INCIPITY Z KOMPONENTEM PROPRIALNYM W PIEŚNIACH LUDOWYCH GUSTAWA GIZEWIUSZA

This paper discusses proper nouns placed by singers in incipits of folk songs performed in the 1830s, in the vicinities of Ostróda. These songs were collected by Gustaw Gizewiusz, and published in print in 2001. Proper nouns placed in the incipits played the role of mnemonic and identifying devices. Place names give an indication of the role of onomastic data as creative material for singers, as they tended to place the events they described in familiar settings. The names used were the first names of the protagonists and last names of people the singers knew. Among the modest number of first names there are only 6 male names: Jan, Jakub, Maciej, Wojciech, Marek and Michał and 6 female names: Katarzyna, Barbara, Dorota, Gottlieba, Maria, Zofia. The most common diminutives were Jasiek and Kaśka.