Estudios toponímicos vascos (reconstrucción interna)

Abstract

The retrospective extension of morphemes has been put into practice in the Russian etymological Dictionary, whose first volume has recendy been released. This principie is based on the monophthongization of diphthongs to i: ai > i, ei > i, oi > i, ui > i. Due to the fact that the semivowel i- in these diphthongs might have its origin in a primitive r-, the aforementioned diphthongs require the following respective protoforms: *ar, *er, *or, *ur. Taking these Basque phonetic phenomena as a starting point, che author proposes an interna! reconscruccion for sorne Basque toponyms, with the following results: lzpizte < aizpizte < *ariz-buruiz-te "heads of rock", Zibitze < Izpizte < aizpizte < *ariz-buruiz-te "heads of stone", Bizkara < *buruiz-kara (*buruiz- gara) "upright heads", Gipuzkoa < gaipuzkoa < *garpuzkoa < *gar-buruz- koa "place of heads of stone", Cize < Gaize < Garze < Garazi < *gara-te "raised place/place of height", Muga < mugai < mugain < murgain < murugain < *buru-gain "upright head".