EXPONENT *BOGO-/*-BOGЪ IN THE PROTO-SLAVONIC COMPOSITES

Abstract

The paper aims to the historical-linguistic study of Proto-Slavonic anthroponyms-composites paradigm with the stem *bog-. The topicality of this paper is determined by a declining interest in research of Old Slavonic lexical heritage in Slavonic historical and modern onomastics. The purpose of investigation is the description of the structural and semantic peculiarities of anthroponymic composites with Proto-Slavonic component *bog-. The object of the research is a sum of nomina personalia, taken from accessible Slavonic written sources (mainly collections of Slavonic personal names, to a lesser extent — monuments of different times), which are formed by the way of compounding. Etymological, morphological and lexical-semantic features of Slavonic proper names as well as reconstructed Proto-Slavonic prototypes constitute the subject of the study. As the result of proposed research, the fragments of the paradigm of Proto-Slavonic composites with exponent *bogo-/*-bogъ are reconstructed; etymological ambiguity of some dithematic proper names is commented; morphological and semantical (ideological) peculiarities of archaic Slavonic anthroponyms-composites are highlighted. Conclusions. Proto-Slavonic binominal nomina propria with the component *bogo-/*-bogъ are attested as prepositive determinatives as well as a postpositive defined word. Preliminary results of the group reconstruction of the units, containing the viewed linguistical object, indicate the high degree of the stem *bog- productivity. Particularly Proto-Slavonic vocabulary included at a minimum 69 prototypes with viewed etymon. The significant number of the paradigm with the exponent *bog- impels us to make the conclusion about significant role of *bog-names as words-ideas in the Ancient Slavonic poetic text as whole. Their religious-ideological, ritual, legal load allows to assume their original belonging to the lexicon of a language of ritualized actions closely related to the traditions of name-giving. Exactly within the compound-words the tracks of the long-standing use of *bog- with the legal terminological meaning «a share (in common good)» are traced. Examples of Slavonic poetic speech manifest syntactic counterparts for two-stem personal names; on the basis of these syntactic constructions corresponding anthroponyms perhaps arose. The perspectives for further research are to attract to the analysis the system of structurally identical, and etymologically related, and typologically close anthroponyms from the onomastic vocabulary of Iranian languages and the comparative analysis of their cultural semantics.