The Question of the Prospects of Indo-Iranian (Aryan) Tradition in the Interpretation of Hydronymy of Eastern Europe (as Exemplified by the Semantic Family of Words “Water”, “River”)
Journal Title: Українознавство - Year 2018, Vol 3, Issue 68
Abstract
The article examines the prospects of hydronymic research in Eastern Europe in the context of linguistic, cultural, epic, mythological, and historical traditions of the Indo-Iranian (Aryan) people, using the example of the semantic family of words “water”, “river”. The thesis about the East European homeland of the Indo-Iranian peoples, gaining ever greater support in modern historical science, naturally requires comprehensive verification by a specific onomastic material. In this sense, the conclusions of hydronymic research, taking into account the source specifics of this onomastic category, should be considered among the decisive arguments for a convincing solution to the “Indo-European problem”, the reproduction of the early history of Indo-Iranian peoples, and the reconstruction of ethnocultural processes in Eastern Europe in the old days. The data considered in the article undoubtedly confirm the presence of a number of Indo-Iranian and, more narrowly, Indo-Aryan terms for the designation of water and river in the hydronymy of Eastern Europe, that is ap (apsu), danu, sindhu, jala, pani, uda (udra), nadi, vār, ambu, dub, nar, etc. This fact, based on the semantic typology of hydronymic names, gives grounds to consider this part of the hydronymicon one of the most archaic layers of the Eastern European hydronymy that dates back to the period of the Indo-European linguistic and cultural community. This, in turn, causes the methodological need for revising the traditional concept of pan-Iranism in the approaches to the interpretation of Eastern European (in particular, Scythian-Sarmatian) onomastics toward wider Indo-Iranian (Aryan) interpretations; extends the prospects of interpreting Eastern European hydronymics at the expense of the Indo-Aryan language and cultural tradition; refutes a series of unreasonable etymologies of domestic onomastics, offering instead new, more convincing interpretations of numerous East European water names. The author believes that further onomastic studies in the field of East European hydronymy (in particular, its consideration through the prism of other semantic families), will additionally substantiate such a scientific position.
Authors and Affiliations
Serhii Nalyvaiko
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP449877
- DOI 10.30840/2413-7065.3(68).2018.147205
- Views 146
- Downloads 0
The Ideas of Nationalism and Statehood in the Creative Heritage of Yulian Vassyian (on the Occasion of the 125th Anniversary of His Birth)
The article deals with the issue of interconnection between the ideas of nationalism and statehood in the work “Ideological Foundations of Ukrainian Nationalism” written by the philosopher, publicist, and a visionary of...
Security Strategy of Ukraine in the Context of Ethnopolitical Challenges of the Annexed Crimea
The article presents an analysis of ethnopolitical challenges in the national security system of Ukraine, which had led to the annexation of the peninsula, and also defines political and legal mechanisms for providing et...
Content Analysis of Publications in “Ukrainian Historical Journal”: Current State of Investigating History of Ukraine in the Second World War
The article presents content analysis results, carried out by the author according to the 1991–2016 materials of “Ukrainian Historical Journal” dedicated to the history of Ukraine in the Second World War. The articles ar...
RIUS Digest
RIUS Digest
Development of Ukrainian School Education and National Upbringing of Youth as the Imperative of M. Hrushevsky’s Visions
Development of Ukrainian School Education and National Upbringing of Youth as the Imperative of M. Hrushevsky’s Visions