2018, Volume 15, Issue 3

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Inna A. Koroleva
Smolensk State University
Smolensk, Russia

Toponymy of Kalmykia in Historical, Geographical and Linguistic Perspectives
Review of the book: Kichikova, N. A., Mandzhieva, E. B., & Suprun, V. I. (2017). Toponimicheskii slovar’ Respubliki Kalmykiia [Toponymic Dictionary of the Republic of Kalmykia]. Elista: Dzhangar. 272 p.

Voprosy onomastiki, 2018, Volume 15, Issue 3, pp. 250–257 (in Russian)
DOI: 10.15826/vopr_onom.2018.15.3.041

Received 10 September 2018

Abstract: The reviewed book analyzes the toponymic vocabulary of the Republic of Kalmykia — a Russian region that retains a number of historical, geographical, administrative and territorial peculiarities. A centuries-old history of the region mapped since Herodotus times, around 5th century BC, its unique position on the plane in the semi-desert zone, the richness of its flora and fauna, as well the nomadic life of the K almyks which remained true until quite recently — have cumulatively left their mark on the specificity of geographical names included into this dictionary of more than 300 entries. The dictionary contains names of cities and towns, working-class settlements, villages, and other habitats, as well as names of rivers, lakes, elevations, ravines, gullies and other geographical objects of the Republic of Kalmykia. The structure of the dictionary is rather simple. It opens with an extended preface followed by the lexicographic part that is alphabetically arranged, the list of sources and a few elaborative lists to help using the dictionary. An appendix containing data on the numbers of residents in various localities of Kalmykia according to the 2017 census is presented in the end. Each entry includes physical, economic and geographical characteristic of the named object complete with linguistic and linguocultural information about the toponym and its etymological interpretations. The dictionary presents an exemplary case for the description of toponymic vocabulary of other Russian regions, including that of various nations residing on the territory of the Russian Federation. The edition itself represents a considerable contribution to the regional onomastic lexicography.

Keywords: lexicography, toponymy, Republic of Kalmykia, history, geography, linguistics, dictionary entry, complex analysis of a place name

References

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Nikonov, V. A. (1966). Kratkii toponimicheskii slovar’ [A Concise Dictionary of Place Names]. Moscow: Mysl’.

Smolitskaya, G. P. (2002). Toponimicheskii slovar’ Tsentral’noi Rossii [The Toponymic Dictionary of Central Russia]. Moscow: Armada-press.

Shcherbak, A. S., & Burykin, A. A. (2013). Nazvaniia naselennykh punktov Tsentral’nogo Chernozem’ia: slovar’ [Names of Settlements of the Central Black Earth Region: A Dictionary]. Tambov: TGU im. G. R. Derzhavina.