ABOUT THE ETYMOLOGY OF THE DIALECTAL NOUN BAIDAK ‘RIVER BOAT’

Abstract

The etymology of the noun baidak [river boat, barge] is somewhat obscure. The purpose of the article is to trace the etymology of the lexeme included in its title. It is absent from the literary language. We think that baidak meaning ‘river boat/river vessel’ is related to the verb idti [to go]. We can divide this noun into prefix ba-, stem -id-, and suffix -ak. Step by step, citing examples, we prove that these morphemes could exist in the Russian language. Thus the morphological and semantic analysis with elements of comparative research of the noun baidak helps us to clarify its etymology. The theoretical value of the results of research is an opportunity to use them when studying other regional nominations. Their practical value lies in the linguistic experiment that helped us define the etymology of this dialect word and draw the attention of other scholars to the unique cultural landscape of the language.