Cilvēka ārējā izskata motivēti uzvārdi

ENThis article continues the studies of etymological semantics of Latvian surnames in comparison with analogical semantics in other neighbouring languages - Estonian, Finnish, Lithuanian, Polish, Russian, and German. This comparison is mainly based on the synchronical material, but as far as it is possible the historical sources are used as well. As it is well known in general onomastics many surnames have originated from nicknames. The same can be said about Latvian surnames. It is a very wide group of Latvian surnames (known even from the 15th and 16th centuries) the primary semantics of which is connected with the physical features of the people. Partly such surnames were given intentionally by scribes in the surname giving process. Many surnames characterize human constitution. Very often surnames are based on features, which characterize a person's head or face: colour or shape of eyes, ears, teeth, nose, colour of hair, haircut (the most widespread surname of such semantics is Sproģis - ‘Curl’). Beard and moustache are very characteristic features of a person - (the most widespread is Melbārdis - ‘Blackbeard’). Sometimes the neck is characterized. Description of legs is also frequent, hands and fingers are more rare. If there is a special feature of body, to be more exact, some anatomic imperfection or anomaly, it can also be mentioned in the surname (Klibais - ‘Lame’, Vienāds - ‘One-eyed’).Surnames, which characterize human clothes, relatively also belong to antroponyms motivated by human appearance (Melnsvārcis - ‘Blackcoat’, Melnbiksis - ‘Blackpants’, Lielbiksis - ‘Bigpants’). There are many surnames of such original semantics in other compared languages, which we do not have in Latvian. Many compounds are characteristic only of Latvians (Bukbārdis - ‘Buckbeard’, Mežabārdis - ‘Woodbeard’, Svinabārdis - ‘Leadbeard’, Aškājis - ‘Fastleg’, Lāčkājis - ‘Bearleg’, Ozolkājis - ‘Oakleg’, Plikkājis - ‘Bareleg’, Sauskājs - ‘Dryleg’, Salmkājis - ‘Strawleg’, Garvēdcrs - ‘Longstomach’, Vecvēdcriņš - ‘Oldbclly’, Baltmuguris - ‘Whiteback’ etc.). I did not succeed in finding such parallels in the compared languages.