Anatolijus Nepokupnas ir prūsų antroponimijos tyrimai

LTIškilus ukrainiečių baltistas, humanitaras pačia plačiausia šio žodžio prasme Anatolijus Nepokupnas, ne viename savo darbe rašęs apie prūsiškus asmenvardžius, buvo vienas iš pirmeivių, pabrėžusių, kad prūsų antroponimijų ir toponimijų būtina tirti, nes randasi naujų duomenų, galinčių svariai papildyti jau žinomus rinkinius kalbine medžiaga, kuri padėtų patikimiau paaiškinti prūsiškų onimų darybų ir kilmę. Išstudijavus ne vienų rankraštinį ir spausdintų istorijos šaltinį, aišku, kad išsamus prūsų gentinės priklausomybės, giminystės ryšių, vienanario įvardijimo ir dvinario įvardijimo dėmenų tyrimas, antrojo dėmens tikslus apibūdinimas labai praturtintų baltų antroponimijos tyrimus ir leistų geriau suprasti, kas buvo iš mūsų kalbotyros ir istorijos išėjusios kalbos šeimininkai. [Iš leidinio]

ENAnatoly Nepokupny, a prominent Ukrainian scholar in Baltic studies, first wrote about Prussian personal names as far back as 1973. In 1976, he wrote a statement which is of crucial importance for the studies of Prussian anthroponymy. He pointed out that the classical collections of Prussian place names and personal names by Georg Gerullis (1912, 1922) and Reinhold Trautmann (1925) should be supplemented with the data of the 16'1’ century and later centuries. He also raised two questions important for Prussian anthroponymy: 1) Was Reinhold Trautmann (1925:193) right stating that due to the rapid spread of Christian names in the Prussian lands conquered by the Order, Prussian personal names became a rarity in the historical sources of the second half of the 15th century already? 2) How to describe Prussian anthroponyms? Do they cover Prussian personal names from the lands inhabited by Prussians between the lower Vistula and Nemunas rivers? The author of the present article, being well aware of the historical context, has in mind Prussian personal names only, not forgetting that German and Slavic, i.e. Christian, names were also given to Prussians. Were there also Prussian personal names outside the lands inhabited by Prussians? In 1976, doubts concerning certain statements of Georg Gerullis and Reinhold Trautmann were expressed without questioning the importance of their fundamental collections of Prussian place names and personal names.They are not questioned today, but we can firmly state that the above mentioned collections of Prussian proper names were a solid start of a tremendous job to be done. We can firmly say that numerous Prussian personal names can be found in the 16th century and in later periods. For example, the bearers of the same personal name were recorded by Trautmann (1925: 117): 1384 Wigail zu Wargen, i.e. in Sambia, and 1394 Wigel in the district of Morungen. The persons bearing the same personal name were also mentioned 156 and 314 years later, cf. 1540 Cammeramp Wargen Cleyne freyen Barnabas Wigail hot einen dinst, ist das sein lebelanck aus gnaden erlassen, nach seinem dothe sol Greger Gruber, wie darobcn vermelt, den selbigen dinst thun. (Ostpr. Fol. 911 a XXX 1 49v); 1698 3U Kirschnciden Perschweinen Wigals; Wargen Vigais gut, Weigels gutt, Wigels gütt Lablangken (EM 126d 689 17v). There is so far no reason to question the reliable manuscript sources of later periods. There is no doubt that Prussians also lived in the areas other than Prussian ethnic lands. Anatoly Nepokupny also gave a number of examples which should be thoroughly analysed, supplemented, and revised. Prussian personal names, as well as other proper names, are witnesses of the existence of the language and the history of society. [From the publication]