Nomina Loci with the Suffix -ниц(а) in Bulgarian (A Productive Pattern in the Past and Present)

Abstract

Place names (nomina loci) in Bulgarian represent a very interesting research subject both in a diachronic and synchronic perspective. The word-formation type of the nouns derived by attaching the ending -ниц(а) or the extended suffixes -арниц(а), -ачниц(а), -илниц(а), -джийниц(а)/-чийниц(а) to designate the places where the activity or occupation denoted by the motivating verb is performed or exercised (or the places/homes where the entities denoted by the motivating noun are stored), is represented by a significant number of substantives. This group of derivatives clearly reflects the dynamics of the language as observed in the transition of words from the active to the passive lexical layer, the revival of lexical items belonging to the passive lexis, the emergence of neologisms following the established derivational patterns, the development of neosemantics, the proprialisation resulting in the formation of firmonyms. A recent phenomenon attested in the language has been the incorporation of nomina loci into the internet space: without actually existing, these places perform similar functions to their physical counterparts. The suffixes under discussion are used in the derivation of both simple and compound substantives. The empirical material confirms the productivity of the ending -ниц(а) in contemporary Bulgarian.