The pattern gorod na reke (English city on the river) of descriptive place names in Russian toponymy: history and present status

Abstract

The article examines the formation and development history of one pattern of descriptive geographic names in Russian toponymy, namely gorod na reke (English city on the river). This pattern is the basis for groups of astyonyms, comonyms, and railway station names. Historical and lexicological analysis of using the preposition na (Englishon/upon) in prepositional case constructions presented in extant Russian written texts and subdialects made it possible to propose a chronology of the pattern emergence. The article shows the pattern distribution in Slavic and non-Slavic toponymy. The research has revealed the productivity dynamics of the pattern, its current status, and hidden potential nominative capabilities.