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| 651 | The article examines the issue of the substratum toponymy in the Mordovian toponymic spaces by example of geographical names for the surroundings of the Samara Volga region’s Moksha-Mordovian and ErzyaMordovian villages (and a number of adjacent territories) as well as some territories of the Ulyanovsk Volga region and Orenburg region, located on the left bank of the Volga. These regions are the territories of secondary settlement for Mordva, which occurred mainly during the 17–20th centuries. The main points of view and approaches to the study of the toponymic substrate among prominent onomasticians are given, and discussions on this issue in Russian toponymy are briefly described. The historical prerequisites for the formation of a toponymic substrate in the studied areas are considered, the main types of substrate toponymy in the Mordovian toponymic spaces are identified, and where possible, the etymology of substrate toponyms is proposed. The conducted research allowed us to identify four main layers of the substrate toponymy in the Mordovian toponymic spaces of the Trans-Volga region. In reverse chronological order, they are as follows: the substratum toponymy of the settled agricultural population that preceded the Mordovian region, mainly represented by Russian and Chuvash geographical names; TurkicKipchak toponymy; Bulgarian toponymy; reliably unethymologized archaic toponymy represented mainly by the names of large rivers and common to all modern peoples of the region. Examples of geographical names belonging to the first type in the Trans-Volga region are: Avral, Bezymyanka, Iriklau (Yerykla), Karmala, Sosnovka, Horoshenkaya. The second type includes: Yelgaley, Konduzla, Tallyelga, Tolkai, Tunguz, Yaik-latko. The third type comprises: Savrukha, Savrushka, Bolshoy, Maly and Sukhoi Surush, and Suruzha. The fourth type is represented by the following toponyms: Irgiz, Kinel, Kondurcha, Kutuluk, Samara, Sok, Surgut. It should be especially noted that in this paper we did not aim to cite and etymologize all the substrate names of the Mordovian toponymic spaces of the Trans-Volga region, we limited ourselves here to only the most striking examples. The article is based on the author's field materials obtained during the 2015-2024 field trips. Keywords: toponymy, toponymic substrate, Mordva, Moksha-Mordovian language, Erzya-Mordovian language, Samara Trans-Volga region | 555 | |||||
| 652 | This article continues the examination of Permian denasalization, specifically the simplification of medial Proto-Finno-Ugric clusters of ‘nasal + consonant or affricate,’ which resulted in the emergence of voiced consonants and affricates in the Permian proto-language (*-nt- > *-d, *-ŋk- > *-g, *-nč- > *-ǯ, *-ńć- > *-ʒ ́ ). The author attempts to date Permian denasalization and outline its historical context. Earlier theories suggesting that this process continued at the beginning of early Permic-Bulgarian contacts are rejected. Based on the analysis of reconstructed phonetic processes and the stratification of borrowings into the Permian proto-language, the beginning (middle to second half of the 1st millennium BC) and the end (second half of the 1st millennium AD, between the 7th and 9th centuries) of Permian denasalization are proposed. Since this dating coincides with that of a similar phonetic process in Old Hungarian, as established by Hungarian researchers (first half to middle of the 1st millennium AD), the article proposes revisiting the possibility of parallel Permian and Hungarian denasalization during the secondary contact of these languages in the middle of the first millennium AD. It is suggested that these contacts occurred in the territory of modern Bashkiria, in the lower reaches of the Kama River and the Belaya basin, where, in the middle of the first millennium AD, there was close interaction between speakers of the post-Pyanobor cultures of the Belaya River basin and the late Glyadenovo culture of the Middle Kama Region (Proto-Permians) and the bearers of the Kushnarenkovo-Karayakupovo tradition (ancient Hungarians)–along with the southern Permians and ancient Hungarians, speakers of Sarmat-Alanic dialects ancestral to the Ossetian language (the creators of archaeological sites of the Late Sarmatian tradition in the Southern Urals and the Middle Volga region) also played an active role in this interaction. In addition to denasalization, the active interaction of these languages is reflected in the development of common morphological elements and lexical borrowings, whose phonetic features reflect the state of the respective languages during this period. Keywords: Permic languages, Hungarian language, Ossetian language, denasalization, historical morphonology, linguistic reconstruction, language contacts, prehistory | 550 | |||||
| 653 | This article examines the proverbial picture of the world in the Kildin Saami language, focusing on proverbs about laziness. The study is relevant because of the limited research on Kildin Saami proverbs and the need to identify behavioral patterns expressed in them. The purpose of this work is to describe the behavioral norms and value systems reflected in Kildin Saami proverbs on laziness. The novelty of the study lies in the use of previously unexamined material from the Kildin Saami language. The research methods include comparative analysis of stereotypical ideas expressed in ethnographic literature from the late 19th to early 20th centuries; autobiographical texts; and ethno-everyday commentary on proverbs, identified through a survey of a native Saami speaker; as well as structural and semantic analyses and comparisons of dictionary and ‘naïve’ definitions. Analysis of the proverbial picture of the world shows that Kildin Saami proverbs present far more negative qualities of the Saami than are found in ethnographic literature. The study finds that interpreting Saami proverbs requires consideration of the ambivalence of their content, the lost or distorted understanding of Saami life, the specifics of traditional occupations, and discrepancies between dictionary and ‘naïve’ definitions. Kildin Saami proverbs about laziness are structured around categorical pairs such as ‘laziness – work,’ ‘laziness – poverty,’ ‘laziness – sleep,’ and ‘laziness – food,’ which highlight value attitudes: the importance of the summer period for fish harvesting, an ambiguous assessment of poverty, mismanagement as a result of laziness, and a stereotypical image of a good worker. The content of Saami proverbs about laziness reveals behavioral norms established in the Saami community: ‘do not be lazy,’ ‘work hard,’ ‘do not sleep or play too long,’ and ‘it is better not to postpone work.’ Laziness as a Saami quality in proverbs is presented both literally and metaphorically. The basis for metaphorization includes somatic terms (e.g., leg) and names of fishing equipment (e.g., net, fishing rod, hanger). Keywords: proverbs, proverbial picture of the world, Kildin Saami language, norms of behavior, value systems, laziness, work, poverty, sleep, food | 527 | |||||
| 654 | This article compares and analyzes the semantic connections of words with the common root elements ur-/ür-, or-/ör-, and the shared seme ‘rise, movement upward/forward’ in Mongolian languages. The relevance of this work lies in the need to study how language expresses human perceptual experience during world cognition and to examine linguistic units that reflect the physical perception and comprehension of surrounding reality by a language personality. The novelty of the study is in identifying motivating factors that contribute to the nomination of phenomena and processes associated with rise and growth, as well as in identifying several semantically related lexical-semantic groups. The aim of the study is to identify phonetic-semantic correlations in words with the common root element ur-/ür- in Mongolian languages by analyzing the acoustic-articulatory features of the sonant [r] (impact, energy, strength, impulse, movement). In the process of verbalization, this consonant acts as a sound sensory reaction to the physiological perception of the movement of internal strength and energy. These features motivated the nomination of ‘rise of internal strength’ in Mongolian languages. The hypothesis that semantics depend on the acoustic-articulatory features of this consonant, symbolically embedded as the basis of the nomination, made it possible to establish and describe a number of lexical units with the root consonant [r], which are connected by their phonetic-semantic structure and content and form a common semantic continuum. The factual material for the study is based on data from dictionaries of Written Mongolian, Khalkha-Mongolian, Buryat, and Kalmyk languages. Semantic connections between two large lexical-semantic groups of words with the root element *ur- and a common meaning are considered and justified as: 1) ‘up, rise’ (WMo. ergü- ‘to raise (up)’; urγu- ‘to grow’; üre ‘fruit’; urma ‘inspiration’; orgi- ‘to bubble up, surge’; ürgü- ‘to be frightened’; orboyi- ~ örbüyi- ‘to ruffle, stick out’; örbis- ‘to flare up’) and 2) ‘forward; before; to be first’ (WMo. uruγši ‘forward; to the south’; urid, urida ‘before, in front of’; öris- ‘to get ahead, to warn’; uruldu- ‘to compete in a race’). Keywords: Mongolian languages, Turkic languages, phonosemantics, synesthesia, lexical-semantic group, root morpheme, paired words, reduplication | 527 | |||||
| 655 | This research addresses gaps in the study of the human-natural environment relationship in Russian ethnographic science. Efforts to resolve this issue focus on understanding the zoomorphic images created and used across traditional cultures, with ornithomorphic images occupying an important place. Among these, the falcon is a common image across various ethnic groups and is attributed specific functions. The purpose of this work is to identify the image of the falcon in the traditional worldview of the Buryats. To achieve this, the following tasks were set: to determine the etymology of the names of Falconidae based on lexical data from Mongolian peoples; to trace the origins of the falcon image in Buryat culture; and to identify the body of Buryat mythological beliefs about this bird. The sources for this research include lexical, folklore, and ethnographic materials. Based on the results, the following conclusions were drawn. The modern names for Falconidae among the Buryats and other Mongolian peoples share a common origin in medieval Mongolian, which borrowed them from the ancient Turks. It was also found that the image of the falcon among the medieval Mongols has parallels in ancient Turkic culture. In the traditional worldview of the Buryats, the image of the falcon is concise and carries a positive connotation. This bird bears celestial symbols and is predominantly associated with masculine qualities. The concept of shapeshifting is also linked to it. A review of the Buryat epic reveals that a military cult was associated with this diurnal bird of prey. The falcon is also connected to the motif of likening a horse to a bird of prey. In shamanic poetics, this ornithomorphic image is embodied in the mythical character Shonkhor-khatun. Keywords: Southeastern Siberia, Buryats, traditional worldview, mythological representations, falcon | 506 | |||||
| 656 | This paper, based on lexicographic sources in the Tatar dialect of Tobolsk Province, examines the semantics of lexemes denoting a person's moral and ethical qualities (253 units). The study focuses on lexical and semantic oppositions such as ‘good – bad,’ ‘righteous – sinful,’ ‘kind – evil,’ ‘friend – enemy,’ ‘faithful – unfaithful,’ ‘generous – greedy,’ ‘polite – rude,’ ‘merciful – cruel,’ ‘patient – angry,’ ‘chaste – promiscuous,’ ‘modest – vain,’ ‘honest – deceitful,’ ‘sincere – hypocritical,’ ‘simple – cunning,’ ‘decent – criminal,’ "shameful – brazen,’ ‘hardworking – lazy,’ ‘joyful – envious,’ ‘magnanimous – vengeful,’ ‘sober – drunkard,’ and ‘humble – arrogant.’ The novelty of the study lies in the use of little-studied lexicographic sources from the 19th to early 20th centuries, the identification of synonymous and antonymous relationships among the analyzed units, and the determination of the moral and ethical values of the Tatars in the Tobolsk Province. The vocabulary examined reveals value relationships among people regarding labor and property. It has been established that there is a predominance of pejorative units characterizing a person in relation to vices such as promiscuity, anger, lying, hypocrisy, greed, and shamelessness, and meliorative units in relation to kindness, mercy, righteousness, and magnanimity. The authors identified dialectal words (basyk, kapshagay, mast, sata, syaktya, tsagutse), phonetic variants, borrowings from Arabic and Persian, and obsolete lexemes with Turkic roots. Dictionaries record not only primary nominations but also secondary ones (ilan ‘snake; flatterer’, myatskai ‘evil female spirit that feeds on blood; gluttony’, ubyr ‘demon; gluttony’), as well as phraseological units (kan inkutse ‘bloodsucker’, ah kazlu ‘with hungry eyes’, ike yuzle ‘with a double heart’, etse kara ‘with a black gut’). The linguistic material studied can be used to compile dictionaries of dialectisms, obsolete words, and borrowings, thereby determining the practical value of this article. Keywords: dialect, Tatars, Tobolsk Province, person, morality, ethics, pejorative, meliorative, synonym, antonym, dialectism | 494 | |||||
| 657 | This study examines the paradoxical properties of finiteness in Nivkh, where traditional criteria for distinguishing finite and non-finite forms are reversed. In Nivkh, forms that prototypically function as heads of independent predications (finite) are characterized by the absence of person-number agreement. In contrast, dependent non-finite forms (converbs) exhibit agreement features, can express temporal semantics, and can introduce their own subjects. The empirical data demonstrate that finite indicative forms in Nivkh lack personnumber markers, with plural marking being facultative. Temporal values are expressed for reference to future contexts through obligatory future tense marking. Conversely, converbial forms systematically exhibit personnumber agreement, express future temporal values, and in the Sakhalin dialect demonstrate a specialized marker -н combining person-number features with future temporal semantics. The ability to introduce subjects of converbs, most characteristic of -ӈа(н) forms, but observed also in “default” -т/р̌ converbs, seems very significant. The paper proposes a formal analysis within generative grammar, localizing Nivkh finiteness in the CP domain (FinP projection) while positioning non-finite forms in TP projections. The proposed analysis accounts for the absence of agreement in finite forms by direct subject movement to Spec, FinP, thereby bypassing TP and skipping phi-feature agreement mechanisms. Same-subject converbial structures are analyzed as TP configurations with PRO subjects acquiring person-number features from the matrix subjects via c-command relations. Switchsubject converbs are characterized by independent Fin projections licensed by the referential feature R from matrix clauses, which explains semantic restrictions on subjects in such constructions and their capacity for autonomous temporal reference. The analysis demonstrates that standard generative grammar's structural inventory adequately models non-trivial patterns of finiteness without recourse to continuum approaches or to revisions of fundamental syntactic theoretical concepts. Keywords: finiteness/non-finiteness, converbs, complex clause, person-number agreement, generative grammar, Nivkh language | 473 | |||||
| 658 | This article based on an analysis of field data, examines the practices of home-brewing and organizing beer festivals timed to coincide with church calendar dates. The relevance of this topic stems from interest in public holidays as a means of uniting rural communities. The research focuses on the social function of homebrewing in the context of celebrating Kanun, a beer festival in the Vym region. The article draws on ethnographic materials collected in 2003 under T. Chudova's program among the Vym Komi, an ethnographic group of the Komi (Zyryans). The informants were women born between 1910 and 1920. In addition, the narrator's husband actively participated in one interview, demonstrating his knowledge of the beer festival's organization. Oral histories provide reliable, first-hand information about home-brewing practices, revealing archaic features such as a consistent set of utensils, the use of heated stones in brewing, and top-fermentation as the most ancient fermentation method. They also highlight the traditions of beer festivals, timed to coincide with church calendar dates (St. George's Day, St. Paraskeva's Friday, St. Peter's Day, St. Elijah's Day, the Second Savior's Day, or the Transfiguration of the Lord), which were held in the square near the church or chapel. A recurring theme in field records is that kanuns (eve-festivals) were once held, but the traditions commemorating them have faded from historical memory. The practice of mutual guest-hosting formed a network of villages united by familial, kinship, and economic ties. The social function of the ritual drink, prepared in excess, is linked to the cohesion of the rural community. The tradition of celebrating the Kanun was also characteristic of the Russian North, which does not seem accidental, since Russians and Komi live in adjacent territories, have long-standing economic and cultural contacts, and are adherents of Orthodoxy. Keywords: Vym Komi, home-brewed beer, beer brewing technology, festive culture, eve | 472 | |||||
| 659 | One of the core issues in modern linguistics is linguistic variation. Language, as a complex dynamic system, is constantly evolving and changing. Changes in socio-political, economic, cultural, scientific, and technological spheres are inevitably reflected in language. The lexicon develops most intensively because extralinguistic factors exert greater influence on it than on other layers of language. Polysemy is a linguistic universal and an integral part of language. Words and phraseological units form a universal basis for the development of polysemy, as nearly any linguistic unit can acquire new meanings. Since Yakut archaisms have not been the subject of a comprehensive linguistic and cognitive study, this investigation constitutes a preliminary attempt in this area and opens a new research field. The subject of this research is the category of polysemy in Yakut archaisms, which exhibits a specific structure of divergent semantic transfer of linguistic units. The purpose of the research is to study the divergent direction of semantic transfer in polysemantic archaisms in Yakut. The objectives of the study include reviewing and analyzing existing literature on archaic vocabulary and polysemantic words; determining the semantic structure of archaisms; classifying archaic vocabulary into lexico-semantic groups; and defining the direction of divergent transfer in Yakut polysemantic archaisms. We use componential and conceptual analysis methods. To reveal the semantic structure of archaisms, we conducted dictionary-definition analysis. The general research method is inductive-deductive. The dominant source of semantic transfer in the analyzed Yakut linguistic units is material reality. The primary recipient semantic areas are anthropological conceptual spheres, especially ‘characteristics of man,’ ‘emotional state,’ ‘spatial object,’ ‘natural phenomenon,’ ‘abstract notions,’ ‘interpersonal relationships,’ and ‘intellectual characteristics.’ Keywords: Yakut language, semantics, polysemy, archaic vocabulary, indirect meaning, concept | 468 | |||||
| 660 | At the current stage of research on ancient Yakut burial rituals, identifying the earliest monuments from the 15th to 17th centuries remains challenging. Using modern dating methods, archaeologists studying Yakut ground burials have classified them as a distinct group. In the past decade, researchers have uncovered a significant layer of archaeological heritage from the late medieval period that requires scientific attention and initial analysis. This work discusses several monuments identified through exploration by the Srednelensky group of the archaeological expedition of the Institute for Humanities Research and Indigenous Studies of the North, Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in the Zhersky and Oktemsky naslegs of the Khangalassky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). These findings provide new materials and opportunities for reconstructing the worldview of the ancient inhabitants of Central Yakutia. Analysis of existing sources provides new information on the spatial arrangement of archaeological objects. The study reveals a dependence of burial monument placement on the landscape. This research also examines elements that have not previously been documented in ancient Yakut burial rituals. Fieldwork has identified a variety of deviant postures of the deceased, such as lying on the side, semi-side, and semi-sitting with tucked legs. It is suggested that this diversity in corpse positioning may be linked to several factors, including physical characteristics and ancient beliefs about sleeping postures. Thus, the late medieval populations of Central Yakutia sought, within their worldview, to ensure the greatest comfort for the deceased to prevent their return to the world of the living. The analysis of accompanying grave goods, together with other data, provides opportunities to determine the social status of the deceased during their lifetime. Furthermore, the materials reveal the previously undocumented phenomenon of postinhumation intervention – the removal of the skull followed by the ‘tangling’ of the legs to neutralize the deceased. The research employs historical-comparative and historical-systems methods. Keywords: Yakutia, early Yakut burials, Khangalassky district, Yakuts, Middle Ages | 462 | |||||
| 661 | This article examines the current decline in the number of Selkup reindeer herding farms, highlighting a crisis in the reindeer herding sector of the Selkup economy. The study draws on the author's field observations during expeditions to northern Selkup-inhabited Selkups from 2004 to 2024. This period of Selkup reindeer herding has not yet been studied by other researchers, which constitutes the scientific novelty of this work. The research led to the following conclusions. The crisis in modern Selkup reindeer herding originates in Soviet economic reforms: the collectivization of reindeer, the establishment of large-herd reindeer herding, and the specialization of collective and state farm workers in specific economic activities. The subsequent collapse of the Soviet economy forced the Selkups to return to traditional small-scale reindeer herding. Still, the legacies of the Soviet era – settlements and fishing enterprises – remained, continuing to draw Selkup fishermen away from reindeer herding. Advances in science and technology led to the widespread adoption of new means of transport among the Selkups, particularly snowmobiles, which replaced reindeer sleds. The convenience of snowmobiles and the comfort of settlement life reduced the willingness of Selkup reindeer herders to remain in the forest and endure the traditional hardships of reindeer husbandry. In the past twenty-five years, the challenges of maintaining reindeer herds have increased significantly due to the arrival of large numbers of wild reindeer and the wolves that followed them into Selkup territories. Today, Selkup reindeer herding is sustained by the Selkups' familial attachment to reindeer, state support, and new methods of herd management. Keywords: Selkups, traditional culture, reindeer herding, Soviet past of Selkup reindeer herding, crisis of modern Selkup reindeer herding | 460 | |||||
| 662 | The article examines the use of Mari idioms and aims to determine their vitality in Mari communities in the Sverdlovsk region, established in the late 16th and mid-18th centuries. The materials are part of a larger project addressing Mari idioms in old diasporas of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, and the Sverdlovsk and Kirov regions. Mari idioms in the Sverdlovsk region have not yet been the subject of a comprehensive sociolinguistic study, underscoring the scientific significance of this research. Data were collected during 2025 fieldwork in three districts of the Sverdlovsk region with compact Mari populations: Achit, Nizhnie Sergui, and Krasnoufimsk. The methods used include observation, questionnaires, in-depth and semi-structured interviews, documentation of responses, and statistical data analysis. Fieldwork was conducted in villages and settlements with predominantly Mari populations, and the total sample includes 190 respondents aged 12 to 88. The study explores the actual use of Mari idioms in the Sverdlovsk region, including domains of use, language loyalty among speakers, vitality across different age cohorts and ethno-local groups, and intergenerational language transmission. The article analyzes the functioning of Mari idioms in family and community life, as well as in daily interactions across trade, transport, agriculture, education, culture, and religious rites. The results allow for an assessment of the vitality of Mari idioms and cultural and religious practices, the identification of factors that contribute to their preservation or hinder it, and the drawing of parallels with language situations in other old Mari diasporas. Keywords: Mari idioms, ethnic language, language situation in the Sverdlovsk region, sociolinguistic survey, language use, family language policy, language in education, intergenerational language transmission, speech practices, language ideologies, language shift, ethnic culture | 375 | |||||
| 663 | This research examines urban chronicles of Chita in the early 20th century, as presented in the 1905 edition of the newspaper Zabaikalskie Oblastnye Vedomosti. This unique pre-revolutionary publication combined official materials, city life chronicles, feuilletons, private advertisements, and correspondence. By analyzing local press texts, the study reconstructs a media portrayal of everyday life in a provincial town, reflecting not only specific social and daily issues – such as public amenities, sanitation, food shortages, cultural standards, and public sentiment – but also the distinct perception of its space as the "outskirts of the empire." The article offers a comparative analysis of media narratives from 1905 and the 2020s, revealing persistent, "chronic" themes in the urban agenda that have endured throughout the century: insufficient infrastructure, underdeveloped sewerage systems, dilapidated housing, stray animals, alcoholism, and social disadvantage. The study aims to uncover the mechanisms of urban image formation in regional media in the early 20th century and to show how this image relates to contemporary forms of urban identity representation in local online media and social media communities. The methodological framework is based on comparative historical, discursive, and axiological approaches within urban anthropology and media cultural studies, as well as methods of content analysis, interpretation, and historical-anthropological reading of media texts. These methods enable the examination of urban chronicles as a sociocultural phenomenon that captures the value system, symbolic codes, and mental attitudes of the local community. The scientific novelty of the study lies in identifying the meaning-making and communicative functions of the local press, which constructs the city's symbolic space and provides feedback channels between society and the authorities. Contemporary urban media inherit these functions, creating new forms of local identity and inclusion in the digital communication environment. The study concludes that the media image of Chita as a provincial city is marked by significant continuity, with pressing everyday issues forming a stable framework for constructing local identity in the public space. These findings expand the source base and contribute to the development of urban anthropology, confirming the importance of media narratives as a tool for reconstructing historical memory, cultural continuity, identity, and the image of a provincial city over the long term. Keywords: urban chronicle, provincial city, Zabaikalskie Oblastnye Vedomosti, local press, urban anthropology, cultural identity, symbolic space, social memory | 361 | |||||
| 664 | This article examines the traditional nomadic dwelling of the Tundra Nenets, the chum, as an object of intangible ethnocultural heritage – a living phenomenon in the contemporary culture of both Nenets reindeer herders and residents of cities and towns in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO). New materials recorded during field research in March 2025 in Salekhard and the Priuralsky District of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug are introduced into scholarly discourse. This field research was conducted as part of the State Russian House of Folk Art's project, "A Cycle of Folklore Expeditions to Identify Objects of the Intangible Ethnocultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia." The article focuses on the current state of traditions related to the construction, erection, and use of the Tundra Nenets' traditional dwelling, as well as the axiological aspects associated with perceiving the traditional dwelling as an integral attribute of modern Nenets life. The core of the article consists of information obtained through interviews with informants – Tundra Nenets and Northern Khanty. Attention is also given to contemporary innovative changes in the materials, construction, and use of the Nenets chum in the modern life of reindeer herders and in the activities of cultural institutions. The Introduction explains the relevance of the article's subject matter and discusses the research materials and approaches. The main body is divided into subsections. "The Structural Framework of the Chum" describes the materials and technology used in making the wooden poles and coverings of the dwelling. "Erecting the Chum" outlines the process of assembling the nomadic dwelling and emphasizes gender-related taboos and correlations associated with male and female spaces within the chum. "The Interior Arrangement of the Chum" details essential household items and utensils. "Preserving the Traditions of the Nomadic Dwelling in a Modern Urban Environment" discusses the existence of the chum as an object of intangible ethnocultural heritage within the modern technological environment and cultural space. The Conclusion presents the findings. Keywords: Tundra Nenets, Intangible Ethnocultural Heritage, chum, dwelling, Folk traditions, Traditional beliefs, Traditional craftsmanship | 360 | |||||
| 665 | This article presents the results of a cross-cultural analysis and comparison of traditional kinship systems and family structures among the indigenous peoples of Yakutia – the Dolgans, Evens, Evenks, Chukchi, and Yukaghirs – based on historical and ethnographic materials. The analysis identifies both general and specific features reflected in kinship structure, family systems, and forms of marriage. The traditional marriage-family-kinship system among the small peoples of Yakutia is based on patriarchal families (clans), patrilineal kinship, and patrilocal marriage; among some groups (mainly Evens and Yukaghirs), matrilineality and matrilocality were also present. The main economic unit in family and marital relations was the small family, although large families consisting of several nomadic groups related by kinship were also common. Exogamous marriage was more characteristic of the Dolgans, Evens, and Evenks, and was rarely found among the Chukchi and Yukaghirs. Specific forms of marital relations included exchange marriage, widely practiced by the Evens and Evenks; group marriage and levirate among the Chukchi, Evenks, and Yukaghirs; polygamy among the Chukchi, Evenks, and Evens; and cross-cousin marriage among all peoples except the Evens. Despite the shared history and development of these indigenous peoples, as well as assimilatory processes, cultural exchange, and interactions among nomadic groups, the variability in the combinations of these elements gives rise to the unique content of the ethnic cultures of these peoples. Keywords: kinship system, agnate clan, patrilineality, matrilineality, patrilocality, matrilocality, exchange marriage, group marriage, levirate, exogamous marriage, Dolgans, Evens, Evenks, Chukchi, Yukaghirs | 350 | |||||
| 666 | The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of the distribution of quantitative vowel characteristics across phonetic contexts in the Turkic languages of Altai. The study was conducted using a complex experimental phonetic method based on bisyllabic word forms from the Altai, Tuba, and Kumandy languages. The analysis identified two oppositely directed tendencies in the positional-combinatorial variation of vocal length, influenced by the syllabic structure of the word form, the nature of its vocal axis, and the type of intersyllabic consonant elements. In bisyllabic words with a heterogeneous vocal axis (wide–narrow) and an open first syllable, the wide vowel of the first syllable is lengthened to varying degrees, followed by a syllable with a narrow vowel separated from the first syllable by a noisy voiced or sonorous consonant. For the first time, in all the languages studied, the elongation of the narrow labialized soft vowel ӱ in the first open syllable of structures with narrow vowels in both syllables was recorded, contrary to the predicted lengthening of vowels at the end of the word form. The explanation for the spread in the Turkic languages of the pattern of positional elongation, previously characteristic only of wide vowels, to narrow vowels should be sought in the articulatory features of narrow rounded vowels in modern languages, rooted in the ancient Turkic state. Keywords: Turkic Languages of Altai, experimental phonetics, vocalism, quantitative characteristics, positional duration | 346 | |||||
| 667 | The article examines oikonyms containing geographical terms. This type of toponym represents a significant portion of Yakutia’s oikonymy but has not been thoroughly analyzed by regional toponymists. The authors studied oikonyms formed from appellatives related to geographical terms, considering both linguistic and cultural-landscape aspects. A total of 683 oikonyms were identified through a continuous sample from regional toponymic dictionaries, compiled using data from the State Gazetteer register. These oikonyms are based on geographical appellative vocabulary and include names in Russian, Yakut, Evenki, Even, and other languages spoken by peoples living in the region. Settlement names were found to contain geographical terms denoting various types of landscape terrain: water bodies, hills, forests, mountains, coasts, valleys, islands, and more. A classification into thematic groups was compiled using these geographical terms. The classification included nine thematic groups, each described and analyzed. The largest groups include oikonyms with the appellatives “lake, river,” “mountain,” and “valley,” while the smallest groups include oikonyms with the terms “island,” “ravines, pits,” and “permafrost, ice.” Analysis using the cultural-landscape approach showed that, in addition to directly referencing a particular geographical object in the settlement name and anchoring its location in the linguistic worldview of the peoples inhabiting the territory, culturally significant meanings are also present in the analyzed lexemes. These reflect characteristics such as the suitability of a particular geographical object for human habitation, its usefulness for economic activity related to lifestyle (sedentary or nomadic), and the occupation of the population. Additionally, names of populated areas were identified whose formation is not directly linked to geographical terms but is related to geography and landscape, such as those indicating the administrative-territorial status of a populated area (village) and the lexeme “road.” Keywords: oikonyms, geographical terms, regional toponymic system, oikonymicon of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia), appellatives “lake”, “river”, “mountain”, “valley”, cultural-landscape aspect | 345 | |||||
| 668 | Family language policy is a rapidly growing area of sociolinguistic research that examines the relationships among language ideologies, language practices, and language management within family units. This study investigates how different socio-economic backgrounds lead to constructing and negotiating family language policies exemplified by a tentative examination of two bilingual families in Ghana. An ethnographic approach was used to collect data selectively. Using a qualitative paradigm and three instruments – a structured observation guide, interviews, and recordings of family conversations – the researchers collected and analyzed data, yielding several findings. The study identifies key differences in language ideologies. The family policy reflecting a lower socio-economic background places strong emphasis on maintaining a group’s ethnic language alongside the official language, while the family policy from a higher socio-economic background prioritizes English over their ethnic language. This divergence is shaped by differences in the socio-economic statuses, educational background, and perceptions of career opportunities associated with language proficiency. The findings show that although the importance of bilingualism is overall recognized, approaches to language maintenance are influenced by broader socio-political and economic structures. Ultimately, the research demonstrates that family language policy is not a static but dynamic process that reflects and responds to external socio-cultural forces. This tentative study offers valuable insights into how socio-economic and educational contexts shape linguistic choices, reinforcing the argument that language ideologies and practices are deeply connected to social and cultural identity and socio-economic status, a conclusion that may be further revised. Keywords: family language policy, socio-economic status, educational status, Ghana, language maintenance | 340 | |||||
| 669 | This article examines the impact of Soviet atheist policy and the specifics of the antireligious campaign in the national republics during the 1920s and 1930s, with a focus on Chuvashia. Drawing on archival materials newly introduced into scholarly circulation, the authors show that a high level of everyday religiosity, represented by various religious “remnants,” persisted in the Chuvash Republic. The low effectiveness of direct campaigning, amid persistent religious syncretism and the complex religious landscape in multi-confessional regions of the USSR such as Chuvashia, compelled government ideologists to change tactics and activate the resources of scientific atheism. A key instrument of the new strategy was a detailed academic study of the current state of confessions in the Soviet Union, initiated by the Center (Leningrad Scientific Research Section of N. M. Matorin) and carried out in the regions by local historians. The particular development of religious atheism in the 1920s and 1930s was not coincidental. The practice of compiling religious and everyday maps became an important area in the academic study and mapping of religious sites during the period. The authors examine the phenomenon of religious mapping as a technology for the development, control, and subsequent suppression of religious life. An active promoter of this approach, which combined research and ideological objectives, was the ethnographer K. Elle (1896–1974), a member of Matorin’s Research Group. His work on creating catalogs and maps of historical and cultural heritage sites (using Kiremet’s map as an example) is reconstructed from archival sources. The practice of mapping religious sites in Chuvashia in the 1920s and 1930s, initially conceived as a tool for preserving unique religious and cultural locations and practices for science, simultaneously served as a precise spatial reference for their subsequent elimination as part of the “Cultural Revolution” policy. Moreover, due to the state's repressive policies against religious scholars in the mid-1930s and the curtailment of academic research in religious studies, this work was not fully developed. It did not become an effective tool in the antireligious campaign. However, the implementation of these experiments for mapping religious sites, which became a significant stage in the USSR's atheist policy, has multifaceted informational value for understanding the complex phenomena of Soviet ideological development. Keywords: religious studies, Soviet antireligious propaganda, cultural revolution, visual politics, religious mapping, Chuvashia, N. Matorin, K.V. Elle | 332 | |||||
| 670 | This paper examines the orographic vocabulary of the Yakut language that conveys the core meaning of “elevated landform, height.” The study provides a lexicographic description and analysis of the names of orographic objects in the Yakut language and its dialects from comparative and comparative-historical perspectives. The corpus comprises entries from Yakut lexicographic, dialectological, and toponymic dictionaries, supplemented by field data collected during expeditions to the central regions of Yakutia since 2021. The research uses continuous sampling, descriptive, comparative, and comparative-historical methods. For cross-linguistic comparison, cognates and borrowings were identified in Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic-Manchu languages. Lexicalsemantic and word-formation analyses, supported by etymological assessment, reveal the origin of each term. Etymological data from the works of prominent linguists and typologists were used as sources. The 56 lexemes identified were classified according to the semantic features motivating their nomination: 1) size; 2) shape; 3) soil characteristics; 4) presence or absence of vegetation; 5) location. Observations of the distribution area of orographic units showed that the vocabulary of general distribution accounts for about 61% of the total corpus, while 39% of lexemes have limited territorial distribution. The study identifies lexical units derived from somatic and everyday vocabulary, as well as formations resulting from the substantivization of adjectives. Overall, the lexical-semantic group of orographic vocabulary in the Yakut language comprises three main strata: inherited Turkic roots and borrowings from Mongolic and Tungusic-Manchu. Keywords: Yakut (Sakha) language, Turkic languages, Mongolic languages, Tungusic-Manchu languages, lexicology, orographic vocabulary, landform nomenclature, elevation | 330 | |||||
| 671 | This article examines the current use of natural cryogenic resources – natural cold, snow, ice, and permafrost – by hunters in Yakutia. The study reconstructs contemporary practices in the use of cryogenic resources during hunting, identifies their main directions, preserves traditions, tracks emerging elements, and highlights key challenges, including those caused by climate change and permafrost degradation. Methodologically, the research is based on the principles of cryosophy and the anthropology of cold. The primary source base consists of field materials collected by the authors during research conducted from 2017 to 2025 in various administrative districts (uluses) of Yakutia: Vilyuysky, Olekminsky, Megino-Kangalassky, Srednekolymsky, and Yakutsk. Archival documents and scientific literature were also used. The research demonstrates the importance of cryogenic resources in modern hunting activities among the population of Yakutia. The use of natural cold, snow, ice, and permafrost significantly increases the transport accessibility of hunting grounds, provides essential game information, and facilitates extraction by masking hunting tools. Additionally, the conservation functions of cryogenic resources are essential for storing harvested products and food for hunters. The study finds that technological development has significantly affected current practices, reducing the diversity and scale of cryogenic resource use. At the same time, the introduction of new technological solutions has contributed to the evolution and development of these practices. Climate change and permafrost degradation limit the transport and conservation potential of cryogenic resources. Keywords: Yakutia, anthropology of cold, hunting, traditional farming, cryogenic resources | 330 | |||||
| 672 | This work examines mythological parallels between the distant cultures of Africa and Siberia to demonstrate common cultural phenomena and use them in cultural dialogue to counter stereotypes. Kenyan peoples were selected based on the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation's assignment to prepare educational materials and teach Russian as a foreign language in the Republic of Kenya. Siberian peoples from the Russian Federation were chosen to represent the region, with teachers from Tomsk State Pedagogical University teaching students in Kenya. As a primary example, the mythological demiurge Ngai among the Kikuyu, Kamba, and Maasai peoples in Kenya, and the functionally similar character Ngo among the Nganasan, Nenets, and Selkups in Siberia, are considered. In both cultures, this deity belongs to the upper world (in Kenya, located at the top of the mountain of the same name; in Siberia, in the sky). Despite beliefs in his involvement in the creation of the world, this masculine figure distances himself from people and does not participate in everyday affairs, unlike magical characters such as old women or demiurge mothers, who maintain traditions and have access to the world tree. The trickster appears as a spider who was once human in some African cultures, and as Idya, the Selkup, in the Selkup epic. Drawing parallels in mythology illustrates the universality of the psychological concept of humanity and substantiates cultural connections between distant peoples. The use of shared worldviews aligns with the educational trend of cultural dialogue, where a common understanding of human values fosters friendly interaction while preserving the individuality of each culture without ethnocentric judgments. Cultural dialogue is viewed as a process of mutual enrichment among participants. Russia has a long history of fostering interethnic relations and promoting ethnic equality within the country. National programs support the scientific and cultural activities of Russia's minority ethnic groups. By engaging with other peoples worldwide, Russians transfer feelings of tolerance, mutual respect, and understanding to international relations. This work uses an interdisciplinary approach and the method of linguistic and cultural commentary on mythological elements. Keywords: folklore, dialogue of cultures, mythological parallel motifs and characters, interdisciplinary approach, linguistic and cultural studies | 324 | |||||
| 673 | This article examines the semantics of the restrictive particle gӛ ne ‘only’ in Tatyshly Udmurt. Data were collected through elicitation during fieldwork in several villages in the Tatyshly District (Republic of Bashkortostan) and through corpus analysis. The discussion centers on previously unstudied contexts in which the particle modifies the degree to which a quality is manifested by an adjective or adverb (e.g., pič'i gӛ ne ‘very small’, literally: small only). The article describes its distribution across different types of adjective scales, following the approach of Kennedy and McNally: lexemes such as ‘good’, which lack a maximum or minimum value, correspond to open scales, while lexemes such as ‘clean’ or ‘full’, which can be associated with a maximum and/or minimum degree, correspond to closed scales. The study shows that gӛ ne denotes a decrease in the degree of a parameter, primarily with open-scale adjectives and adverbs. In constructions with closed-scale lexemes (whose acceptability varies depending on the lexeme and the speaker), this semantic effect is realized as a deviation from the extreme value. Depending on the context, gӛne can mark an increased degree with open-scale lexemes that have high-degree semantics. In another class of uses, the particle indicates the unexpectedness of a situation. The article demonstrates that gӛ ne modifies scales on which values of different types are ordered (in addition to adjective scales, these include quantitative and temporal scales) and indicates a lesser degree compared to the standard. Opposite contexts with an increased degree demonstrate the reinterpretation of restrictiveness as intensification. The article also briefly discusses data on the local Tatar dialect. Its similarities with Tatyshly Udmurt suggest prospects for further areal study. Keywords: Udmurt, semantics, particles, restrictive focus, scalarity, terms for qualities, language contact | 30 | |||||
| 674 | The purpose of this article is to identify and characterize various types of contact-related borrowings from Russian in the vocabulary of modern Teleut, beginning with the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Teleuts and the Russian Empire in the 17th century and their intensification in the mid-17th to 18th centuries after the resettlement of some Teleuts from the Upper Ob region to the Bachat River and the Kuznetsk Fortress. Of the 3,800 lexical units in the “Teleut-Russian Dictionary” (1995), approximately 40 are borrowed from Russian, including units with non-Slavic etymons that entered the Teleut language via Russian. In addition, at least 50 units are referred to as “Russ.” and “aus dem Russ” that are recorded in the “Experience of a Dictionary of Turkic Dialects” (1893–1911), the "Dictionary of the Altai and Aladag Dialects of the Turkic Language" (1884), and the dictionary of “Grammar of the Altai Language” (1869). The layer of Russianisms in the Teleut language is heterogeneous in chronological, semantic, and etymological terms. Diachronically, we can distinguish prerevolutionary (first period: early 17th century – 1917), Soviet (second period: 1917–1991), and modern (third period: 1991 – present) borrowings, with the distinction between the second and third periods being arbitrary. From a functional-semantic perspective, Russianisms in the Teleut language are classified as names of realia that retain their meanings in the recipient language, sometimes with the inclusion of new sememes and an expansion or narrowing of meaning and renominations, which are Russian words that have displaced native Teleut designations of local denotations, including when Russian ones replace the denotation types themselves. Etymologically, Russianisms, in addition to native Russian (Slavic) vocabulary or vocabulary borrowed through Russian, can represent lateral loanwords from Turkic languages, as well as words with problematic etymology. Keywords: Teleut language, borrowing, historical lexicology and lexicography, Russian-Turkic language contacts, Turkic languages of Southern Siberi | 29 | |||||
| 675 | This paper analyzes the social practices of memorization and ethnicization in the contemporary architectural landscape of Bashkortostan's capital, aiming to construct a sustainable regional identity for the capital's residents and the republic's population, and to ensure their social well-being. Currently, the challenge of combining a comfortable urban environment and the preservation of historical heritage, including elements of national identity in the architectural appearance of cities and urban planning, is particularly pressing. The purpose of this study is to identify methods for leveraging the cultural and symbolic aspects of Ufa's urban architecture to imbue the city with an ethnic character. The author examines the city not only as a specifically organized space but also as a community living within it. The urban landscape functions as a dialogue between the historical center (core) and the surrounding territories (periphery), where buildings serve as symbols that shape identity and convey information. The analysis of the visualization of ethnicity is based on a semiotic approach and secondary sociological analysis. Ufa's architectural space is examined as a holistic informational and symbolic structure. The author argues that the ethnocultural specificity of Ufa, like that of any city, can be represented through a combination of images and identities. Using observational methods, zones of concentration of ethnic and historical memory symbols in Ufa's urban space are identified, along with their characteristics. The author describes the means of ethnicizing urban design, architectural images, and monumental symbols (using the monument to General M. Shaimuratov as an example), all of which indicate strategies for shaping the capital's identity. Using a semiotic approach, the author analyzes certain architectural elements of the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan within the context of its unique cultural landscape, drawing on Yuri Lotman's theory of the semiosphere and considering regional characteristics. Semiotics categorizes the city as a heterogeneous semantic space – a semiotic mechanism in which architecture serves as a “text” that stores cultural codes. In the study, the city is treated as a social phenomenon, distinguished by the system's symbols and reflecting the construction of the republic's social identity. Keywords: architectural space, urban environment, urban landscape, memorization, identity politics, semiotics, symbol, social well-being of the population, ethnicization, ethnic color | 27 | |||||
| 676 | This paper examines the ethnic affiliation of the population in the Surgut Ob region during the preRussian period. Data on local ethnonymy among the Ob Ugrians were collected from Khanty and Mansi representatives of ethno-local groups, and active ethnonymic models were identified. The findings show that the Eastern and Northern Khanty use distinct models of ethnonymy formation in their local dialects. Additionally, all Mansi groups have their own model, which differs from the Khanty variants. An important conclusion from the analysis is the identification of the generalizing ethnonym Sŏr ⱪunәl yăvәn yăkh, characteristic of the Surgut (Eastern) Khanty groups of Tromagan, Agan, Pim, Lyamin, and Yugan, as well as the absence of such generalizing ethnonyms in the Khanty language for all Northern Khanty groups. The structure and semantics of the ethnonym Sŏr ⱪunәl yăvәn yăkh provide a new perspective on the ethnic composition of the population in the areas surrounding Surgut. The lack of a clear translation for the first two words of this complex phrase in Khanty dialects prompts consideration of data from other Uralic languages (not only Ugric but also Samoyedic), particularly the Selkup language. A two-component composition was identified. The article also presents materials from Russian written historical documents (1593–1595) (royal decrees and charters), which include instructions about the construction of the Russian fortress on the Ob River, its name, and references to the local population. Analysis of historical, toponymic, and ethnonymic data suggests the possible presence of a Selkup (Selkup-speaking) population in the Ob region, where the Russian city of Surgut was founded in 1594. The paper also presents data from a historiographical analysis of the Selkup presence in the Surgut Ob region, based on the works of 20thcentury ethnographers and historians. Keywords: Surgut Ob region, Eastern and Northern Khanty, Surgut Khanty, Surgut Selkups, ethnonymy, identity, ethnonymic model | 27 | |||||
| 677 | The article examines the role of color in plant naming in two closely related languages. It identifies the most commonly used color designations and their expression in phytonyms. Most often, they are expressed directly. For example, kp, kz görd setör “red currant” (literally “red currant”), vezh jön “osot” (kp), “spurge” (kz) (literally “yellow osot”), kp chochkom sizyur “clover” (literally “white clover”), kz edzhid bobonyan “clover” (literally “white clover”), and so on. However, there are examples in which color is represented metaphorically. So, in the Komi-Permian phytonym shondisetör, meaning “red currant”, the red color is indicated by the word shondi – “sun”. Or Komi-Permian phytonym sim pu “black poplar, sedge” (literally “rusty tree”), in which the word sim – rust represents the reddish-brown color of the bark. Since phytonyms often have a two-component structure, the first of which is an adjective or noun indicating color, the article also focuses on the second component. Typically, the color characteristic is observed in a plant's inflorescence, berry, bark, or stem. In this case, the determiner is the name of the plant species or genus (kp, kz görd bad “willow holly” (literally “red willow”), borrowed from the Russian language the words tsvet, tsvetki, tschvet “flower” (kp vezhvet, vizhvet “dyer’s chamomile” (literally “yellow flower”), the word jur “head” (kp vezhyur, kz vizhyur “mother-and-stepmother” (literally “yellow head”), the word sin “eye” (kp vezhsin “daisy” (literally “yellow eye”)), the word turun “grass” (kz vezh turun “St. John's wort tetrahedral” (literally “yellow grass”), kp belturun “knotweed” (literally “white grass”), etc.), the word gum “stem” (kz vezh gum “common grass” (literally “yellow stem”)). Of the less expected: bugyl “eyeball” (kz lözbugyl “cornflower blue” (literally “blue eyeball”)), chacha “toy” (kp kz löz chacha “blue cornflower” (literally “the blue toy”). Both Komi-Permyak and Komi-Zyryan use five basic colors: kp, kz görd “red”; kp, kz syöd “black”; kp vöz/löz, kz löz “blue”; kp, kz vezh/vizh “yellow”; kp chochkom/chochköm, kz edzhyd “white”. However, the composition of Komi-Permian phytonyms, more often than others, contains vezh/vizh “yellow” – 25 % of the total, and vöz/löz “blue” less often – 13 %. In the KomiZyryan language, the most common color is edzhyd “white” (including the metaphorical kelyd “pale, light”) – 35 % of the total; the rarest is syöd “black” (6 %). Keywords: phytonymy, Komi-Permyak language, Komi-Zyryan language, nomination feature, color, semantic components of a phytonym, comparative analysis | 26 | |||||
| 678 | This paper examines the functioning of the destinative markers -qo/-go, destinative-translative markers qo/-go, and the translative markers -gle (-mble, -lemble, -pule) in Selkup dialects. Until now, no comprehensive comparative analysis of these suffixes across different dialects has been conducted, and relatively limited materials have been used for discussion. The research is based on the analysis of an extensive corpus and archival data for an unwritten language; previously published works are also taken into account. Materials from the 19th to 21st centuries are drawn upon, covering the southern, transitional, central, and northern linguistic zones. It was found that, in the central and northern dialects, the suffix -qo/-go has destinative, translative-target, and translative functions and can be referred to as a destinative-translative case marker. In turn, in the southern and transitional dialects, the translative function is not manifested, and therefore it is considered a destinative case marker. The translative marker -gle (-mble, -lemble, -pule) emerged as an independent case in the southern and transitional dialects, displacing this translative function from the destinative-translative case marker -qo/-go. From a semantic perspective, a noun in the destinative-translative and destinative cases can assume the semantic roles of Goal, Stimulus, Cause, Benefactive, Object of comparison, Object of action, Time, Purpose, and Manner. Additionally, in the central and northern dialects, a noun in the destinative-translative can be manifested as a Development / Transformation, exhibiting a translative function. A similar semantic role is encoded in the southern and transitional dialects using the translative case. As an exception, in the Laskino sub-dialect of the central Narym dialect, the translative function is present in both types of markers: -qo/-go and -lʲe, -mble, -lemble. The suffixes of the destinative-translative -qo/-go and separately the destinative -qo/-go, and the translative -gle (-mble, -lemble, pule) form two largely non-overlapping areas. Keywords: destinative, destinative-translative, translative, case semantics, linguistic areas, Selkup dialects | 24 | |||||
| 679 | This article analyzes ethnographic material containing authentic data on ritual practices in the shamanism of the northern Altaians living in the Altai Republic (Tubalars, Chelkants, Kumandins) (hereinafter referred to as Altai shamanism). The sacred complex of Altai shamanism is examined. The research problem is the lack of systematization of the sacred values of Altai shamanism. The “sacred focus” method is used within anthropological and ethnographic research frameworks. The novelty of the work lies in the development of the concept of the sacred complex of shamanism, an attempt to systematize sacred values related to the world of things and events. Altai shamanism is considered in terms of its role in sacralizing the daily life of cultural participants. The main results of the study are as follows: the sacred complex of Altai shamanism is formed on the basis of cultural representatives' ideas about the relationship between the natural and material spaces of everyday life. These ideas enable Altai shamans to maintain adherence to traditional religion and appropriate rituals. They also expand the range of sacralized values associated with shamans' daily lives. In general, the sacred complex reflects values significant for each person's life, correlated with birth, adulthood, and other important events, such as the change of seasons. In Altai shamanism, the sacred complex influences the maintenance of the cult and, from a functional point of view, ensures the continuity of shamanic practices and restrains the process of their modernization, which naturally occurs in worship. Keywords: shamanism of the northern Altaians, sacred complex, sacred values, eventfulness, attributes of existence, rituals and prayers of shamans | 24 | |||||
| 680 | This article explores the hidden and obscure pages of the history of Eastern Transbaikalia, focusing on Dauria as one of the nomadic civilizations that vanished over time. The concept of “Dauria” survives only in Russian texts – such as the phrase “going to Dauria,” the title of Konstantin Sedykh's literary work “Dauria,” the oikonym Dauria, and the oronym Daursky Range. No reliable scientific sources describe “Dauria,” prompting the reconstruction of the lost Dauria as a distinct period of nomadic civilization. The realities of “historical Dauria” were restored and described through a synergy of two approaches: onomasiological and narrative. The narrative approach draws on scientific research and work with various sources, including archival, documentary, scientific, and popular science texts. As a result, a conceptual understanding of “Dauria” emerged, and information previously “hidden under the dust of centuries” was uncovered. The article presents these sources as verified evidence of Dauria's former existence within the narrative approach, relying on historical and documentary materials. The creation of two parts of the “Narratives of Historical Dauria,” based on the combination of different approaches, confirms the possibility of describing (as a reconstruction) the lost nomadic civilization known as Dauria. The onomasiological approach is based on J. Grimm's thesis: “There is a more vivid evidence of peoples than bones, weapons, and burials – it is their language.” Through language, and specifically linguistic evidence, we can reconstruct the historical past of both territories and peoples. In this sense, only onomastic data – ethnonyms, exonyms, toponyms, and anthroponyms – can provide important and valuable information about a vanished formation or historical concept, such as the Kingdom of Nikan, Gou-Go, or unknown Tartaria. Addressing these aspects of “historical Dauria” enabled the research team to create the two-part textual collection “Narratives of Historical Dauria” within the framework of the Russian Science Foundation grant project No. 24-2820067, “Narratives of Historical Dauria as a Meaningful Component of the Tourism Cluster of Zabaikal’sky Krai.” These parts describe different periods of the historical past, as well as the territory and peoples inhabiting Eastern Transbaikalia. Keywords: historical Dauria, Eastern Transbaikalia, narrative approach, onomasiological approach, Dagur toponymic substrate, Narratives | 23 | |||||
| 681 | This article presents new material on the linguistic and cultural contacts between Iranian peoples and the Permians, ancestors of the modern Udmurts and Komi. The main focus is on Iranian lexical borrowings in the Udmurt and Komi languages. Although Iranian lexical borrowings in Permian (Udmurt and Komi) languages are considered well studied today, research in this area is not yet complete. The ancestors of the Udmurts and Komi maintained close contact with Iranian-speaking peoples for about two thousand years. This interaction has left significant traces in the languages and cultures of the Permians. One result of Permian-Iranian cultural and linguistic interaction was the Komi of a substantial layer of Iranian lexical borrowings in the Udmurt and Komi languages, comprising dozens of words. The author proposes about twenty new possible lexical Iranisms in the Permian languages and demonstrates that these borrowings likely originate from different Iranian languages and entered the languages of the Permian ancestors at various times and in different historical periods. Some differences in the phonetic adaptation of Iranian loanwords in the Permian languages, especially in vowel systems, can be explained by the long duration of contact between the Permian ancestors and Iranian speakers, during which certain lexical items were borrowed at different times and thus exhibited different phonetic forms and underwent different developments. Additionally, it is important to consider the possible variety of pathways through which Iranian lexical borrowings entered these languages. It should be noted that during the proto-Permian period, Permian unity was continuously evolving, passing through various stages of development. All these factors inevitably influenced the character of the borrowed vocabulary. Keywords: Iranian languages, Finno-Ugric languages, Permian proto-language, Udmurt language, Komi languages, etymology, historical linguistics | 22 | |||||
| 682 | The river is a key component of the natural landscape of a given territory. A lot of work has been written about its role as a natural factor shaping human economic activity. The river's significance has also been reflected in numerous works of folklore from various peoples. The river has become a subject of study for scholars in fields such as ethnography, folklore, narrative studies, and linguistics. Ainu folklore is no exception. In examples of Ainu oral tradition recorded by European, Russian, and Ainu researchers, the river has been viewed from several perspectives. First, as a natural object created by deities and having a social organization similar to that of humans; second, as a source of sustenance, intended to aid humans and facilitate their survival, because fishing was the primary economic activity of the Ainu; and third, as a factor influencing certain aspects of their spiritual culture. However, studies on the impact of a river and its current on the development of an individual's fundamental character traits have not been published. The nature of a river's current–fast, turbulent, and foaming in its upper reaches if it originates in the mountains, and calm, gentle, and slow in its lower reaches, flowing through the plains–is a determining factor in a person's psychological type and behavioral patterns. Ainu folklore contains a whole cycle of prose works, the content of which, when analyzed, can serve as vivid confirmation of this idea. This article attempts, through a textual analysis of folklore works that directly reference the river's location, to confirm the idea that the river influences not only life in general but also a person's psychological type and behavior in particular. This approach appears relevant and capable of filling the gap. Furthermore, an important factor that actualizes the stated theme is the educational effect of such folklore works, which promote socialization and preparation for future life. Keywords: Ainu, folklore, landscape, river, influence, psychotype, character traits | 22 | |||||
| 683 | This article analyzes research on weaponry and military affairs among the medieval population of the Kuznetsk Basin, published in the first quarter of the 21st century. It reviews works that address the publication of archaeological weaponry and examine the characteristics of military science in the medieval Kuznetsk Basin, and presents them in chronological order. The historiographical analysis draws on the works of V. Bobrov, V. Borisov, A. Vasyutin, S. Vasyutin, V. Gorbunov, A. Ilyushin, N. Kuznetsov, D. Savinov, M. Suleimenov, and Yu. Shirin and other scholars. Analysis of these authors' works identifies the first quarter of the 21st century as a distinct period in the development of historiography on the weaponry and military science of the medieval population of the Kuznetsk Basin. During this period, numerous publications on weaponry items and systems based on excavations of medieval archaeological sites appeared. Monographs and articles include sections on the typological classification of weaponry and their typological-chronological analysis. The latter becomes the primary method for constructing relative chronology schemes for closed artifact complexes and archaeological sites. The emergence, chronology, and evolution of specific types of weaponry in the Kuznetsk Basin during the Middle Ages are examined. Cultural borrowings of weaponry that emphasize the high social status of warriors are discussed. Studies have emerged that determine the specialization of buried warriors by weaponry, distinguishing between lightly armed mounted archers and heavily armed horsemen, and also examine the social status of military burials. During this period, research appeared aimed at reconstructing archaeological, ethnographic, and ethnocultural weaponry complexes. These studies demonstrate the diversity of weapons used in the local environment. Ranged weapons held a leading position. The first attempts to reconstruct, in general terms, the tactics, strategy, and specific combat techniques of medieval warriors of the Kuznetsk Basin also appeared. Keywords: Kuznetsk Basin, Middle Ages, military science, weapons, historiography | 20 | |||||
| 684 | This article examines the use of the Russian conditional conjunction jesli (‘if’) in modern Udmurt speech based on corpus data. Clauses with the conjunction jesli are common on social media and in blog posts, but are avoided in the press to adhere to literary norms. The Russian conjunction can be inserted into the clause in three ways. It can appear alone, but more often it is paired with the Udmurt conjunction ke, which is not allowed in clause-initial position. A much less frequent strategy uses the complex conjunction jesli ke at the beginning of the clause. I show that the choice of strategy, observable even in data from a single speaker, may be influenced by differences between Russian and Udmurt in the selection of verbal forms in subordinate clauses. The contrast is most evident in two types of conditionals. The joint use of jesli and ke is preferred in (1) real conditionals with future reference (If it rains, I will not come), where Udmurt uses a past-tense form and Russian uses a futuretense form, and (2) unreal conditionals (If it rained, I would not come), where both languages use functionally similar but structurally different conditional forms: the Udmurt form in -sal versus the Russian strategy with a form homonymous with a past-tense form and the clitic by, which usually appears after jesli, thus creating a complex conjunction reflected in Udmurt data as well. Such incongruity makes it harder for the Russian conjunction to replace its Udmurt counterpart, necessitating fully morphosyntactic changes. In contrast, conditionals with present-tense forms more often feature jesli alone rather than jesli with ke. The strategy with jesli ke can be considered an optional intermediate stage in the shift from the Udmurt to the Russian structure of conditionals, which involves overcoming the positional incongruency between the two conjunctions. Keywords: Udmurt language, Russian language, complex sentence, conditional, language contact | 19 | |||||
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