PHILOSOPHICAL DIALOGUE ABOUT THE NAME OF PLATO, SUMAROKOV AND CURRENT STATE OF PROBLEM

Abstract

The paper proposes a diachronic approach to the interpretation of names. The articles “About Cognate Words of the Russian Language” by Sumɚrokov which was published in the journal “Trudolyubivaya Pchela” [“Hard-working bee”] (February, 1759) is analysed in the investigation. A hypothesis is made that the reasoning of the XVIII–century Russian writer were initiated by the dialogue of Ancient Greek philosopher Plato “Kratil”. Both handiworks are a try to create a cosmogonic world: the world is placed on the correctly created names. The names teach. Who knows names, also knows things. Sumarokov is sure that the existence of cognate words in the Russian Language indicates the antiquity of its origin. He supposes that the Russian Language originated from Scythian. Sumarokov’s article contains the big quantity of author's etymologies. The purpose of Sumarokov’s article is to prove the claim of the Russian nation and the Russian Language on antiquity, greatness and equality with ancient and modern languages. Sumarokov realizes the writer’s great role in the preservation of language and the formation of language taste. From the point of view of terminology of contemporary, it offered a look at the relation of language and thought, the role of thinking in the terms formation. The authors believe that, ultimately, it is possible to find a basis for further formalization of the presentation and translation of knowledge required in the ontological modeling, including, for ɨɧɬɨɥɨɝɢɣ of designing.