ТОПОНІМІКА ЄВРОПИ НА МАПІ УКРАЇНЦІВ XVI–XVIIIСТОЛІТЬ(ЗА МАТЕРІАЛАМИ ПИСЕМНИХ ПАМ’ЯТОК)

Abstract

The article delves into the study of toponymy in Europe and how Ukrainians, during the 16th and 18th centuries, assigned geographical features with names of their world conception reflected in the linguistic worldview. Ukrainian written monuments provide valuable insight into various aspects of the lives of our ancestors, including their material and spiritual culture and the linguistic heritage of Ukrainian language speakers from that period. Additionally, they offer an in-depth look into the linguistic portrait and worldview of Ukrainians, their perceptions of themselves, their surroundings, distant and nearby world, foreign lands, customs, and rituals. Words that preserve centuries-old linguistic experiences are fundamental elements of systemic means that serve as substrates, particularly in cementing linguistic formations, such as phrases. This study aims to investigate toponyms and toponymic appellatives, focusing on hydronyms, specifically the names of seas. The findings reveal that the toponymic appellatives МОРЕ – SEA and ОКЕАН – OCEAN, in contrast to their present-day counterparts, were considered synonymous and, in the Ukrainian imagination, referred to a vast body of water. The analysis of toponyms and hydronyms, especially the names of seas on the European continent, demonstrates that Ukrainians used two to four names to designate a single hydro object, suggesting that they have not yet established the geographic nomenclature system on the European map. The study affirms the assertion of many language historians that geographical vocabulary constitutes one of the earliest strata of language and contains valuable information for interdisciplinary research across various domains, such as linguistics, culture, history, archaeology, and ethnography.