-чуга

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

First attested in the late 1970s. According to Babić, it has spread from the word цр̀нчуга (“nigger”) (originally formed as црнц- + -југа), which was reanalyzed by native speakers as if being composed of цр̑н (“black”) + -чуга. The word цр̀нчуга was the most common pejorative in subtitled American movies shown on television, acting as a translation for the English word nigger. From there, the suffix has spread forming other words, built on a similar pattern, and with similar pejorative connotations.

Suffix

-чуга (Latin spelling -čuga)

1. Suffix appended to nominal stems to a create a noun, usually an augmentative with pejorative connotations.

   ка̏ме̄н → каменчуга

   цр̑н → цр̀нчуга

   пи̑во → пивчуга

Declension

Declension of -чуга

	singular	plural
nominative	-чуга	-чуге
genitive	-чуге	-чуга / -чуги
dative	-чуги	-чугама
accusative	-чугу	-чуге
vocative	-чуго	-чуге
locative	-чуги	-чугама
instrumental	-чугом	-чугама

Derived terms

Serbo-Croatian terms suffixed with -чуга

References

• Stjepan Babić, 1991, O postanku sufiksa čuga, in Senjski zbornik, Vol.18 No. 1