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Vasily Ivanovich Suprun
Volgograd State Socio-Pedagogical University, Volgograd, Russia
A FASCINATING STORY ABOUT YAKUT OIKONYMS
Review of the book: Nikaeva, T. M. (Ed.). Slovar’ toponimov Respubliki Sakha (Yakutia): naselennye punkty, naslegi, ulusy, raiony [Dictionary of Toponyms of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): Localities, Villages, Uluses, Districts]. Yakutsk: Alaas, 2024. 448 p.
For citation
Suprun, V. I. (2024). A Fascinating Story about Yakut Oikonyms. Review of the book: Nikaeva, T. M. (Ed.). Slovar’ toponimov Respubliki Sakha (Yakutia): naselennye punkty, naslegi, ulusy, raiony [Dictionary of Toponyms of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia): Localities, Villages, Uluses, Districts]. Yakutsk: Alaas, 2024. 448 p. Voprosy onomastiki, 21(3), 264–270. https://doi.org/10.15826/vopr_onom.2024.21.3.042
Received on 22 May 2024
Accepted on 20 July 2024
Abstract: The review examines The Dictionary of Toponyms of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), compiled by the staff of the Department of Russian Language at the M. K. Ammosov Northeastern Federal University, under the supervision of Tatyana Nikaeva. The dictionary includes 1,066 entries across 977 articles, covering 694 oikonyms, 338 village names, and 34 ulus names. Notably, 47% of the ulus and district names are derived from oikonyms, while the remaining 53% are formed on other bases. This distinction warranted the inclusion of a dedicated section analyzing and providing the etymologies of all ulus and district names. Some entries read like engaging narratives, recounting the history of settlements and their inhabitants. The authors have drawn on oral traditions, as well as excerpts from fiction and popular science works that reference Yakutia’s oikonyms. The region is home to representatives of 41 ethnic groups, of whom approximately 80% belong to Indigenous peoples: 47% of the population are Yakuts, 28% Russians, 3% Evenks, 1.5% Evens, 0.22% Dolgans, 0.15% Yukaghirs, and 0.07% Chukchi. The oikonyms included in the dictionary reflect the languages of these diverse groups. The dictionary articles provide insights into the topographical features of the region, the cultural and social life of the Yakuts and other local peoples, and the historical events that influenced the creation of specific oikonyms. This work represents a significant contribution to Russian onomastics and marks a step forward in the development of a comprehensive toponymic dictionary of Russia.
Keywords: toponymy; oikonymy; etymology; multilingual region; Sakha (Yakutia); nasleg; ulus
References
Berg, L. S. (1927). Istoriia geograficheskogo oznakomleniia s Yakutskim kraem [History of Geographic Exploration of the Yakut Region]. Leningrad: Izd-vo AN SSSR.
Ivanov, V. F. (1979). Pis’mennye istochniki po istorii Yakutii XVII veka [Written Sources on the History of Yakutia in the 17th Century]. Novokuznetsk: Nauka.
Nikaeva, T. M. (2013). Etnokul’turnaia spetsifika obraza sebia i obraza drugogo v iazykovom soznanii russkikh, iakutov, evenkov i evenov [Ethnocultural Specifics of the Image of Self and the Other in the Linguistic Consciousness of Russians, Yakuts, Evenks, and Evens] (Doctoral dissertation abstract). V. V. Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the RAS, Moscow.
Wittenburg, P. V. (Ed.). (1927). Yakutia. Leningrad: Izd-vo AN SSSR.
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