Etimološki slovar slovenskih zoonimov 1. A–M

This dictionary (‘Etymological Dictionary of Slovenian Zoonyms 1, A–M’) contains the first half of the etymological analyses of more than 6,700 zoonyms, which, regardless of their frequency and contemporary currency, have been recorded in various Slovenian literary, dialect, or historical sources. The entry for each zoonym seeks to present its history and area of attestation, and when and how it became part of Slovenian based on as much evidence as possible. Further commentary explains when or at what linguistic level the zoonym emerged as a unique synthesis of form and meaning, which, under favorable research conditions, allows an etymological explanation. This is essential for explaining the thought pattern that motivated name givers to designate a certain animal in this way and not perhaps in some other way.

The work offers innovations in lexicography (e.g., the structure of dictionary entries), lexicology (e.g., a collection and analysis of zoonyms that have not been etymologically investigated until now), comparative linguistics (e.g., providing an inventory of Proto-Slovenian zoonyms, with special attention to the analysis of the word-formation patterns as generators of new words), and etymology (e.g., improved or completely new etymological explanations of zoonyms).