THE SUFFIX -IKA (-IKA) AS A SPECIFIC FORMANT OF SLAVIC PHYTONYMS

Abstract

In the Bulgarian language there are several phytonyms formed with the suffix -ika. The examples, like the masculine nouns formed with ik (-nik), show no change under the law of the so-called third palatalization. Many Bulgarian formations with a suffix -ika have parallels in other Slavic languages. In many cases, the suffix -ika in some dialect areas appears in another form – it has a variant -ica, in which the change of the consonant /k/ > /c/ functions under the law of the third palatalization.