This is a reply within a larger thread: view the whole thread

Re: Origin of "Forkapa"
Hi Jim,
Check this out and let me know waht you think.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Low_Franconian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Frisianhttp://www.koeblergerhard.de/germanistischewoerterbuecher/altfriesischeswoerterbuch/afries-F.pdfpage 34: for-kâp-ia* 10, afries., sw. V. (2): nhd. verkaufen; ne. sell (V.); ÜG.: lat. vÐndereL 2; Q.: W, R, E, Jur, L 2; E.: s. for- (1), kâp-ia; W.: nfries. forkeapjen, V.,verkaufen; L.: Hh 55a, Rh 1113afor-kâp-inge 1, afries., st. F. (æ): nhd. Verkauf; ne. sale; Hw.: vgl. mnd.vorkôpinge, mnl. vercopinge; Q.: AA 65 (1513); E.: s. for-kâp-ia, *-inge; L.: AA 65
vote up1vote down

Replies

I have to say I'm dubious. Forkapia, Forkapinge certainly look similar, but we'd have to account for the presence of East Frisian vocabulary in the Balkans. Also as this is Old Frisian, and I believe South Slav surnames don't date back to the Middle Ages, there would be a chronological problem.
However, I've learned that ideas that are dismissed out of hand can come back and bite. There are German surnames in the Balkans, usually with adapted spellings, so - who knows?
vote up1vote down
Hi Jim,
Some new info. I spoke to a guy on a web site in Latvia who used the word forkapa in a blog. I asked him what it meant and this was his reply:
I believe this word ("Forkap") comes more from Russian language, and it means that hook attached behind the car, where you can attach trailer or caravan to.
vote up1vote down
I just noticed this while looking for an old posting. Sorry for the late reply.
My Russian dictionary doesn't have the word "forkap", and English to Russian doesn't yield such a word for "hook". I've been racking my brain to think of a word we normally use for that device, without any luck.
If this thread remains open I'll do a bit more scouting round the Slavic languages.
vote up1vote down
I'm trying Jim....
I did speak to my Uncle and he had said my grandfathers, great or great great grandfather came from a town outside Paris.
Thanks for your help.
vote up1vote down