Linguistic Analysis of the Names of Indian Mammals in «Baburnama»: Etymology, Semantics

Abstract

In history, Zahir ad-din Muhammad Babur is known not only as a king and poet, but also as a geographer, ethnographer, and historian. Proof of this is his autobiographical work «Baburnama», which occupies a worthy place in world literature. «Baburnama» in the Chagatai language tells about the events that took place in Central Asia, Afghanistan and India at the end of the 15th - beginning of the 16th centuries. The Baburnama is a treasure trove of natural science terms that provides a unique linguistic perspective on the historical and natural conditions of the era. The description of flora and fauna in «Baburnama» is an important linguistic resource for understanding the linguistic experience of Z.M. Babur. This article analyzes in detail the names of mammals living in India, recorded in the Baburnama. The study focuses on the etymology and semantics of these terms. The author suggests that the names of Indian mammals may be words borrowed from the languages of the peoples living in those regions. The authors suggest that the names of Indian mammals may be borrowed from the languages of the peoples living in the specified region. The article uses descriptive and comparative methods of linguistics to study etymology and semantics of 12 terms: bāndar, fīl, gaynī uy, gilāhrī, hāti, kalahara, karg, kūtahpāy, mūš-i xurmā, nawal, nīlagāv, ṣaḥrā’ī gāvmeš