Reconstruction:Proto-Slavic/balъka

This Proto-Slavic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Slavic

Etymology

*bala +‎ *-ъka

Noun

*balъka f

1. Diminutive of *bala (“ravine, pool”)

Declension

Declension of *balъka (hard a-stem)

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*balъka	*balъcě	*balъky
genitive	*balъky	*balъku	*balъkъ
dative	*balъcě	*balъkama	*balъkamъ
accusative	*balъkǫ	*balъcě	*balъky
instrumental	*balъkojǫ, *balъkǫ**	*balъkama	*balъkami
locative	*balъcě	*balъku	*balъkasъ, *balъkaxъ*
vocative	*balъko	*balъcě	*balъky

^* -asъ is the expected Balto-Slavic form but is found only in some Old Czech documents; -axъ is found everywhere else and is formed by analogy with other locative plurals in -xъ.
^** The second form occurs in languages that contract early across /j/ (e.g. Czech), while the first form occurs in languages that do not (e.g. Russian).

Descendants

• East Slavic:
  • Russian: ба́лка (bálka, “ravine, gorge”) (dialectal)
  • Old Ukrainian: ба́лка (bálka)
    • Ukrainian: ба́лка (bálka), ба́вка (bávka, “gully”); ба́лок m (bálok) (dialectal)
• West Slavic:
  • Polish: bałka (“small lake”) (dialectal, possibly borrowed from East Slavic)

Further reading

• Trubachyov, Oleg, editor (1974), “*balъka”, in Этимологический словарь славянских языков [Etymological dictionary of Slavic languages] (in Russian), numbers 1 (*a – *besědьlivъ), Moscow: Nauka, page 149
• Vasmer, Max (1964–1973) “балка”, in Oleg Trubachyov, transl., Этимологический словарь русского языка [Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language] (in Russian), Moscow: Progress
• Melnychuk, O. S., editor (1982), “балка¹”, in Етимологічний словник української мови [Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1 (А – Г), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka, page 127