Zintai-Cintai (o gal <em>Žintai</em>?) bei Prūzai-Prūsai (o gal <em>Prūžai</em>?)

• Main Author: Letas Palmaitis
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: Vilnius University 2011-12-01
• Series: Baltistica
• Subjects: prūsų kalba; rašyba; ortografija; fonetika; vietovardžiai; Zintai; Zinten
• Online Access: http://www.baltistica.lt/index.php/baltistica/article/view/1541

<p class="Pa4"><strong>ZINTAI-CINTAI (why not <em>ŽINTAI</em>?) and PRŪZAI-PRŪCAI (why not <em>PRŪŽAI</em>?)</strong></p><p class="Pa3"><em>Summary</em></p><p class="Pa3">The historically attested spellings of the Natangian village <em>Zinten </em>– 1419 <em>Sinthen</em>, 1476 <em>Szynthen</em>, 1508 <em>Zcingten </em>(Gerullis APON) – show a graphic variation of the letters <em>s</em>, <em>sz</em>, <em>zc </em>before vowels. This was a typical means of avoiding a voiced pronunciation of <em>s </em>in this position in medieval Latin manuscripts written by Germans (cf. the spellings <em>Pruzi</em>, <em>Pruzzi </em>for Prussians, <em>Pruciam </em>for Prussia, <em>Ruzzia</em>, <em>Rusciae </em>for Russia). Therefore the correct Old Prussian reconstruction of the name of the village should be *<em>Sintai </em>corresponding to the Lithuanian proper names <em>Sintautai</em>, <em>Sintautas</em>.</p><p class="Pa3">An etymology seems to be possible on the basis of a comparison with the Lithuanian verbs <em>sintė́ti</em>, <em>siñti</em>.</p><p>Current reconstructions like <em>Zintai</em>, <em>Žintai </em>should be rejected, let alone the compari­son with OPr. <em>sindats</em>, which is based on pure consonance.</p>