Abstract:
The paper discusses the origin and distribution of the -osa verb suffix in Serb language. It points to the interpretations of the meanings of this suffix so far, which predominantly imply a Greek influence, and it offers new answers to the question. The new approach is founded on the Slavonic-Romance mixoglottic ties and contacts in this part of the Balkans. Thereby we can determine the relation of this suffix to eastern Serbian speeches (above all, to the Prizren-Timok and Kosovo-Resavan, as well as Zeta-Raska speeches), and the sporadic reach of this Balkan- ism into more westerly speeches. They include the areas into which this linguistic trait extends from the Balkan east and southeast, from the Macedonian-Bulgarian region, although origins, probably even substratum origins, from the Timok-Prizren speeches cannot be excluded
