| Abstract [eng] |
The paper discusses representation of the semantics of smell in the Lithuanian writings of the earliest period. The earliest period here is defined by the first few decades after the appearance of the first Lithuanian book. The paper aims at finding out what place the words meaning smell take up in the lexis of the earliest Lithuanian writings, what and how smell (or stink) define at the beginning of the formation of writing. It is emphasised that all the writings of that period with a few exceptions were of mostly one very narrow theme in religious works and explained religious dogmas, the truths of the Holy Scripture, the rituals of religious ceremonies, hymn texts, etc. Thus the semantic field of the discussed texts is rather limited and homogeneous.The texts of Martynas Mažvydas, Baltramiejus Vilentas and Jonas Bretkūnas, the compilers of the first Lithuanian books from Eastern Prussia, were chosen for analysis. Having reviewed the writings of the above-mentioned authors and analysed the examples of representation of the semantics of smell, a conclusion has been drawn that the words with the mentioned semantics are in the periphery of the old Lithuanian writings. Although it seems that the words of the discussed semantic group should be of paramount importance for a human and the surrounding world as they deal with one of the five main senses, smell, this is not the case. The genre and the purpose of the said writings limit the usage of the discussed semantics – as it has been mentioned, most of the texts of the discussed period are religious by nature therefore their lexis is similar, lacking in variety, schematic and rigid. The analysed examples demonstrate that smell was mostly discussed in a metaphoric sense: religious truths/deviations from them, good deeds/sins, etc. smell/stink (words with the semantics of smell with a negative connotation are used more often than those with a positive one). Such is specificity of religious literature. Almost no doubt, that the discussed semantics was much more lively and diverse in the actual language of the period. |
