Meaning
The Lemko noun земля ⟨zemlja⟩ is translatable into English as „earth”, „ground”, or „floor”, depending on the context. It translates into Polish as ziemia.
How to Pronounce and Memorize
The first syllable is pronounced like English zen, but with an ⟨m⟩ sound at the end. The second syllable is pronounced as in „la la la”. To memorize, imagine a zen monk meditating in mud outside and saying „La la la, I can’t hear you!”
Etymology
The Lemko noun земля ⟨zemlja⟩ ‘earth’ comes from Proto-Slavic *zemļà (Derksen, 2008, p. 542). Cognates include Old Church Slavonic землꙗ (ⰸⰵⰿⰾⱑ) ⟨zemlja⟩ Avestan 𐬰𐬃 ⟨zā̊⟩ ‘earth’ (accusative form 𐬰𐬆𐬨 ⟨zəm⟩), Sanskrit क्ष ⟨kṣá⟩ ‘earth’, Persian زمین ⟨zamin⟩ ‘earth’, Ancient Greek χθών ⟨khthṓn⟩ “earth”, Hittite 𒋼𒂊𒃷 ⟨tēkan⟩, (genitive 𒁖𒈾𒀸 ⟨taknas⟩), Latin humus ‘ground’, and Ancient Greek χαμαί ⟨khamaí⟩ ‘on the ground’ (Vasmer 1953, pp. 452–453, see also Derksen, 2008, p. 542 and Pokorny, 1959, p. 415).
Declension
Lemko земля ⟨zemlja⟩ is a soft, first-declension noun that declines as follows:
Singular
| Case | Lemko | Polish | Ukrainian | Russian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | зе́мля ⟨zémlja⟩ | ziemia | земля́ | земля́ |
| Gen | зе́млі ⟨zémli⟩ | ziemi | землі́ | земли́ |
| Dat | зе́мли ⟨zémly⟩a | ziemi | землі́ | земле́ |
| Acc | зе́млю ⟨zémlju⟩ | ziemię | зе́млю | зе́млю |
| Ins | зе́мльом ⟨zémlʹom⟩ | ziemią | земле́ю | землёй |
| Loc | зе́мли ⟨zémly⟩a | ziemi | землі́ | земле́ |
| Voc | зе́мльо ⟨zémlʹo⟩b | ziemio | зе́мле | — |
a Pyrtej (2013, p. 38) gives зе́млі ⟨zémli⟩ as the dative and locative singular forms, yet Fontański and Chomiak (2000, p. 64) provide зе́мли ⟨zémly⟩.
b Fontański and Chomiak (2000, p. 64) provide земле ⟨zemle⟩ as an alternative vocative singular form.
Plural
| Case | Lemko | Polish | Ukrainian | Russian |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom | зе́млі ⟨zémli⟩ | ziemie | зе́млі | зе́мли |
| Gen | зе́мель ⟨zémlʹ⟩ | ziem | земе́ль | земе́ль |
| Dat | зе́млям ⟨zémljam⟩ | ziemiom | зе́млям | зе́млям |
| Acc | зе́млі ⟨zémli⟩ | ziemie | зе́млі | зе́мли |
| Ins | земля́ми ⟨zemljámy⟩ | ziemiami | зе́млями | зе́млями |
| Loc | зе́млях ⟨zémljax⟩ | ziemiach | зе́млях | зе́млях |
| Voc | зе́млі ⟨zémli⟩ | ziemie | зе́млі | — |
References
^ Derksen, Rick. (2008). In Lubotsky, A. (Ed.), Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series: Vol. 4. Etymological Dictionary of the Slavic Inherited Lexicon. Koninklijke Brill NV. https://brill.com/view/title/12607
^ Fontański, H., Chomiak, M. (2000). Ґраматыка лемківского языка [Grammar of the Lemko Language]. Śląsk.
^ Pokorny, Julius. (1959). Indogermanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-Germanic Etymological Dictionary]. A. Francke AG Verlag Bern.
^ ^ Pyrtej, P. (2013). Лемківські говірки. Фонетика і морфологія. Об’єднання лемків [Lemko Dialects. Phonetics and Morphology]. Обʼєднання лемків [Lemko Union].
^ Vasmer, M. (1953). Russisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, Erster Band: A – K [Russian Etymological Dictionary, Volume One: A – K]. Carl Winter Universitätsverlag.
