Ræstar hugleiðingar - upprunin til sagnorðið 'ræsa': Fermented Reflections – The Origin of the Verb ‘ræsa’

Abstract

In this article the verb ræsa with the meaning ‘let (something) ferment’ is examined. The Faroese word is examined in its Nordic linguistic context and an attempt is made to analyze its linguistic origin. Two possibilities are then discussed: one with the origin in the noun rás, and the other with the origin in the Old Norse hrár (raw) or hræ (cadaver). In addition, the question of homonymy or polysemy will be addressed, i.e. it is assessed whether the three ræsa verbs found in Føroysk orðabók (the Faroese Dictionary) should be listed as a single verb. The work was carried out by examining what the various etymological dictionaries of the neighbouring languages ​​tell us about ræsa and its cognates, and by assessing the phonological and morphological relationships between them. It was concluded that ræsa can be said with reasonable certainty to be a single polysemous word, which at some point in history was derived from the noun rás. The word originates from Proto-Norse, as it appears to have been formed according to Proto-Norse patterns.

Úrtak

Í hesi grein verður hugt eftir sagnorðinum ‘ræsa’ við merkingini ‘lata ræstna’. Føroyska orðið verður sett í norðurlendskt málsligt høpi, og ein roynd verður gjørd at greina málsøguliga uppruna tess. Tveir møguleikar verða tá viðgjørdir: annar við uppruna í navnorðinum rás, og hin við uppruna í fornnorrønu hrár (ráur) ella hræ (ræ). Haraftrat verður spurningurin um homonymi ella polysemi viðgjørdur, t.e., mett verður um, hvørt tey trý ræsa-sagnorðini, ið eru at finna í Føroyskari orðabók, áttu at verið førd upp undir einum. Arbeiðið varð framt við at kanna eftir, hvat tær ymsu upprunafrøðiligu orðabøkurnar yvir grannamál okkara upplýsa um ræsa og kognatar tess, og við at meta um ljóð- og bendingarviðurskiftini teirra millum. Nátt var fram til, at ræsa við rímiligari trygd kann sigast at vera einstakt polysemt orð, ið einaferð í tíðini er avleitt av navnorðinum rás. Orðið gongur aftur til frumnorrønt, tí tað tykist vera gjørt eftir frumnorrønum leisti.