UKRAINIAN TOPONYMY IN TURKISH LINGUISTIC-HISTORICAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

Background. The article examines the issue of rendering Ukrainian toponyms using the Turkish language in historical and linguistic contexts. The study explores numerous mentions of Ukrainian geographical names attested in various Turkish written sources from the 16th-18th centuries, such as cartographic materials, chronicles, annals, and official state documents. The relevance of the work is due to the importance of Ukrainian toponyms in Turkish sources as unique material for reconstructing historical relationships between Ukrainian and Turkish peoples and recreating the historical geography of Ukraine. The aim of the study is to analyze the methods of conveying toponyms localized in the territory of modern Ukraine, including the names of geographical objects of the Crimean Peninsula, and to identify key linguistic challenges in their reproduction in Turkish.

Methods. The study employs a comprehensive approach combining general scientific and special linguistic methods. Methods of analysis and synthesis are used to process theoretical material and form conclusions, while the induction method is used to generalize the obtained results. The descriptive method is applied to describe the peculiarities of toponym reproduction, and the comparative method is used to identify differences between original names and their Turkish counterparts. Methods of historical and linguistic analysis are also used in studying Turkish written sources from the 16th-18th centuries, including cartographic materials, chronicles, annals, and official state documents. Methods of transcriptional analysis and etymological research are applied to study the phonetic and semantic adaptation of toponyms.

Results. The study revealed key linguistic challenges and difficulties that arose in reproducing Ukrainian geographical names in Turkish. It was established that these difficulties were caused by structural, phonetic, and morphological differences between the language systems involved, as well as historical and cultural factors. The analysis showed a variety of methods used to convey Ukrainian toponyms in Turkish sources, namely: endonymic translation, transcription, transliteration, exonymic translation, and calquing.

Conclusions. The study emphasizes the significance of Ukrainian toponyms in Turkish sources as valuable linguistic and historical material. The results of the work contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of interlingual and intercultural communication between Ukrainian and Turkish peoples. The revealed peculiarities of reproducing Ukrainian toponyms in the Turkish language provide important information for reconstructing the historical geography of Ukraine and reveal the complexity of language interaction processes in the context of historical contacts between the two cultures.