2024, Volume 21, Issue 3
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Alexander Nikolaevich Varlamov TUNGUS-MANCHU ETYMOLOGIES OF HYDRONYMS OF THE AMUR RIVER BASIN
For citation Received on 9 April 2024 Abstract: This article focuses on the toponymy of Siberia, presenting a detailed etymological analysis of the Amur River system from the perspective of spatial orientation among the Evenki and related Tungus-Manchu peoples. The research methodology is grounded in lexical analysis, reflecting the agglutinative characteristics of the Tungus-Manchu languages. Folklore, ethnographic materials, and previous research on the subject are incorporated into the study. The etymological findings are based on an objective assessment of the landscape and geographical features of the water bodies under consideration. The authors reach the following conclusions: 1. The holistic perception of the Amur River system by Tungus-Manchu peoples diverges from the structure reflected in modern cartography, this perception integrates the Hailar, Argun, Shilka, and Amur rivers into one single system. 2. In the Evenki spatial map, the upper reaches of the Amur River system are identified as the Hailar (Evenki Һāj(ā)lān, Һāj(ā)lār — Top, Lob [of the river system]’) and Argun (Evenki Һaergӯn, Ӓrgӯn — ‘Lower [upper part]’). 3. Shilka and the upper Amur (Evenki Shilkir, Silkir) derive from a common root *silka/shilka, meaning ‘narrow valley,’ reflecting the landscape’s characteristics (relatively narrow waterways bordered by extensive mountain systems). 4. In the Tungus-Manchu languages, the lower reaches of the Amur, after its confluence with the Sungari, are referred to as Maӈgu/Maӈmu, meaning ‘Big River.’ 5. The hydronym Amur, originally Amar, has Tungusic origins and translates as ‘the back or last part of the big river.’ 6. The established variant of the hydronym Amur in cartography is attributed to the Solon language, which preserved influences from the Jurchen language. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection between linguistic, geographical, and cultural factors in Siberian toponymy. Keywords: toponymy; hydronyms of Siberia; Amur; Hailar; Argun; Shilka; Onon; Ingoda; Evenki language; Tungus-Manchu languages References Anikin, A. E. (1990). Tunguso-man’chzhurskie zaimstvovaniia v russkikh govorakh Sibiri [Tungus-Manchu Loanwords in Russian Dialects of Siberia]. Novosibirsk: Nauka. Burykin, A. A. (2013). Imena sobstvennye kak istoricheskii istochnik: Po materialam russkikh dokumentov ob osvoenii Sibiri i Dal’nego Vostoka Rossii XVII–XIX vekov [Proper Names as a Historical Source: Based on Russian Documents about the Development of Siberia and the Russian Far East in the 17th–19th Centuries]. St Petersburg: Peterburgskoe Vostokovedenie. Dmitrieva, L. M., & Zhang, Y. (2020). Reka Amur v Rossii i Kitae: varianty nazvaniia [The Amur River in Russia and China: Variants of the Name]. 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Aldan [Evenki Hydronyms of the Upper Reaches of the Aldan River]. Vestnik Severo-Vostochnogo federal’nogo universiteta im. M. K. Ammosova, 4(90), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.25587/SVFU.2022.70.56.008 Varlamova, J. A. (2021). “Reka” v kul’ture evenkov: geograficheskii orientir i kontsept [“River” in Evenki Culture: A Geographical Guide and Concept]. In A. N. Varlamov (Ed.), Iazyki i fol’klor korennykh narodov Severa: sostoianie, problemy, perspektivy [Languages and Folklore of the Indigenous Peoples of the North: State, Problems, Prospects] (pp. 182–189). Novosibirsk: Nauka. Vasilevich, G. M. (1958). Drevneishie etnonimy Azii i nazvaniia evenkiiskikh rodov [The Most Ancient Ethnonyms of Asia and the Names of Evenki Clans]. Izvestiia Vsesoiuznogo geograficheskogo obshchestva, 90(5), 324–335. Vasilevich, G. M. (1963). Drevneishie geograficheskie predstavleniia evenkov i risunki kart [The Most Ancient Geographical Representations of the Evenks and Map Drawings]. 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