Semantics of the prefix da- in Lithuanian

The paper analyses semantics of the verbal prefix da- in Lithuanian. An East Slavic borrowing, this prefix is not acknowledged by normative grammars, yet it is widely used in dialects and colloquial speech. Da- is fully integrated into the system of Lithuanian verbal prefixes: it “moves” the r p. 840]flexive affix from the word-final position to the pre-root position and can be stressed. Analysis of the prefix semantics and its compatibility with verbal stems shows that in Lithuanian dialects the prefix is used similarly to the Polish do- and Belarusian да- while its use in modern urban colloquial speech often calques verbal formations typical for Russian. As a result of semantic similarity of the borrowed prefix da- and the indigenous pri-, the prefix da- calques some meanings typical for the Lithuanian pri-, but not its Slavic correlate. Thus, semantics of the prefix da- in Lithuanian is a set of meanings and usages borrowed from all three neighbouring languages (Belarusian, Polish and Russian) and also calqued from the Lithuanian prefix pri-