Latviešu valodas tautas celtniecības leksika Baltijas jūras piekrastē Latvijā un Lietuvā: reālijas jumts un tā daļu nosaukumi

ENUntil now, little attention has been paid to studies of the Latvian language vocabulary on a thematic aspect at the Baltic Sea coast once inhabited by Curonians (Reķēna 1975; Kurzemniece 2008; Bušmane, Kagaine 2003; Bušmane 2004). The present article, using the descriptive method, provides an insight into the names denominating the roof of a traditionally crafted building and its parts (roof, chimney, gable, ridge, windboard, animal-shaped roof-end decorations, and cross-stacked wooden planks on the roof ridge) in the vocabulary of the three Latvian language communities (the Latvians of Kurzeme, Latvians of Palanga or on the border with Lithuania, and Latvians of Curonian split or Kursenieki) in Latvia and Lithuania. The vocabulary analysed in the sources of this article shows, firstly, the impact of Germanic languages (mostly German) in the territory under research, and secondly, the impact of the Lithuanian language in the mainly Latvian-speaking communities at the Curonian Spit and border areas in Lithuania (West-East direction of contacts). Thirdly, it is not possible to demonstrate fully the diversity and prevalence of denominations of the roof and its parts in the territory under research due to the lack of purposefully collected linguistic material related to artisanal building traditions. Keywords: Latvian, lexis, roof, semantics, language contacts.