ON SOME TERMS DENOTING CREW MEMBERS ON DUBROVNIK SHIPS

Abstract

The paper discusses selected terms denoting crew members on Dubrovnik ships throughout the history. The titles of the most important crew members are analyzed based on the corpus of the 18th century documents, literary works, and technical literature. The goal is to determine which terms are typical of the Dubrovnik area, whether their meanings have become restricted or extended, and how they have disappeared or remained in use over the centuries. It is obvious that the importance of individual crew members and their positions changed with time. Their responsibilities occasionally overlapped, and certain terms for their positions coexisted as synonyms, either belonging to the standard or local, i.e. colloquial use. A comparative analysis has revealed some specific features of the Dubrovnik maritime terminology referring to the ship’s crew. The terms škrivan, nokjer, nostromo, pilot, gvardijan and dispensjer are lexemes specific for this area. This is confirmed by their use in literary works.

Keywords

• maritime colloquial terms
• standardization
• seafaring
• Dubrovnik sailing vessels
• crew