Linguistic and cultural analysis of the oronyms of mountainous Dagestan

this article provides a comprehensive linguistic and cultural analysis of oronyms (names of relief elements) in the Avar language. The relevance of the research is due to the need to preserve and study the linguistic heritage of the peoples of Dagestan, which contains unique information about the historical, cultural and economic experience of the ethnic group. The material for the study was a corpus of oronyms collected in mountainous Dagestan. Descriptive, comparative, linguocultural and etymological methods were used in the work. It has been established that the Avar oronymic system is highly structured and is based on the key toponyms gohI ("hill") and megIer ("mountain"), which form serial names. The main semantic groups of oronyms have been identified and classified, describing natural characteristics, size, location, flora and fauna, as well as reflecting economic activity, history, social structure (anthroponymic and ethnonymic names) and the spiritual culture of the Avar people. The scientific novelty lies in a systematic approach to the study of oronyms as ethnocultural markers. The results of the study confirm that geographical names form a multi-layered text encoding the worldview and historical memory of their creators. The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of using its materials in fundamental works on Caucasian studies, in compiling dictionaries and in local history work.

the Avar language, linguistic worldview, toponymy, linguoculturology, oronyms, microtoponymy, semantics, anthroponymy, cultural code