A. N. Rakin. Names of small fur-bearing animals in the Komi language

Names of small fur-bearing animals in the Komi language

Anatoly N. Rakin
Institute of Language, Literature and History,
Komi Science Centre, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Syktyvkar, Russia

Introduction. The paper considers the hunting vocabulary in the Komi language. As an independent microsystem, it studies the designations used for the nomination of small fur-bearing animals living on the territory of the Komi Republic. The whole set of the lexical units refers to both types of forest inhabitants – predators and herbivores. The analysis of the factual material is carried out to establish the main stages of the formation and development of this component of the Komi language hunting vocabulary.
Materials and Methods. The material contained in the paper refers to the Komi literary language. Of the dialect names, only a few examples are given that are contained in normative dictionaries. The names of both primordial and foreign-language origin are considered. When developing the research topic, the author uses such methods as descriptive, comparative-historical, synchronous-comparative and statistical, as well as methods of semantic and structural-word-formation analysis.
Results and Discussion. The article is the first experience of linguistic research of the names of small fur-bearing animals in the Komi language. By substantial basis, this lexical microsystem refers to the designations of the hunting object. The analysis of the factual material was carried out using synchronous and diachronic research methods. Based on the systematization of the available proto-forms, a diachronic hierarchy of the primordial vocabulary is characterized by four components of ancient names: Proto-Finno-Ugric, Proto-Finno-Permian, Proto-Permian and Proto-Komi. It establishes the types and quantitative composition of a group of foreign-language names consisting of ancient and late borrowings.
Conclusion. The formation of the Komi language vocabulary related to small fur-bearing commercial animals has taken place over many millennia since the Proto-Finno-Ugric epoch. Most of the names of the analyzed microsystem belong to the primordial vocabulary fund of the Komi language. The foreign-language component of the names of small fur-bearing animals takes an insignificant place, its formation occurred as a result of the penetration of borrowings from two external sources.

Keywords: the Komi language, vocabulary, designations of the hunting object, names of small fur-bearing animals, primordial vocabulary fund, borrowings

Acknowledgments: The article was prepared as part of the research “Permian languages in the linguistic and cultural space of the European North and the Urals” (reg. No. 121042600252-7).

For citation: Rakin AN. Names of small fur-bearing animals in the Komi language. Finno-ugorskii mir = Finno-Ugric World. 2023;15;2:180–188. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.15507/2076-2577.015.2023.02.180-188.