Onomastic research in the Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: Origin, current state, and prospects

Abstract

This article analyses the basic stages of onomastic studies development at the Institute of the Ukrainian Language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine since the 1950s till the present within the Potebnia Institute of Linguistics. The paper focuses on Institute’s main directions and ideas, e.g., etymological research in hydronymics, anthroponimics, oikonimics, and ethno- nimics based on the traditions of comparative-historical approach. It also reveals important issues of contemporary studies as follows: 1) the etymology of proper nouns, i.e., personal, geographical and ethnic names, with respect to the systematic and historical approaches; 2) lexicographic studies on anthroponyms, hydronyms, and oikonyms; analysis of modern onimicon of Ukraine in accordance with current spelling norms of Standard Ukrainian; 3) systematization of the Ukrainian onomastic research and indexes. The achievements of the Ukrainian onomastics are reinterpreted through the lenses of numerous monographs, scientific collections, and historical and etymological dictionaries of hydronyms and oikonyms. A periodical Study of Onomastics and Etymology is viewed as a successful case of cooperation with the Ukrainian Language Insti-tute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and regional onomastic centers to share the outcome of national onomastic research outside Ukraine. The article outlines main goals that the Ukrainian academic onomastics must achieve, such as the following: 1) to develop Ukrainian onomastic science on the basis of objective data analysis, e.g., from the characteristics of a single fact to the concept formulation; 2) to expand the empirical basis of onomastic research; 3) to promote outcomes of onomastic studies among students of national Ukrainian universities. Keywords: onomastics, onomastic card index, onomastic studies, traditions of comparative-historical linguistics, onomastics group in the Department of History of the Ukrainian Language and the Institute of the Ukrainian language of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.