The Intersection Of Azerbaijani And Russian Linguocultures In The Regional Oikonyms

Abstract

Toponymy preserves a considerable amount of historical, social and cultural information. Place-names are the key to researching and understanding the lingocultural interactions of various ethnic groups. The paper is devoted to oikonyms (toponyms denoting a settlement or its part) of one of the most ancient regions of Azerbaijan - Gadabay region. It is known that Azerbaijani and Russian relationship has a long history and the local toponyms prove it. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the linguocultural interactions between Gadabay placenames of Russian and Azerbaijani origin and to prove the hypothesis that in spite of the tendency of returning ethnocultutal original place names, in Azerbaijan there are still Slavic names which are carefully preserved and not changed. The body of our research is represented by 109 oikonyms of the region. We have used lexicographic, encyclopedic sources and toponymic scientific research papers in Azerbaijani, Russian and English. The following methods were used: comparative, etymological, statistical method, paleogeographic method, formant analysis method, historical method. In order to examine the motives of nomination and changes in the regional toponymy we have carried out etymological and semantic analysis and offered 2 classifications based on the analysis results.

Keywords: Toponymy, place-names, oikonym, anthroponym, ethnonym

Introduction

Toponymic research is one of the most relevant scientific research of our time, as geographical names are closely related to history, culture, economic and social life, as well as the development of languages of the peoples inhabiting a certain territory. Place names are a monument of the language. Back in the 19th century the famous geographer Nadezhdin (1837) noted: "The earth is a book where human history is recorded in the geographical nomenclature" (p. 28).

Our research focuses on oikonyms. Oikonym is a type of toponym - the proper name of any settlement, including urban type - astionym and rural type - komonym (Podol'skaya, 1988, p.93). Oikonyms reflect the worldview of people, their traditions and cultural values at a certain stage of historical development.

Problem Statement

The problem of this study can be described at several levels:

• To study cultural and etymological peculiarities of local toponyms, it is necessary to refer not only to the history of the area but also to take into consideration social, cultural and political features of the era. Moreover, intercultural dialogue is crucial for modern society as it contributes to the self-identification of a person in the cultural space. (Zubanova et al., 2019).
• Toponymy can be a reliable resource for studying migration processes. Oikonyms are closely related to the ethnic composition of the populated area (Pashayeva, 2018). The toponyms of any locality include elements of different languages and eras, therefore the question of the mechanisms and forms of interaction between languages is one of the most important problems of linguistics.
• There are many works devoted to the study of onomastics (including toponyms) (Agaeva, 2019; Amirova, 1992; Burenhult & Levinson, 2008; Geybullayev, 1986; Horovitz, 2003; Ilina & Kupriyanova, 2020; Khamurkoparan, 2017; Pashayev, 2017; Superanskaya, 2009; Tent, 2015;Tent & Slatyer, 2009). However, the Gadabay region’s toponymy has not been completely investigated.
• In any toponymic research it is important to determine the leading approach: semantic-etymological or structural (Tent, 2015). The first approach is the main one in our work.
• Facts from the history of Azerbaijan indicate the existence of a relationship between the Azerbaijani and Russian nations in the distant historical past. Trade relations between Azerbaijan and Russia have existed since the X-XI centuries. The connection between Russia and Azerbaijan is confirmed by diplomatic relations. The Great Volga Road was the artery that connected Russia with Azerbaijan (Zapletin & Shirinzade, 2008, p.27).
• In the 19th century, the practice of relocating entire villages and nationalities was often observed. In Tsarist Russia various Christian religious sectarians who did not recognize the official Russian Orthodox Church often forcibly moved to the periphery. According to another version, the appearance of Russian settlements in Azerbaijan is the result of a policy aimed at russification the local population. As a result, we can find not only Slavic families, but also study the names of the settlements formed at that time and preserved up to this day.

Research Questions

The territory of the Gadabay region is one of the oldest settlements in Azerbaijan. As shown on the map (Figure 1), Gadabay/Kedabek / Gədəbəy is a city and administrative center of the Gadabay region of Azerbaijan, located at a distance of about 400 kilometers from the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Baku. According to official data, there are 20 municipalities and 109 settlements (1 city and 108 villages) in the region.

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According to historical data the word Gadabay/Kedabek is a combination of the ancient Turkic words get, gedik (hill) and bek (guard, watchman), which means “watch hill” or “observation deck” (Azərbaycan Toponimlərinin Ensiklopedik Lüğəti. İki cilddə, 2007). Gadabay has several versions of its origin. According to the second version, the name "Gadabay" comes from a man named Gədəbəy, who once lived here. In the Middle Ages, part of these lands was divided between a father and sons named Atabey, Shakarbey and Gadabay/ Atabəy, Şəkərbəy, Gədəbəy. At present there is still a village called Shakarbay (Şəkərbəy- Gerger municipality / Gərgər). According to the third version, it comes from the word Dədəbəy, which, having undergone historical and phonetic changes, became Gədəbəy.

The territory of Gadabay region has a long history. As a result of archaeological finds discovered in Gadabay together with the Khojaly settlement of Karabakh, an integral part of Azerbaijan, the Khojaly-Gadabay culture of the Late Bronze Age and Early Iron Age (XIV-VII centuries BC) was revealed. The population of this area played an important role in the history of Azerbaijan in the Middle Ages. During the domination of the Russian Empire in the South Caucasus in the late 18th - early 19th centuries, special attention was paid to the military-strategic position of Gadabay. It is no coincidence that the first Russian settlements in Gadabay were built in the 1840s. The city of Gadabay was founded in 1863 and during tsarist Russia was a part of the Elizavetpol district of the newly created Elizavetpol province. According to the "Caucasian calendar" of 1912, 266 people lived in the village of Kedabek in the Elizavetpol district of the Elizavetpol province, mainly Azerbaijanis, indicated by the "Tatars" (Caucasian calendar, 1912). Elizavetpol province (Azerb. Yelizavetpol quberniyası; from July 30, 1918 - Ganja province) was named Elisavetpol in honor of the wife of the Russian emperor Elizaveta Alekseevna. An important role in the formation of Gadabay was played by the construction of a copper smelter in 1855-1856 based on copper ore discovered here in 1849. Later, mining and smelting of copper ore in Gadabay was transferred to the Germans Siemens. For the first time in Tsarist Russia in Galakand a hydroelectric power plant was built for smelting copper using electricity. Gadabay-Galakend had four a quarter of all copper produced in the Russian Empire. Along with copper, large amounts of gold and silver were mined in Gadabay-Galakend. The products manufactured here were exported not only to the Russian, but also to the world market. As a result, Gadabay became a European-type settlement that meets all the requirements (Executive Power of Gadabay District of the Republic of Azerbaijan, http://gedebey-ih.gov.az/page/67.html).

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to analyse the intersection of Russian and Azerbaijani linguocultures in the oikonyms of the Gadabay region of Azerbaijan. To solve this goal, the following tasks were identified: 1. to study the socio-economic, historical and cultural prerequisites for the formation of oikonyms in the area, 2. to identify the composition of the oikonyms of the Gadabay region, 3. to carry out a semantic analysis of the oikonyms and offer their classification based on their meaning, 4. to study the etymology of oikonyms and highlight the Turkic (Azerbaijani) and Slavic (Russian) names in a separate classification.

Research Methods

As the oikonims of the chosen area have not been thoroughly researched in the Russian and English scientific literature, we had to collect the materials in Azerbaijani and compare to what has been published in Russian and English. However, as some of the resources were not full, we contacted the government of Gadabay, used official sites and interviewed the locals to confirm the information. The following methods were used: comparative, etymological, statistical method, paleogeographic method, formant analysis method, historical method.

Findings

After analysing the oikonyms and studying their semantics and etymology, we identified 2 classifications: semantic and etymological. In the semantic classification, the oikonyms of this region were divided into 10 groups, the largest of which is anthrotoponymic. Each oikonym is given encyclopedic information.

As a result of studying the origin of these oikonyms, we pointed out 2 groups: Turkic (Azerbaijani) and Slavic (Russian) names. The first group is by far the most numerous.

The results of the analysis are shown in Figure 3. Thus, the oikonyms of the Gadabay region also reflect Russian (Slavic) names, preserve information about the historical stages of development of the region and socio-political and cultural changes. Some oikonyms can belong to two or more groups, as they consist of several components. We took into account the most frequently indicated meanings and interpretations of names from the encyclopedia of Azerbaijani toponyms.

As seen in Figure 2 below, there are 10 semantic groups of oikonims of the region.

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Some examples of oikonyms of all 10 groups are given below:

1. Anthrotoponyms:

• Alinagilar village/ Əlinağılar kəndi. The settlement was built at the beginning of the 19th century by a man named Alinagi from the village of Sadigly (now Aghstafa region). Oikonym means "a village belonging to Alinaga".
• Amiraslanli village/ Əmiraslanlı kəndi. The village was built in the 20s of the last century by a man named Amiraslan and means “a village belonging to Amiraslan”.
• Gasimagaly village / Qasımağalı kəndi. It is believed that in the past the territory of the village belonged to a man named Gasimaga / Qasımağa and was used as a pasture for his horses. At the end of the 19th century, the families of the Alıağalı clan from the village of Alimardanli / Əlimərdanlı (Tovuz district / Tovuz r-nu) moved here and gave the place the name Gasimagaly / Qasımağalı. Oikonym means “belonging to Gasim aga”. Aga / ağa - title of nobles (https://obastan.com).
• Novoivanovka village/ Novoivanovka kəndi. The village is named in honor of Grigory Nikiforovich Ivanov, who in 1852 left the neighboring village of Novosaratovka and settled here. On his gravestone there is an inscription about the construction of the village by Ivanov in 1852. Oikonym means "new village of Ivanov". The village used to be called Garapapag / Qarapapaq, Seyid gorge / Seyid dərəsi, Garib Seyid / Qərib Seyid, Ivanovka / Ivanovka.
• Slavyanka village/ Slavyanka kəndi. Slavyanka was founded in 1844 by the Dukhobors who were resettled by a royal decree from the territory of the present Zaporozhye region of Ukraine, and most likely got its name from the city of Slavyansk, which at that time was one of the centers of the Dukhobor community. However, according to the encyclopedic dictionary of Azerbaijani toponyms, the name was formed from the surname of the Russian officer Slavin, who led the resettlement campaign (from 1844 from Crimea) and lived there, in 1854 the official name was recognized - Slavyanka. In 1863, Slavyanka was visited by the artist Vasily Vereshchagin, who later wrote about it as a village of 205 houses, whose inhabitants lived in "honesty and prosperity." Other non-titular Christian communities (Molokans and others) settled in the Dukhobors that remained in the Caucasian Slavyanka.

2. Ethnotoponyms:

• Amir village/ Əmir kəndi. Oikonym is associated with the name of the eymur tribe.
• Beydemirli village / Bəydəmirli kəndi. The resettlement of the population to this area dates back to the first half of the 19th century. The village was built by Baydamir oglu Ali / Bəydəmir oğlu Alı and is named after him.
• Gerger / Gargar / Gərgər kəndi. The settlement of the Gargar village is associated with the name of the Turkic-speaking tribe Gargar / qarqar, who lived in Caucasian Albania / Qafqaz Albaniyası at the beginning of our era.
• Kasaman / Kəsəmən kəndi. The settlement arose in the first half of the 19th century as a result of the resettlement of families from the village of Gyrag Kasaman / Qıraq Kəsəmən of the Gazakh region / Qazax r-nu. Derived from the name of the tribe kəsəmən / Kasaman.
• Poladli / Poladlı kəndi. Some of the Poladli residents once moved from Karabakh / Qarabağ and settled in the village of Boyuk Garamurad / Böyük Qaramurad. Oikonym is associated with the name of the Shahseven tribe Poladli / poladlı.

3. Zootonyms:

• Arygyran / Arıqıran kəndi. On February 7, 1991, the village of Arygyran / Arıqıran was renamed into the village of Chichekli / Çiçəkli. On April 29, 1992, by the decision of the National Council of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the historical name of the village of Chichekli in the Gadabay region was restored and renamed into the village of Arygyran / Argyran / Arygran / Arıqıran / Arqıran / Arıqran. The oikonym is believed to be related to a small bird called arıqıran that lives in the area and feeds mainly on insects.
• Sarykoynek/ Sarıköynək kəndi. The former was called Aliili (Alikli) / Əliyli (Əlikli). The village was built at the Alikli hill (also called Shehtapa / Şehtəpəsi) by families belonging to the Zalılar / Zallar clan from Kelbajar / Kəlbəcər r-nu, also Ayıblı / Ayıblı and Mirismayıllı / Mirismamayllı regions. The village was named Sarykoynek by People's Artist Ashug Aleskar / Aşıq Ələsgər, later this name became official. Sarıköynək is translated as: 1. oriole (yellow bird), 2. yellow shirt (there is a Turkic song with the same name).

4. Phytotonyms:

• Garmashoylu / Gərməşöylü kəndi. The village was built at the beginning of the 18th century. The settlement is named after the Euonymus tree, which was once planted in a dense forest. Euonymus / Gərməşöy is a brown, soft-core wood species.
• Gozgaraly / Qozqaralı kəndi. The village is named so because it was built in 1930 in an area called Gozgarali. The are a lot of walnut trees (in Azer. Qoz- walnut) in the area.
• Soyudlu/ Söyüdlü kəndi. Oikonym reflects the presence of willows (söyüd - willow) at the site of the village.
• Tekyemishan / Təkyemişan kəndi. The village was built near a single hawthorn (yemişan) bush. This bush still stands near the village.

5. Orotoponyms:

• Garadagh / Qaradağ kəndi. The settlement is named after the Garadagh mountain near the village. From the words qara - black, dağ-mountain.
• Giziltorpag/ Qızıltorpaq kəndi. The village gets its name from the mountain of the same name in the area. From the words qızıl - gold, gold, torpaq - earth.
• Dairmandag / Dəyirmandağ kəndi. Previously called Korushdu / Koruşdu, together with the source of the same name in the area was named after the Korushdu dynasty. The current name is in honor of the mountain at the foot of the village. From the words dəyirman - mill, dağ - mountain.
• Shahdag / Şahdağ kəndi. In 1928 it was called Sovetobad in honor of the establishment of the Soviet government in Azerbaijan. In 2004 it was registered as Shahdag. From the name of the mountain Shahdag / Şahdağ (şah - (king), dağ (mountain)) - shah / king-mountain.

6. Formed from another toponym - ottoponymic names:

• Eyridere / Əyridərə kəndi. It was formerly called Hadzhimirzaler / Hacımirzələr. The village was built by Mashadi Mamay Haji Mirza oglu / Məşədi Mamay Hacı Mirzə oğlu in a place called Ayridare / Əyridərə (əyri - curve, dərə - valley, gorge, ravine).
• Kalaman / Kələman kəndi. The village is so named because it was built on the territory of the ancient settlement of Kalaman, which means “fortress, fortification”.
• Novosaratovka / Novosaratovka kəndi. The former name was Fındıqlı (translated as hazelnut). It was formed in 1850 as a result of the tsarist policy of resettlement of immigrants from the Saratov province of Russia. Oikonym means "new Saratov".

7. Formed from the name of the crafts:

• Arabachi / Arabaçı kəndi. Arabaçı - carriage driver, cabman, coachman, van driver.
• Chanagchi / Çanaqçı kəndi - until October 25, 2011 was called Agamaly / Ağamalı. The former name is in honor of the Azerbaijani and Soviet political and statesman Samed Aga Agamalıoğlu. Today's name has several meanings: from noun çanaqçı - master of making vats from tin / steel or wood; çanaq is a vat (a dish containing approximately 5 kg of bulk solids: wheat, barley, etc.). In the encyclopedic dictionary of Azerbaijani toponyms, it is also noted as an ethnotoponym from the name of a clan that was engaged in this craft (making utensils-chanakhs).

8. From dialect words:

• Goyally / Göyəlli kəndi. The village is named so because it is planted with plum trees - gavalı. In Western dialects, plum is called göyəli, hence the name of the village.

9. Hydrotoonyms:

• Garabulag/ Qarabulaq kəndi. The village was built in 1926 and was named after Musabeyov / Musabəyov. It has had its current name since 1953. The word qara means black, bulaq is a spring. It is understood as a spring with rough waters.
• Goshabulag / Qoşabulaq kəndi. The village was named in honor of the Goshabulag spring, located on its territory. Goshabulag is formed from the words qoşa - paired, double, bulaq - spring, source.
• Dashbulaq / Daşbulaq kəndi. The former name of Gorelsk / Qorelsk was changed to Dashbulag on September 1, 2004. Formed from the words daş - stone, bulaq - spring: a spring gushing from a stone.
• Mormor / Mormor kəndi. The village was called Mormor after the springs of the same name.

10. From common words characterizing the area:

• Gunashli / Günəşli kəndi. The former name of the village Shurakand / Şurakənd was formed in Soviet times, when the word "Soviet" in Russian was translated into Azeri as "Shura". The official name of the village was changed to Guneshli on September 1, 2004. From the word günəşli - sunny.
• Dördler / Dördlər kəndi. The village of Dordler / Dördlər is named after the settlement of families belonging to four brothers (Sadig bey/Sadiq bəy, Jalal bey/ Cəlal bəy, Ali bey / Alı bəy, Amiraslan aga /Əmiraslan ağa). From the word dörd - four.
• Yenikand / Yenikənd kəndi. Means new village.
• Kohnekend/ Köhnəkənd. Means old village.
• Zakhmetkend / Zəhmətkənd kəndi. The name has a symbolic meaning - from the word zəhmət- labor.
• Maarif / Maarif kəndi. The village was named after the eradication of illiteracy, the rise of education and culture. The word maarif means enlightenment, educated (Az-Rus. Dictionary, p. 179).

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Conclusion

The study of oikonyms of Turkic and Slavic origin is of great scientific interest in linguistic, geographical, historical and ethnocultural aspects.

The toponymy of the region has undergone changes after the collapse of the USSR and the independence of Azerbaijan, but traces of Russian linguoculture not only survived to this day, but are also carefully protected. Thus, our hypothesis can be proved. The provisions of the research can be used by linguists, lexicographers, geographers in the further development of theoretical and practical issues of oikonymy, some conclusions can serve as a source for the study of toponymic systems of the Turkic and Slavic languages, for the study of the history and ethnogenesis of Azerbaijanis. The results can be used to compile toponymic, etymological and can be used in the preparation of theoretical and practical courses in linguistic studies, lexicology and intercultural communication.

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