On the Relatinization of the Latin Term 'magister'

Abstract

The expansion of the linguistic lexicon by means of loanwords is a common phenomenon. During this process the word is taken from the donor language and assimilated in the system of the recipient language. Loanword adaptation is carried out on the semantic and formal level which concerns the pronunciation, spelling and grammatical characteristics of a word in question. In this article we present the case of the Latin word magister concentrating on its phonetic accommodation and process of its relatinization after the original borrowing in the Old Polish language. The word was relatinized in Polish, that is reborrowed from the Latin orthographic form and as such it functions in the Polish lexicon to this very day. Additionally, we investigate the semantic adaptation of the word, describing the relations between the Latin and the Polish meanings of the word magister at different stages of development of both languages.