Ukrainian heritage in the oikonymy of Russia’s Central Chernozem Region

This study provides a detailed analysis of the influence of the Ukrainian toponymic tradition on the formation of the modern settlement map in Russia's Central Black Earth Region, encompassing the Belgorod, Voronezh, and Kursk oblasts. The linguistic analysis covers all currently existing oikonyms within these federal subjects, as listed in the State Catalogue of Geographical Names, as well as obsolete oikonyms that have disappeared due to settlement reorganization-such as mergers, consolidations, divisions, and abolitions-drawn from the author's ongoing compilation, The Toponymic Martyrology of the Central Federal District of Russia. The research examines the historical origins of the names of cities, towns, villages, and hamlets. It demonstrates the connection between regional toponymy and the centuries-long settlement process of Little Russians (Ukrainians), thereby highlighting the importance of preserving the region's cultural memory. The collected oikonymic material is categorized according to three linguistic levels-phonetic, lexical, and word-formational-and further classified into several lexico-semantic groups. These groups include: anthropoikonyms derived from Ukrainian common nouns denoting occupations, or from nicknames based on physical appearance, character, or associations with the animal or plant world; oikonyms based on the names of tools of production or local industries; geogenic oikonyms reflecting specific features of geographical objects and the natural conditions of the area; ethnotoponyms. In conclusion, the centuries-long linguistic contacts between these two related East Slavic peoples led to the integration of Ukrainian oikonyms into the Central Black Earth Region, making them an integral part of Russia's national cultural heritage.

Keywords

Authors

References