The publication in 2006 of Vilko Novak’s historical-dialect Dictionary of the old standard Prekmurje dialect offers a wondeful opportunity to research Christian terminology in the Slovene Pannonian language area. It is based on 25 linguistically varied complete literary works, or selections from them, from the period 1715–1886, by different authors on different themes using in the standard Prekmurje regional dialect. The detailed survey of the dictionary is limited to terminological entries
beginning with A, B, C, Č, D, E, F, G, K, V, Z and Ž, while other entries are dealt with selectively.
In looking for common ground with and points of divergence from the central, Kajkavian language, we identified phonetic differences, e.g. čèstiti, dühòven, véjnec, and morphological and morpho-phonological differences, e.g. krížov, krščàn and krsčàn, krstšeník and krščeník. There were clear regional differences in word formation with regard to Christian terms, e.g. britkóča, zveličìtel as well as zveličìteo, trójstvo. Differences in the terminological motivation of religious concepts are confirmed by Christian terms arising from the terminologisation of general terms, e.g. bogabojàznost, dresélnost, zvíšavati. A large proportion is represented by adopted Christian terms and derivatives from them adapted to the norms of the standard Prekmurje regional dialect. Loan words from the Hungarian environment were received either directly or via Kajkavian liturgical language, e.g. áldov (used by Catholic writers), éršek, engeldüvanje, püšpek, vadlüvánje. As a rule, in Catholic devotional texts there are none of the loan words from German that form word families such as fàra, gmájna,
štrájfati, vtraglívost, žegnávati. The common tradition from the period of Christianisation in the Alpine and Pannonian regions is attested by terms borrowed from (or via) Latin, e.g. Antikrìštuš, apòštol, àngjel and àngel or àngjeo. The Old Church Slavonic tradition can be seen, among other things, in the use of common Christian terms across the whole Pannonian region, among Kajkavian Croats, Slovaks and Hungarian Slovenes, e.g. blagoslávlati, mìlošča, močeník, príšestje, vrág.
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