Old Baltic lexicography in the service of hansa merchants. Purpose of manuscript vocabularies and the time of compiling

Straipsnyje formuojamas naujas požiūris į seniausius baltų kalbų leksikografinius paminklus: Elbingo žodyną ir vadinamąjį Simono Grūnavo žodynėlį. Abudu rankraštiniai šaltiniai siejami su utilitarine dvikalbe Hanzos leksikografijos tradicija ir nuodugniau gretinami su vadinamosiomis „Rusiškomis knygomis“, t. y. su vokiečių žemaičių–rusų kalbų žodynų bei pasikalbėjimų vadovėlių nuorašais, kuriuos praktinio kalbos mokymosi bei verslo sumetimais sudarinėjo jauno amžiaus hanziečiai sprakelerere. Prieinama prie išvados, kad vokiečių–prūsų kalbų žodynai bei pasikalbėjimai pasidarė aktualūs resp. buvo sukurti netrukus po to, kai Elbingui buvo suteiktos Liubeko teisės, o į naują rinką pasipelnyti atvyko vokiečių pirkliai ir kolonistai. Su Elbingu glaudžiai siejamas ir Elbingo žodynas, ir S. Grūnavo žodynėlis; Hanzos leksikografijos įtaka įžvelgiama ir „Lenkų–jotvingių žodynėlyje“. Vertikalusis S. Grūnavo žodynėlio skaitymas leidžia rekonstruoti pirklių pasikalbėjimus, t. y. baltų kalbų tekstyne iki šiol neapčiuoptą funkcinį stilių – XIII a. vidurio–antrosios pusės vokiečių–prūsų pirklių sociolektą. Atitinkamų prielaidų leksikografijai formuotis lietuvių kalbos pagrindu XIII a. nebuvo (dėl ribotos Hanzos paplitimo geografijos).It is meaningful to study the medieval Baltic lexicography from the perspective of the Hanseatic linguistic policy and in the context of the Hanseatic lexicographic production (bilingual and utilitarian). Such a direction of research reveals the similarity of composition of closely related vocabularies. The comparative analysis of German-Prussian, Prussian-German and Russian-German vocabularies shows that the protograph of the “Russian books” of the 13th–14th centuries (created in Low German in the office of Novgorod) resembled the Elbing vocabulary of the second half of the 13th century by its layout, scope and composition. The latter source will be useful in reconstructing the protograph of Russian-German vocabularies. The comparison with the Latin-Low German Liber ordinis rerum dating to the late 14th century should be considered remote and abstract. By analogy with the akin “Russian books”, it is proposed to call Elbing vocabulary (Elbinger Vokabular) and the so called Grunau’s vocabulary the “Prussian (Elbing) Book” and the “Littl Prussian Book” respectively. The attribution to the Hanseatic lexicography is supported by the similar division of thematic fields, regional bilingualism, utilitarian type, compact scope. But that is not all. The vocabulary’s close link with Elbing (granted Lübeck law in 1246) and the composition of the Elbing codex itself with Lübisches Recht für Elbing taking the central place are equally important. The relative process of composition of the Elbing codex is reconstructed in the following stages: 1. Driven by the needs of the Hanseatic sprakelerere, the German-Prussian and the Prussian-German vocabulary, which could possibly also include a phrase-book, was compiled in around 1246–1300. 2. A parchment manuscript comprising Lübeck law granted to Elbing, Polish law and vocabulary of the same period could originate from 1300 to 1340. 3. Prussian law was ad 3. Prussian law was added at a later date, after 1340. Peter Holcwescher transcribed the collection of such composition in the middle of the 15th century. The gradual formation of the codex shows that at least two intermediate copies could have been made between the original of the second half of the 13th century and the transcript of Peter Holcwescher. The lexicographic work underwent certain changes in the course of transcribing. While the vocabulary functioned in line with its original purpose (2nd half of the 13th century), it used to be revised and supplemented (in case of “Russian books”, the updating process still continued in the 17th century); however, later, after trade reoriented itself towards the German language, the transcripts of the outdated vocabulary were mechanically copied and most likely severely shortened. “Prussian (Elbing) Book” could have lost its phrase-book in the course of shortening. The importance of the phrasebook also reveals in the lexicographic work included in the Prussian Chronicle; it ends with the reconstructed sentences (on the basis of vertical reading of vocabulary entries) important for successful trade