The Split sudâmja

Abstract

The name of the Split feast Sudamja!Sudajma ("festa sancti Domnii") has not yet been adequately explained. The author believes that the name originated from the Old Dalmatian adjective san(c)tu + Domnĭu. In the adjective santu the cluster /an/ in front of·a consonant gave in Croatian the back nasal /q/ pronounced until the end of the 10th century and giving /u/ after that. In this way the forms *Sudumja and similar originated. The short stressed /u/ in the closed syllable was percieved by the Croatian folk as their semivowel which later gave /a/ = Sudamja. The author connects this feature with that in the toponimes Makar (< *mt.k"br < *mukru < Muccurum), Bakar (< *btk"&r < *bukur < Buccuri), Skadar (< *skbdr < *skudr < Skutari), Skopje(< *sktp < Skupi) etc. The metathesis /mj/ > /jm/ is well known in Croatian dialectology (sumja > sujma), and it resembles the metatheses which occurs in the Split toponimes: Sukošjân > Sukojšãn ( < *santu Cassianu), Pojišân/Pojšiin (< *pasianu < Pansianu). The author finds the same feature in the toponime Dumjača (: *Dumi- + -ača). He considers these features as Croatian popular adaptations which have not occured in the personal name Dujam, the toponime Dujmovača "terrae s. Domnii" and in the adjective sandujamski, because of the link with the saint's name Domnio!Duymo etc., which has been well liked and is frequent as name of Split Romas as well as Croats from the foundation of Split, has never been broken.