Zoomorphic Worldview in Yakut and Tuvan Oronymy: A Comparative Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.1.10Keywords:
zoomorphic oronymy, comparative analysis, Yakut language, Yakutia, Tuvan language, Tuva, lexico-semantic classification, economic-cultural typeAbstract
The article presents a comparative analysis of zoomorphic oronyms in the Yakut and Tuvan languages. Corpora of oronyms extracted from dictionaries comprise 198 Yakut and 112 Tuvan units. Systemic differences were revealed in the lexico-semantic structure and word-formation patterns. The study was carried out within the framework of linguistic cultural studies and ethnic onomastics, which makes it possible to interpret geographical names as complex signs embodying the historical and cultural experience of an ethnic group.
In Yakut oronymy, nominations associated with horses and cattle dominate (58% of oronyms), reflecting the model of alas-based cattle breeding. In Tuvan oronymy, domestic (46%) and wild (42%) animals are represented in comparable proportions, including the camel and small livestock, corresponding to the system of mountain-steppe nomadic economy.
Motivational strategies also demonstrate systemic differences. Yakut oronymy follows a utilitarian-event-based principle, recording specific instances from economic practice, such as Oҕus Okhtubut (“the place where a bull fell”). Tuvan oronymy, by contrast, is based on an imagistic-metaphorical principle, in which relief objects are likened to animals, for example, Adan-Art (“a pass resembling a camel”).
It is concluded that the analysis of zoomorphic oronymy allows for the reconstruction of features of economic and cultural types. The Yakut system reflects adaptation to alas landscapes with an emphasis on everyday labor activity, while the Tuvan system indicates a diversified nomadic economy with an imagistic perception of space.
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For citation:
Struchkova Ya. V. Zoomorphic Worldview in Yakut and Tuvan Oronymy: A Comparative Analysis. New Research of Tuva, 2026, no. 1, pp. 179-188 (In Russ.). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25178/nit.2026.1.10
Author Biography
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Yana V. Struchkova Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Junior researcher, Department of the Yakut Language, Institute for Humanitarian Studies and Problems of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences.
Postal address: 1 Petrovskogo St., 677027, Yakutsk, Russian Federation.
E-mail: yanavasstruchkova@mail.ru
The scientific supervisor is I. A. Nevskaya, Doctor of Philology.
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