names relate to sweet chestnut. This reflects the distribution of these two tree-species in the Czech Republic: while horse chestnut is widely spread in the whole of the country, sweet chestnut is rather rare, being planted only in parks and gardens in warmer regions. The large number of non-settlement names motivated by horse chestnut is not surprising for these trees are often very tall and attractive, having a large crown and striking blossoms. Both solitary horse chestnut trees and their groups attract attention and could easily refer to precise locations within the village and motivate the names of various objects in their vicinity.
While many Czech anoikonyms include an attribute, which helps to characterize the object more precisely, this tendency has not been observed in non-settlement names motivated by chestnut trees. We assume that the reason for this is the fact that the trees which have motivated the names are themselves striking and usually well known by local people. They can be really old, exceptionally large, well visible, solitary or otherwise interesting. Therefore, everyone in the local community knows which horse chestnut tree the particular name refers to and there is no need for further specification.
The anoikonyms originating in the appellative kastan bear witness of the rather scarce sweet chestnut cultivation in the Czech Republic, as well as a great popularity of horse chestnut- tree lined avenues and planting horse chestnut trees in the vicinity of both buildings (i. e. pubs) and Christian wayside shrines (i.e. small chapels, crosses, statues, etc.). However, unfortunately, the future of horse chestnut trees (and perhaps also some chestnut-related non-settlement names) is questionable.
While the names motivated by the occurrence of horse chestnut trees are related to a tree-species which is in danger, it is even more important to explore them. Whereas we have examined chestnut-related non-settlement names in Bohemia, it would be desirable to carry out similar research also in other parts of the Czech Republic: Moravia and Silesia. Moreover, future studies could focus on chestnut- motivated non-settlement names in other Slavic countries and compare the results with our findings.
Список використаних джерел та літератури
1. Abecedn C. generalm katalog pomtstntch jmen z uzemt Cech. Archiv onomastickeho oddelem Ustavu pro jazyk cesky AV CR.
2. Bednar M. Kastanka. Jirensky zpravodaj, 7/7. 2015. P. 8-9.
3. Cechova M. et al. Cestina - fee a jazyk. Praha: ISV nakladatelstvL 2000. 407 s.
4. Dufkova K. Olst, Nusperg, Ruzodol. Nazvy dfevin v sidelmch jmenech ceskych zemi. Brno: Masarykova univerzita. 2021. 331 s.
5. Haltofova P., Jankovsky L. Distribution of sweet chestnut Castanea sativa Mill. in the Czech Republic. Acta Hortic,693.2005. P. 159-164.
6. Hejny S., Slavik B. Kvetena Ceske republiky 2. Praha: Academia. 1990. 540 s.
7. Kuldova J. - Hrdy I. - Jansta P. The horse chestnut leafminer Cameraria ohridella: chemical control and notes on parasitisation. Plant Protect. Sci., 43/2. 2007. P. 47-56.
8. Leschingerova K. Symbolicke aspekty zelene v okolt drobnych sakralnich objektu v krajini a sdlech. Bakalarska prace. Lednice: Mendelova univerzita v Brne, Zahradnicka fakulta. 2015. 72 s.
9. Makarski W. Nazwy najpopularniejszych drzew w Polsce jako baza toponimiczna. Roczniki Humanistyczne, 54/6. 2006. P. 57-100.
10. Mosur O. Мікротопоніми кінця ХУШ-початку ХІХ століття, мотивовані назвами рослин (на матеріалі онімів Самбірського циркулу). Науковий вісник Ужгородського університету. Серія Філологія. 45/1. 2021. C. 321-326.
11. Pleskalova J. Tvofeni pomtstmch jmen na Moravi a ve Slezsku Jinocany: H&H. 1992. 151 s.
12. Rejzek J. Cesky etymologicky slovnik Praha: Leda. 2001. 752 s.
13. Ruckerova J. Co by mohly vypravet trebechovicke domy... Tfebechovicke Halo, 4. 2022. S.16.
14. Slavik B. Kvetena Ceske republiky 5. Praha: Academia. 1997. 568 s.
15. Sperling W. Baume und Wald in den geographischen Namen Mitteleuropas: Die bohmischen Lander. Namenkundliche Informationen,24. Leipzig: Leipziger Universitatsverlag. 2007. 422 s.
16. Smilauer V. Rostliny a mstnjmena. Zpravodaj Mistopisne komise, X. 1969. S. 40-63.
17. Sopejstalova B. Zbirozsti zaci v ramci akce 72 hodin vysadili sestadvacet lip. Rokycansky denik 2015.
References (Translated & transliterated)
1. AbecednC generalni katalog pomistnich jmen z uzemi Cech. [Alphabetical General Catalogue of Non-Settlement Names in Bohemia]. Available at the Department of Onomastics, Czech Language Institute, the Czech Academy of Sciences. [in Czech].
2. Bednar, M. (2015). Kastanka [The Kastanka Alley]. Jirensky zpravodaj, 7/7. Р. 8-9. [in Czech].
3. Cechova, M. et al. (2000). Cestina - fee a jazyk [Czech - the Speech and the Language]. Praha: ISV nakladate lstvL 407 p. [in Czech].
4. Dufkova, K. (2021). Olsi, Nusperg, Ruzodol. Nazvy dfevin v sidelnich jmenech ceskych zemi [ОШ, Nusperg, Ruzodol. Names of Woody Plants in Czech Settlement Names]. Brno: Masarykova univerzita. 331 p. [in Czech].
5. Haltofova, P. - Jankovsky, L. (2005). Distribution of sweet chestnut Castanea sativa Mill. in the Czech Republic. Acta Hortic.693. Р. 159-164.
6. Hejny, S. - Slavik, B. (1990). Kvetena Ceske republiky 2 [Flora of the Czech Republic 2]. Praha: Academia. 540 p. [in Czech].
7. Kuldova, J. - Hrdy, I. - Jansta, P. (2007). The horse chestnut leafminer Cameraria ohridella: chemical control and notes on parasitisation. Plant Protect. Sci. 43/2. Р. 4756. [in English].
8. Leschingerova, K. (2015). Symbolicke aspekty zelene v okott drobnych sakralnich objektu v krajine a sidlech [Symbolic Aspects of Vegetation in the vicinity of Christian Wayside Shrines in the Landscape and Settlements]. Bakalarska prace. Lednice: Mendelova univerzita v Brne, Zahradnicka fakulta. 7 p
9. Makarski, W. (2006). Nazwy najpopularniejszych drzew w Polsce jako baza toponimiczna [The Names of the Most Popular Trees in Poland as a Toponymic Basis]. RocznikiHumanistyczne. 54/6. Р. 57-100. [in Polish].
10. Mosur, O. (2021). Mikrotoponimy kintsia 18 - pochatku 19 stolittia, motyvovani nazvamy roslyn (na materiali onimiv Sambirskoho tsyrkulu) [Microtoponyms of the End of 18th to the Beginning of 19th Centuries, Motivated by the Names of Plants]. Naukovyi visnyk Uzhhorodskoho universytetu. Seriia Filolohiia. 45/1. Р. 321-326. [in Ukrainian].
11. Pleskalova, J. (1992). Tvofeni pomistnich jmen na Morave a ve Slezsku [Non-settlement Place Name Formation in Moravia and Silesia]. Jinocany: H&H. 151 p. [in Czech].
12. Rejzek, J. (2001). Cesky etymologicky slovnik [Czech Etymological Dictionary]. Praha: Leda. 752 p. [in Czech].
13. Ruckerova, J. (2022). Co by mohly vypravet trebechovicke domy... [What Stories Could the Houses of Trebechovice Have Told...]. TfebechovickeHold. 4. Р. 16. [in Czech].
14. Slavik, B. (1997). Kvetena Ceske republiky 5 [Flora of the Czech Republic 5]. Praha: Academia. 568 p. [in Czech].
15. Sperling, W. (2007). Baume und Wald in den geographischen Namen Mitteleuropas: Die bohmischen Lander [Trees and Forests in Central European Toponyms: Bohemia]. Namenkundliche Informationen, 24. Leipzig: Leipziger Universitatsverlag. 422 p. [in German].
16. Smilauer, V. (1969). Rostliny a mstnjmena [Plants and Settlement Names]. Zpravodaj Mistopisne komise. 10. Р. 40-63. [in Czech].
17. Sopejstalova, B. (2015). Zbirozsti zaci v ramci akce 72 hodin vysadili sestadvacet lip [The pupils of Zbiroh have planted twenty-six linden trees during the ”72 hours” event]. Rokycansky denik
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