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ISSN 2223-165X

V.I. ABAEV NORTH-OSSETIAN INSTITUTE FOR HUMANITARIAN AND SOCIAL STUDIES

OF VLADIKAVKAZ SCIENCE CENTRE OF RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

AND THE GOVERNMENT OF NORTH OSSETIA-ALANIA

ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

Dzitstsoity Yu.A. On Some Relics of the Old Iranian Lexicon in the Toponymy of Ossetia. Print

The article deals with relics of the Old Iranian lexicon in the toponymy of Ossetia. Most of them are represented both in North and South Ossetia. Many relicts are found in two or more place names. The Iranian etymology of relics considered here is quite probable. Of particular interest are the agiotoponyms (Ʒirijy ʒwar, etc.), which allow us to supplement our knowledge about the Old Ossetian pantheon of the gods. Among the toponyms under discussion there are quite enough names of the mountain landscape. This indicates that the lexemes underlying them have recently been freely used. The stem *mar- ‘dam’ is also represented in the toponymy of modern Ukraine and the North Caucasus. This points out to the Scythian and Alan heritage in these regions. The stem *Baz- ‘sheep-pen’ left its mark also in the appellative vocabulary of the Russian language – cf. dialect stem baz(ok) ‘sheep-pen’. This indicates, at least, the Alanian age of the lexeme. The stem *Zær- ‘grass’ confirms V.I. Abaev’s opinion, who singled out this stem on the basis of several Ossetian appellatives. As borrowing, it is represented in the dialects of the Russian, Udmurt and Komi languages. Two toponyms allow reconstructing the lost names of the Old Ossetian fauna: wærg- ‘wolf’ and *nāga- ‘snake’. Among the material under consideration there is also the topo-formant -sar-, represented as an unproductive affix also in the appellative vocabulary of the Ossetian language, as well as in the other Iranian languages. In general, the analyzed toponyms confirm the glory of toponymy as a keeper of archaic and relict vocabulary.

Keywords: toponymy, Ossetia, relics, etymology.

 

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