Dialect lexicography of the Amur Region: formation and present condition

The paper deals with the stages of study of the Amur dialects: 1) the first decade of the 20th century; 2) 1926-1934; 3) the 1960s -present. The data about Amur dialects referring to the first half of the 20th century were presented occasionally. Professor Georgievsky from the Far Eastern University was the first to make an attempt of detailed scientific research of Amur dialects in his paper ''The Russians in the Far East. Amur dialects'' (Vladivostok, 1930). Dialect research conducted by Khabarovsk and Blagoveshchensk Pedagogical Universities receives particular attention. The emphasis is on the latest period, which brought systematic and planned collection of lexical data, and, as a result of this work, the Dictionary of Amur Russian Dialects was compiled. "Nauka" ("Science") Publishing House published this dictionary in 1983. It included 7000 items and became the first significant lexicographical work. The dialect lexicon and phraseology of the Amur dialect group are presented in the dictionary. The main dialect representatives are descendants of the first Amur migrants from Transbaikalia, the majority of which were Trans-Baikal Cossacks. The dictionary data were collected during dialectology expeditions (1964-1981) to the Amur Region and Khabarovsk Krai villages situated in the upstream and middle course of the Amur River. These are mainly former Cossack villages; and northern Russian features dominate in their dialects. The dictionary was republished in Blagoveshchensk in 2007. The latest version, corrected and supplemented, gives a more detailed description of the sociocultural peculiarities of the Far East people's life and the ethnic-cultural aspect of lexeme assessment. This dictionary includes 11000 items. Some of the entries are supplemented with examples, some lexeme meanings and their extension limits are specified. The territory of the language study is expanded. This dictionary became the base for other dialect dictionaries and mass lexicographic research of Amur dialects. The Albazin Dictionary, compiled by Olga Galuza (Blagoveshchensk, 2010), includes lexicon and phraseology of the dialect of two former Cossack villages - Albazino and Jalinda. This dialect preserved the main features and colour of the Amur Cossack dialect. This dictionary contains language data, typical for one language microsystem, reflecting main social life spheres, peculiarities of Cossack life and traditions. System relations of lexemes (different types of word form modifications in particular) are presented in the dictionary. Aspect and topical dictionaries receive particular attention in present lexicography, for example, the Phraseological Dictionary of the Amur Russian Dialects (Blagoveshchensk, 2009), the Amur Hunters and Fishermen Dictionary (Blagoveshchensk, 2009), compiled by Lidia Kirpikova and Nina Shenkevets. The Phraseological Dictionary includes phraseology of the Amur Russian dialects, reflecting significant components of language mentality of the Amur village people in idioms. The Amur Hunters and Fishermen Dictionary includes dialect words for ancient people's crafts. Words are united thematically there: 1) connected with hunting; 2) connected with fishing. The study of this lexicon is urgent, because it reflects essential aspects of human activity, emphasizes the unity with nature and peculiarities of world perception. These dictionaries are not only scientifically important, but they are the basis for the study of regional ethnography in schools and universities, too. Unfortunately, they are not always available for teachers and students, therefore the School Phraseological Amur Russian Dialects Dictionary is being compiled now.

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