Slavic Loanwords in the Terms for Dumplings in Latvian

Food is an essential part of the material culture of every nation. It frequently preserves national traditions and old names longer than other spheres do, additionally, it lets observe the influence of other cultures. According to dictionary data, dumplings were known in Latvia already in the 18th century. Many names for them have been attested in regional subdialects of Latvian; borrowings usually cover wide areas. In this article, basing on ethnographic and linguistic material notations of dif­ ferent antiquity thus tracing the use of names for dumplings almost a century long and referring to dictionary data from 18th–19th century, the author tried to reveal the use and distribution of names for dumplings of Slavic origin in subdialects of Lat­ vian, as well as to offer fragmentary data on the use of particular Slavic borrowings in neighboring languages. The Slavic borrowings kļocka, zacirka alongside variant names are widespread in Eastern Latvia, i.e. in a rather narrow or wide area of the High Latvian dialect. In Eastern Latvia, the names klučki, klučkas derived from the Germanic borrowing kluči, with insertion of the consonant k under influence of Russian, have also been registered. From the semantic angle, the borrowings kļockas, klučkas and their variants are denoting dumplings made of various raw materials (e.g., different kinds of flour, also pea­flour, potatoes). Further references to ingredients of this food and its preparation are included in the explanation of the Slavic borrowing zacirka and its variants most typical for the peasants vocabulary in Latgale. Brigita Bušmane Slavic Loanwords in the Terms for Dumplings in Latvian 59 The Slavic borrowings examined in this article have not seldom (even up to the last decades of the 20th century) been serving as the only names of the said dish in the speech of representants of the oldest generation in the particular area in Eastern Latvia.


Slavic Loanwords in the Terms for Dumplings in Latvian1
Food is an important part of the material heritage of any nation -it preserves old ethnic traditions as well as shows foreign influences of different periods.This article is looking at a specific group of Latvian culinary terminology -the words denoting different kinds of dumplings.This dish and its place in Latvian culinary tradition have been noted by ethnographers when describing the typical Latvian foods of the 19 th century: "In the 19 th century, a milk soup with dumplings was cooked more often than a homogenous milk and flour gruel.It was mostly made from barley flour, but in the late 19 th century and early 20 th century a dumpling soup made from wheat flour became more popular.Initially, it was cooked for special occasions -Sunday meals, celebrations, arrival of guests, but later became a more or less everyday food" (Dumpe, 1998, pp. 165-166).Baltic German aristocracies in Latvia, as well as city people, were acquainted with dumpling dishes already before 19 th century.It is proved by culinary literature (e.g., a Latvian cookbook of 1796, meant for cooks working for Baltic Germans (quoted in Dumpe, 1998, p. 169), as well as dictionary data.As observed by ethnographers, by the mid20 th century dumplings was a typical dish both -in Latvian cities and countryside (Krastiņa, 1969, p. 472).However, as food industry and shop network developed, country people began using more and more readymade foods.Thus, it was no longer rational to cook homemade dumplings very often if they could be replaced, e.g., by pasta purchased in a shop (Krastiņa, 1969, p. 519).Nevertheless, ethnographic studies prove that the dialect speakers of that time (mostly residents of countryside) had still retained many ancient food terms, including those denoting dumplings (Krastiņa, 1969, p. 520).
In Latvian subdialects, as research data show, many terms for dumplings are reg istered.These words, both Slavic and Germanic loanwords, clearly reflect the areas of influence of Slavic and Germanic cultures, respectively.For instance, in Western Latvia dumplings are often denoted by the Germanic borrowing ķiļķni (and its variants; observed in written sources since the 18 th century (LEV I, 1992, p. 472)), but in the central part of Latvia the Germanic borrowing klimpas (and its variants) prevails; this word appeared in the 19 th century (LEV I, 1992, p. 405) and nowadays is a Standard Latvian word.Slavic terms for dumplings are registered mostly in Eastern Latvia, i.e. the area of the High Latvian dialect.Each of them have several subdialectal variants.
This article uses various sources -e.g., the data about national food traditions and food terms gathered during the 1920s and 1930s in the expeditions organized by the Monument Board (Pieminekļu valde) (LVM), the ethnographic expeditions of the Institute of History in the 1950s (E), and by the dialectologists of the Institute of Latvian Language and Literature in the 1960s (Apv.).The author participated in these expeditions in 1969-1971; in the late 20 th century the dialectological materials were also gathered by students of the University of Latvia and Liepāja University (then called Liepāja Pedagogi cal institute) (LU, LPI).Additional information was found in various ethnographic and linguistic sources.Some terms for dumplings were found in 18 th century dictionaries.
Thus, the present paper, drawing information from sources of different periods, gives a chronological overview of the usage of terms for dumplings in the course of almost a century, with a retrospect to some 18-19 th century sources as well.Thus, the distribution of dumpling terms borrowed from Slavic languages and used in Latvian subdialects is revealed, with brief additional information about the usage of the respective Slavic words in some neighbouring languages.
The Slavic terms for dumplings in subdialects spoken in Eastern Latvia can be classified in the following three groups.
Apart from differences in noun stems, a shift of consonants c-č is also observed.The form kļočki has been registered in Northern Latgale -Balvi (Apv.) and Baltinava, but kļočkas in Atašiene (Apv.),Preiļi and Eastern Zemgale -namely, in Rubeņi.
The word klockas has been occasionally registered in the western part of Latvia, the region of Kurzeme -e.g., in Piltene, Pūre, Vecmokas, where it might have appeared in relatively recent times (not shown in the map).

II. klucka, klučka, klučks, klučķs
Moving westwards from the area of usage of the term kļocka, we find a variant klučkas which is mostly used in southeastern Vidzeme and Eastern Zemgale.
In Saikava, the word klučka is sometimes used in a transferred meaning -denot ing a short, clumsy person (Apv.).The same word has been fixed in some toponyms, too -e.g., Klučka is a meadow in Ērgļi, and there is a Klučku purvs in Alsviķis (Endzelīns, 1961, p. 108).
The word kluckas has been registered only in Palsmane.
A variant klučķi was found only in written sources -dictionaries of the 18 th and 19 th century (Stender, 1789, p. 112;Ulmann, 1872, p. 115).In the subdialects recordings of the 2 nd half of the 20 th century, this word was never registered with a consonant ķ.
The dictionary of K. Mīlenbahs contains the form klučķi -it was taken from the dictionary of Ulmann and included in the entry klucis 'block' with a defini tion (written by J. Endzelīns) in German: "wohl durch russ.клёцки beeinflusst" (ME II, 1923-1932, p. 233).This hypothesis might be proved by the distribution of the words klučkas and klučki -they are observed westwards from the area of the Slavic borrowing kļockas and eastwards from the area of Germanic borrowing klucis.Another proof is the reference made by B. Laumane about some Slavisms registered in the said territory.The existence of the word klučķi in a 1796 cookbook (meant for cooks working in manors) shows that it was known already in the 18 th century.According to the classification provided by B. Laumane, the terms klučkas, klučki and their variants can be found in an area that borders with the region of Latgale and sometimes overlaps with its territory.This supports B. Laumane's observation that Slavisms are found in northeastern Vidzeme (see Лаумане, 1977, pp. 59, 65) and diachronically represent isoglosses that seem to be rather ancient (see Лаумане, 1977, p. 65).
Moreover, the Germanic loanword kluči (see ME II, 1923-1932, p. 233), from which the words klučkas, klučki might be derived under the impact of Slavic influ ence, is used mostly in northwestern Vidzeme and Southern Vidzeme (from Ikšķile to Aizkraukle).

III. zacerka, zacirka, zacirks, zāc(j)orka, zacorka, zaķirka
Both ethnographic and linguistic literature mentions a dish used in Latgale during the late 19 th century and in the 20 th century -zacirka, a kind of porridge or milk soup with very small dumplings.Usually it was made of hard dough by crumbling it into boiling water and then adding milk; sometimes from a liquid dough, e.g., in Kalupe (KIV II, 1998, p. 577) and Līksna (LPI).The dough was made from different kinds of flour.The ethnographic and dialectal recordings of the early and middle of the 20 th century most often mention barley or pea flour -e.g., in the surroundings of Ludza (LVM, № 2599).In Kalupe, flour made of beans was also used (KIV II, 1998, p. 577).
According to the findings of the ethnographer A. Zavarina, flour dish called затирка was used by the russophones in Latgale in the 2 nd half of the 19 th century on almost daily basis.It was still observed, though less frequently, in the Russian Old Believers' community in Latgale during the 2 nd half of the 20 th century.When preparing this dish, they mixed flour with water and rubbed (затирали) it into little pieces and then boiled them in water or milk.This kind of porridge in late 19 th century Russian community in Latgale was mostly made from fine rye or wheat flour, less frequently from pea flour.The poorer peasants were using barley flour.(See Зава рина, 1986, pp. 221-222.)In the Old Believers' russophone community in Latgale, the term затирка denoted either 'milk soup with crumbled eggs and flour' or 'soup with potato dumplings' (Королёва, 1999, pp. 163, 166).
A. Zavarina points out that затирка was a typical East Slavic food and, as sub dialect data show, was mostly used in southern territories, as well as in the governorates of Vitebsk and Pskov.She believes that the Russian peasants in Latgale and Lithuania became acquainted with this dish with the arrival of immigrants from the said ter ritories (Заварина, 1986, p. 222).
The dish called затирка is characteristic not only in East Slavic, but also West Slavic (Polish and Czech) traditional cuisine, and was also introduced in Lithuania (Заварина, 1986, pp. 221-223).It is noteworthy that in some parts of Latgale, a word zacernīki was used to refer to Belarusians and Poles, or to anyone eating the said dish (LTT IV, 1940-1941, p. 220).
A term zacìrka 2 denoting a certain kind of porridge or soup is widespread in the subdialects of Latgale and Eastern Zemgale -for instance in Līvāni (LU), Līksna (LPI), Bērzgale, Dagda, Krāslava, Preiļi, Laši, Pilskalne, Rite.In ME IV (1923-1932, p. 678), the word zacirka is registered as observed in Vārkava.A variant zacir ka 2 was fixed in early 20 th century Zemgale -more precisely, in Augstkalne (Mežamuiža) (Jansons, 1937, p. 231).However, the same source contains a note saying that the recorder of the material was misled, since the word is not typical of that area but might be borrowed from Lithuanian (Jansons, 1937, p. 232).
In order to denote small dumplings, the plural form of the term has also been used in the said area -namely, zacìrkas 2 , defined in K. Mīlenbahs and J. Endzelīns' dictionary as 'Nudeln aus Weizenmehl', observed in Birži and Bebrene, and with the meaning 'kleine Klösse aus Gerstenmehl' in Lubāna (ME IV, 1923-1932, p. 678), Barkava (LPI) and Ezernieki.
A gruel made of barley, rye or buckwheat flour and called zacirka is known in Lithuania as well, see, e.g., Марченко (1974, p. 94).As pointed out by the ethnographer V. Milius, there are two methods of cooking it -either mixing wheat flour directly in water, or crumbling pieces of dough in boiling water; zacirka is a name known in the Aukštaitija region (Milius, 1964, p. 395).The term zacìrka is also registered, e.g., in the subdialects of the Samogitian/Zhemaitian dialect of the Lithuanian language (Vitkauskas, 1976, p. 556), in the subdialect of Lazūnai (Petrauskas & Vidugiris, 1985, p. 291) and the subdialect of Kaltanėnai (Vilutytė, 2008, p. 415).With an indication showing that it is a dialectal word, and a definition 'pieniška miltinių ar bulvinių kukulaičių sriuba, kankolienė', this word is also included in a dictionary of the Lithuanian language (LKŽ XIX, 1999, p. 988; the same source contains a derivation zacirkỹnė which has the same meaning).In Lithuanian subdialects, too, the term zacirka has been borrowed from Slavic languages (Belarusian зацiрка, Polish zacierka) (LKŽ XIX, 1999, p. 988).
The Slavic loanwords kļocka, zacirka and klučka in Eastern Latvia have long been (including the final decades of the 20 th century) the only terms denoting the respective dish in the speech of the older generation.A typical feature of these terms is their variability.Thus, the different aspects (phonetic, morphological, semantic) of these words provide detailed information not only for dialectologists but also for researchers of ethnic material culture and lifestyle, as well as culture contacts and issues of ethnic history.

Slavic Loanwords in the Terms for Dumplings in Latvian Abstract
Food is an essential part of the material culture of every nation.It frequently preserves national traditions and old names longer than other spheres do, additionally, it lets observe the influence of other cultures.According to dictionary data, dumplings were known in Latvia already in the 18 th century.Many names for them have been attested in regional subdialects of Latvian; borrowings usually cover wide areas.
In this article, basing on ethnographic and linguistic material notations of dif ferent antiquity thus tracing the use of names for dumplings almost a century long and referring to dictionary data from 18 th -19 th century, the author tried to reveal the use and distribution of names for dumplings of Slavic origin in subdialects of Lat vian, as well as to offer fragmentary data on the use of particular Slavic borrowings in neighboring languages.
The Slavic borrowings kļocka, zacirka alongside variant names are widespread in Eastern Latvia, i.e. in a rather narrow or wide area of the High Latvian dialect.In Eastern Latvia, the names klučki, klučkas derived from the Germanic borrowing kluči, with insertion of the consonant k under influence of Russian, have also been registered.
From the semantic angle, the borrowings kļockas, klučkas and their variants are denoting dumplings made of various raw materials (e.g., different kinds of flour, also peaflour, potatoes).Further references to ingredients of this food and its preparation are included in the explanation of the Slavic borrowing zacirka and its variants most typical for the peasants vocabulary in Latgale.

59
The Slavic borrowings examined in this article have not seldom (even up to the last decades of the 20 th century) been serving as the only names of the said dish in the speech of representants of the oldest generation in the particular area in Eastern Latvia.