Bashkir Toponyms Derived from Drymonyms: Classification, Structure, Semantics, Etymologies

Introduction. The paper examines the cluster of toponyms derived from drymonyms. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the poor knowledge of this type of toponyms in the toponymic system of Bashkortostan (Russia). Goals. The study seeks to classify Bashkir toponyms derived from names of forests, groves, wild trees and shrubs, to describe their word-formation structure, semantics, origin and features of functioning in the toponymic system of the Southern Urals. Materials and methods. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the fact that the paper is the first to identify toponyms associated with drymonyms using the method of continuous sampling — in the Dictionary of Toponyms of the Republic of Bashkortostan. The work also attempts to describe those systematically, traces new drymonyms of foreign origin, and reveals the latter’s role in the toponymy-related processes. Furthermore, the paper is the first to outline a lexical/semantic classification of such toponyms, defines their structure, semantics, and origin. Results. In addition to toponyms of common Turkic origin, the article identifies drymonymic toponyms formed from Indo-Iranian, Finno-Ugric, and Mongolian word stems. The insight into some drymonymic toponyms associated with beliefs of Bashkirs reveals their function in creating the unique toponymic picture of Bashkortostan. The analysis of related material shows the designated type of Bashkir toponyms characterize primarily natural landscapes of Bashkortostan, habitats of certain species of wild trees and shrubs. The toponymic substratum of Indo-Iranian, Finno-Ugric and Mongolian origin reflects historical backgrounds of the language and ethnos, while toponyms associated with deification of ancestral trees are indicative of specific ancient beliefs of Bashkirs.

1. Agishev I. M. et al. Dictionary of the Bashkir Language. In 2 vols. Moscow: Russkiy Yazyk, 1993. Vol. 1, 862 p. Vol. 2, 815 p. (In Bash.)

2. Akhmetyanov R. G. Spiritual Ethnic Cultures of the Middle Volga: Common Vocabulary. Moscow: Nauka, 1981. 144 p. (In Russ.)

3. Anikin A. E. Etymological Dictionary of Russian Dialects in Siberia: Borrowings from Uralic, Altaic, and Paleo-Siberian Languages. Moscow, Novosibirsk: Nauka, 2000. 768 p. (In Russ.)

4. Basilov V. N. Turkic mythologies. In: Tokarev S. A. (ed.) Myths of the World. Moscow: Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, 1992. Vol. 2. Pp. 536–538. (In Russ.)

5. Bikbaev R. (ed.) Bashkir Folklore. Vol. 8: Epic. Irteks and Epic Kubairs. Ufa: Kitap, 2006. 492 p. (In Bash.)

6. Blagova G. F. (ed.) Etymological Dictionary of Turkic Languages: Common and Intra-Turkic Word Stems Beginning with the Letters ‘K’ and ‘Қ’. Pt. 1. Moscow: Yazyki Russkoy Kultury, 1997. 368 p. (In Russ., Turk., etc.)

7. Blagova G. F. (ed.) Etymological Dictionary of Turkic Languages: Common and Intra-Turkic Word Stems Beginning with the Letter ‘Қ’. Pt. 2. Moscow: Indrik, 2000. 265 p. (In Russ., Turk., etc.)

8. Bukharova G. Kh. Bashkir place names derived from the substrate geographical terms of the Indo-Iranian origin. Liberal Arts in Russia. 2016. Vol. 5. No. 5. Pp. 517–529. (In Russ.)

9. Bukharova G. Kh. Finno-Ugric substratum in the Bashkir toponymy. Liberal Arts in Russia. 2017. Vol. 6. No. 5. Pp. 444–452. (In Russ.)

10. Bukharova G. Kh. Geographical names of Mongolian origin in Bashkir toponymy. Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2023. No. 2(40). Pp. 21–36. (In Russ.)

11. Bukharova G. Kh. Mythopoetic Worldview in Bashkir Toponymy. Monograph. Ufa: Bashkir State Pedagogical University, 2003. 156 p. (In Russ.)

12. Bukharova G. Kh. Zoomorphic code of culture in the terrain modeling and its reflection in the Bashkir toponyms. Liberal Arts in Russia. 2015. Vol. 4. No. 6. Pp. 487–495. (In Russ.)

13. Dilmukhametov M. I., Nadergulov U. F., Sabiryanova S. G., Gareeva G. G. (comps.) The Bashkir Dialect Dictionary. M. Dilmukhametov (ed.). Ufa: Kitap, 2002. 432 p. (In Bash.)

14. Dobrodomov I. G. Turkisms in Slavic languages as a source on Turkic historical phonetics: Correspondences s – š. Sovetskaya tyurkologiya. 1971. No. 2. Pp. 81–92. (In Russ.)

15. Edelman D. I. Etymological Dictionary of Iranian Languages. Vol. 5: L–N. Moscow: Nauka — Vostochnaya Literatura, 2015. 566 p. (In Russ., Pers., etc.)

16. Gazina E. A. (ed.) German-Russian Dictionary: Two in One. Moscow: AST, 2013. 190 p. (In Germ. and Russ.)

17. Geibullaev G. A. Toponymy of Azerbaijan: A Study in History and Ethnography. Baku: Elm, 1986. 190 p. (In Russ.)

18. Hadrovics L., Gáldi L. (comps.) Russian-Hungarian Dictionary. Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1971. 1140 p. (In Hung. and Russ.)

19. Hall M. P. An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic and Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1993. 794 p. (In Russ.)

20. Inan A. Shamanism in the Past and in the Present. Ufa: Kitap, 1998. 224 p. (In Bash.)

21. Isaev Yu. N. Phytonymic Worldviews in Structurally Different Languages. Dr. Sc. (philology) thesis. Cheboksary, 2015. 413 p. (In Russ.)

22. Kamalov A. A. Bashkir Geographic Terms and Toponymy. Ufa: Kitap, 1997. 385 p. (In Russ.)

23. Kamalov A. A. Bashkir Toponymy. Ufa: Kitap, 1994. 304 p. (In Russ.)

24. Kamalov A. A., Shakurov R. Z., Uraksin Z. G., Khismatov M. F. (comps.) Republic of Bashkortostan: A Toponymic Dictionary. Ufa: Kitap, 2002. 256 p. (In Russ.)

25. Khisamitdinova F. G. (ed.) Academic Dictionary of the Bashkir Language. In 10 vols. Vol. 2: Б. Ufa: Kitap, 2011. 568 p. (In Bash.)

26. Khisamitdinova F. G. (ed.) Academic Dictionary of the Bashkir Language. In 10 vols. Vol. 4: Й–К. Ufa: Kitap, 2012. 944 p. (In Bash.)

27. Khisamitdinova F. G. (ed.) Academic Dictionary of the Bashkir Language. In 10 vols. Vol. 7: П–С. Ufa: Kitap, 2015. 872 p. (In Bash.)

28. Khisamitdinova F. G. (ed.) Academic Dictionary of the Bashkir Language. In 10 vols. Vol. 9: У–Щ. Ufa: Kitap, 2017. 980 p. (In Bash.)

29. Khisamitdinova F. G. Geographic Names of Bashkortostan. Ufa: Bashkir State University, 1992. 103 p. (In Russ.)

30. Khisamitdinova F. G., Sirazitdinov Z. A. Locality Names of Bashkortostan: A Russian-Bashkir Reference Dictionary. Z. Uraksin (ed.). Ufa: Kitap, 2001. 320 p. (In Russ. and Bash.)

31. Kiekbaev D. G. Selected Articles. Ufa: Bashkir State University, 2002. 204 p. (In Russ.)

32. Kovalevsky A. P. Ahmad ibn Fadlan and His Account of the Volga, 921–922. Kharkov: Gorky Kharkov State University, 1956. 348 p. (In Russ.)

33. Molchanova O. T. Toponymic Dictionary of the Altai Republic. A. Tybykova (ed.). Gorno-Altaysk: Altai Book Publ., 1979. 400 p. (In Russ.)

34. Müller V. K. The Complete English-Russian Dictionary. Moscow: Eksmo, 2013. 1328 p. (In Eng. and Russ.)

35. Nadelyaev V. M., Nasilov D. M., Tenishev E. R., Shcherbak A. M. (eds.) Dictionary of Old Turkic. Leningrad: Nauka, 1969. 676 p. (In Old Turk., Russ., etc.)

36. Nadzhip E. N. Studies in the History of Turkic Languages: Eleventh to Fourteenth Centuries. Moscow: Nauka — GRVL, 1989. 283 p. (In Russ.)

37. Podolskaya N. V. The Dictionary of Russian Onomastic Terms. Second edition, rev. & suppl. Moscow: Nauka, 1988. 192 p. (In Russ.)

38. Pospelov E. M. Geographic Names of the World: A Toponymic Dictionary. R. Ageeva (ed.). Second edition. Moscow: Russkie Slovari, Astrel, AST, 2002. 512 p. (In Russ.)

39. Pyurbeev G. Ts. et al. (eds.) Unabridged Academic Mongolian-Russian Dictionary. In 4 vols. Ca. 70,000 word entries. Moscow: Academia, 2001–2002. On: Monumenta Altaica (Altaic Linguistics). Available at: https://altaica.ru/LIBRARY/mong/bamrs_full.pdf (accessed: 11 September 2023). (In Mong. and Russ.)

40. Radlov V. V. Versuch eines Wörterbuches der Türk-Dialecte, von Dr. W. Radloff. Vol. 3. St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1905. 2302 p. (In Turk., Russ., etc.)

41. Radlov V. V. Versuch eines Wörterbuches der Türk-Dialecte, von Dr. W. Radloff. Vol. 4. St. Petersburg: Imperial Academy of Sciences, 1911. 2328 p. (In Turk., Russ., etc.)

42. Rashid al-Din. Oghuz-Nameh. R. Shukyurova (transl.). Baku: Elm, 1987. 128 p. On: Vostochnaya Literatura (Oriental Literature). Available at: https://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus2/Rasiddaddin/frametext1.htm (accessed: 10 September 2023). (In Russ.)

43. Sanzheev G. D. et al. (ed.) Etymological Dictionary of Mongolic Languages. In 3 vols. Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies (RAS), 2016. Vol. 2: G–P. 232 p. (In Mong., Russ., etc.)

44. Sanzheev G. D. et al. (ed.) Etymological Dictionary of Mongolic Languages. In 3 vols. Moscow: Institute of Oriental Studies (RAS), 2018. Vo. 3: Q–Z. 240 p. (In Mong., Russ., etc.)

45. Sevortyan E. V. Etymological Dictionary of Turkic Languages: Common and Intra-Turkic Word Stems Beginning with Vowels. Moscow: Nauka, 1974. 768 p. (In Russ., Turk., etc.)

46. Tenishev E. R. (ed.) Comparative Historical Grammar of Turkic Languages: Vocabulary. Moscow: Nauka, 1997. 800 p. (In Russ.)

47. Tenishev E. R., Blagova G. F., Dobrodomov I. G. et al. Comparative Historical Grammar of Turkic Languages: The Proto-Turkic Language. Worldviews of Proto-Turks from Language Material. E. Tenishev, A. Dybo (eds.). Moscow: Nauka, 2006. 908 p. (In Russ.)

48. Usmanova M. G. Names of Ancestral Lands: Toponymy of the Sakmara River Basin from Historical and Linguistic Perspectives. Ufa: Kitap. 1994. 272 p. (In Russ.)

49. Vasmer M. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. In 4 vols. Vol. 1: A–Д. O. Trubachev (transl., suppl.). Fourth edition. Moscow: Astrel, AST, 2009. 588 p. (In Russ.)

50. Vasmer M. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. In 4 vols. Vol. 2: Е–Муж. O. Trubachev (transl., suppl.). Fourth edition. Moscow: Astrel, AST, 2009. 671 p. (In Russ.)

51. Vasmer M. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language. In 4 vols. Vol. 3: муза – сят. O. Trubachev (transl., suppl.). Fourth edition. Moscow: Astrel, AST, 2009. 830 p. (In Russ.)