De-a puia-gaia: (geo- and ethno-) Linguistic Notes

In our study, we examined, from a geolinguistic and ethnolinguistic perspective, the ludonym “de-a puia-gaia”, investigated by Emil Petrovici during the surveys for Romanian Linguistic Atlas in the interwar period. To provide an overview of this ludic activity, we gave a brief diachronic presentation of the game, then we followed the descriptions resulting from the main linguistic surveys (Hasdeu, Atlasul lingvistic român (ALR) [the Romanian Linguistic Atlas], Noul Atlas lingvistic român (NALR) [the New Romanian Linguistic Atlas]) and the folklore survey coordinated by I. Mușlea. Subsequently, using the Romanian Linguistic Atlas, we tracked the geographical distribution of the terms used for the studied ludonym and attempted to analyze each name the informants gave. Finally, we have highlighted the existence of a notable lexical-semantic distinction within Romania: in the south and east, the emphasis is on the kidnapper in the name of the game, according to the Slavic model, while in the north and west, it is on the defender, following the Hungarian model.