Finno-Ugric Studies Research Articles

Семантика и этнокультура: актуальное в исследовании хантыйского языка

The article is devoted to the delimitation of hidden and formally expressed imagery in the language (namely, in the lexicon, that is, the vocabulary of the language). In the first case, imagery is understood as the semantic non-triviality of the origin of a word due to its internal form or etymology (if this particular postulated path of origin is proved). Formalized is considered imagery, the means of expression of which are widely used in the languages of the scheme of “transferring” the word meaning, creating epithets, comparisons, personifications, hyperbole. The article considers one of the most important linguistic semantic phenomena — the creation of new lexemes, based on existing units, in some formal way (suffixation, verbiage), reinforced by semantic transformation. Additionally, if possible, binding to the features of ethnic culture is made. As a result of the study, the concept of imagery was formulated in relation to the vocabulary (or lexicon) of the language, a distinction was made between hidden and formally expressed imagery. The empirical basis of the study was compiled by dictionaries of the Khanty language, as well as lexical material presented in one of the fundamental works on Finno-Ugric studies — the collective work “Fundamentals of Finno-Ugric linguistics” (1974). The main research methods are descriptive method, taxonomy, as well as comparison. A typological approach is used in the general assessment of word formation methods.

The functions of toponyms in the works by K. F. Zhakov

Introduction. In Finno-Ugric studies, as well as in Komi linguistics, the language of fiction is insufficiently studied, including the functions of toponyms in prose. At the beginning of the XX century in Russia, the writer Kallistrat Falaleevich Zhakov was widely known. At the same time, he also studied Komi and Finno-Ugric linguistics. The onomastic material of the works by K. F. Zhakov has not yet attracted the attention of researchers of his works, although toponymic vocabulary plays a special role in the artistic picture of the writer’s world. Materials and Methods. The research is based on the books by K. F. Zhakov “To the North, in search of Pam Bur-Mort” and “Through the system of life”. When writing the article, traditional methods of linguistic research, used in the analysis of toponyms, were applied: descriptive, comparative-historical, semantic, etc. Results and Discussion. The research value of the works is based on the fact that the geographical names of K. F. Zhakov artistic and semantic meaning of the connection with the past and eternal, present and future spiritual space of the North. The geographical environment determines the entire structure and storylines of the books. The action in them directly depends on the spatial movements of the hero, and the toponyms form the core of travel. The works can be considered as a single autobiographical text. “To the North, in search of Pam Bur-Mort” and “Through the system of life” are the books of wanderings. The main rhythm of the story is created by geographical names. The article presents oikonyms, oronyms and hydronyms from two works of the writer. Conclusion. In the texts of two works of fiction by K. F. Zhakov analyzed in this paper, real toponyms perform two main functions: informative and artistic-symbolic.

Mari, Merya, Muroma — History of the Ethnonyms and Reconstruction of the Substrate Toponymy Languages

The old hypothesis on the relatedness of Merya languages (today we can speak about a group of languages or dialects reconstructed on the basis of substrate toponymy of Central Russia: Merya of Rostov, Merya of Kostroma, and Merya of Murom also known as “Lower Klyazma” Merya) with the Mari (Cheremis) language has been reliably proven in the works of A. K. Matveyev, O. V. Smirnov and others. The authors contribute to the ongoing discussion in this area and argue that the new reconstruction of Proto-Mari vocalism based on the history of Mari-Turkic contacts undoubtedly supports this hypothesis. The article suggests a version of the Stammbaum of Finno-Permian languages, including the Mari-Merya group and some other extinct Finno-Permian languages, reconstructed on the basis of substrate toponymic data. However, since the results of the analysis of substrate toponymy are naturally debatable to a certain extent, the authors propose to turn to the analysis of ethnonymy. The long-noted (by M. A. Castrén) similarity of the ethnonyms Mari, Merya, and Muroma is considered, suggesting them to be self-names of the respective ethnic groups. The reconstruction of the Mari historical vocalism (as well as features of the vocalism of the Merya and Muromian languages that can be extracted from toponymic materials) delivers the proto-forms Mari *märə, Merya *märə, Muromian *mürə, going back to the proto-form *märə. The latter is proposed to regard (as it is now common in the Finno-Ugric studies) as some reflex of Aryan *marya- ‘young man, warrior, member of youth war community’ (the authors are going to devote a special article to the problem of the Aryan source of this ethnonym). The reconstruction of the common Mari–Meryan–Muromian auto-ethnonym *märə is not only a strong argument for the relatedness of these languages, but also indicates to close relations between the respective ethnic groups and their common origin.

Образ медведя в чувашской культуре

The work is devoted to the study of the image of the bear in the Chuvash linguistic culture and aims to study its properties in the perception of the Chuvash people in a broad ethnographic aspect, including linguistic (etymological, onomastic), as well as folklore approaches. The material of the study was the texts of oral folk art and ethnographic developments containing information about bears. The author also refers to thematic developments in the field of Finno-Ugric studies, since the Finno-Ugric peoples are representatives of the forest culture, which invariably implies a significant participation of bears in their lives. The study is based on traditional methods: scientific understanding of oral folk art and analysis of ethnographic literature. The bear is a popular character in Chuvash folklore. At the same time, it does not have an unambiguous assessment in the Chuvash culture: the bear is an ingenuous creature, as a result of which it loses to a cunning person. At the same time, the Chuvash recognize the bear as a symbol of strength. Analogues in the perception of the bear are more likely to be traced in Russian linguistic culture than in the cultures of the Volga-Kama peoples, many of whom, primarily the Finno-Ugric peoples, recognize the bear as a totem animal. A number of Chuvash texts about bears are nomadic plots.

A STUDY FOR THE INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHY OF A SCIENTIST (TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF ETNOLOGIST ALEXEY EGOROVICH ZAGREBIN)

The article is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the birth of the ethnologist, historian, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Honored Scientist of the Udmurt Republic Alexei Egorovich Zagrebin. He is a scientist, university lecturer, organizer of science, public and statesman, editor-in-chief of the scientific journal “Yearbook of Finno-Ugric Studies”, member of the editorial board of the scientific journal “Bulletin of the Udmurt University. Series History and Philology” - these different social roles reveal the versatility of his personality. But, undoubtedly, at the heart of all his numerous activities is a deep fundamental knowledge in the field of ethnographic and, more broadly, historical Finno-Ugric studies, which became the result of his tireless research activities. The author shares her observations and assessments in understanding what A. E. Zagrebin has done in science.

YRJÖ WICHMANN’s CONTRIBUTION TO UDMURT FOLKLORISTICS

The article is devoted to identifying the role of the Finnish scientist Yrjö Jooseppi Wichmann in the formation and development of Udmurt folkloristics. In Udmurt sciences, Yrjö Wichmann is represented as a linguist, one of the founders of comparative historical permistics, who made a huge contribution to Udmurt dialectology, historical phonetics, historical lexicology and etymology. However, the role of the Finnish scientist as a folklorist, who laid the foundations for the principles of recording and publishing folklore material, including music, has not yet been appreciated in Finno-Ugric studies. He made two long trips to the Udmurts in order to study some Udmurt dialects, there he recorded a significant corpus of samples of Udmurt speech. The corpus is composed of different genres of Udmurt folklore: songs, conspiracies, prayers, riddles, legends, etc., published in two volumes of "Wotjakische sprachproben" (1893; 1901). In addition, possessing musical notation, he recorded and published a corpus of melodies of Udmurt ritual songs, which have become a valuable source for modern comparative research. A rare success of the Finnish researcher should be considered records of rare instrumental tunes that accompanied pagan prayers. Publishing and describing folklore material, Yu. Vihmann, as a linguist-dialectologist, used the areal method, and for the first time used the folkloristic principles of classification, dividing the folklore material of each dialect into genre-thematic groups. At the same time, Yu. Wichmann, the first scientist in the history of Udmurt folkloristics, applied ethnomusicological methods in describing the genre system, the structure of melodies and the performing manner. Yrjö Wichmann rightfully occupies a prominent place in the history of Udmurt folklore studies. To a certain extent, he was ahead of his time, using the methodology and principles of working with folklore material, which have become fundamental in modern Russian folklore studies.

HISTORICAL PHONETICS OF THE UDMURT LANGUAGE IN THE SCIENTIFIC WORK OF V.K. KELMAKOV

The paper is dedicated to the anniversary of a talented scientist and teacher, an outstanding Russian Finno-Ugrist, Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of General and Finno-Ugric Linguistics of the Institute of Udmurt Philology, Finno-Ugric Studies and Journalism of Udmurt State University, Valey Kelmakovich Kelmakov. The paper identifies the main problems in the historical phonetics of the Udmurt language, considered in the works of the researcher: sources of the study of historical phonetics, reconstruction of the Pra-Udmurt vocalism of the first and non-first syllables, diachronic description of the Udmurt accentuation, reconstruction of Pra-Udmurt consonantism, trends and causes of phonetic processes that took place in the period from the Proto-Permian language to the modern state of the Udmurt language and its dialects. The problems of reconstruction of the vocal and consonant systems of the Udmurt language, which are of particular interest to Permian linguistics, are covered in detail. The personal contribution of the scientist to the solution of topical problems of historical and dialect phonetics of the Udmurt language, to the development of comparative historical Finno-Ugric studies is shown.

Vanad udmurdi kombed taaselustatakse kõigepealt linnades. Intervjuu Galina Gluhhovaga

Udmurt folklorist Galina Glukhova works as guest researcher at the Department of Folkloristics of the Estonian Literary Museum from 21 February to the end of May 2022. The current dean of the Institute of Udmurt Philology, Finno-Ugric Studies and Journalism of the Udmurt State University is in Tartu in connection with the kindred people’s project “Mumming in Udmurt Culture”. Glukhova’s main fields of interest are related to Udmurt and Finno-Ugric folklore, calendrical traditions, mythology, and Udmurt literature. Interview with the Udmurt researcher was conducted by Agnes Neier.

Mongolia In Finno-Ugric Academic And Political Discourse (1840s – 1910s)

Mongolia, as one of the geographical and semantic centerpieces of Central Asia, has remained in focus of Finno-Ugric, Altaic and Turkic studies for several generations. Expeditions and academic publications in the 1840s-1910s were given special attention due to growing political tension in a strategically important region, where the interests of the "Great Powers", Japan and China, converged. The search for Oriental rarities and negotiations with the leaders and religious figures of Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang took place against the backdrop of tense social situation in a multiethnic and multiconfessional land. Mongolia, the Mongolian language and ethnoculture have gained prominence in the scholarly discourse of Finno-Ugric studies. By looking into Mongolian materials, Finnish and Hungarian researchers have tried either to confirm or to disprove the linguistic and ethnogenetic closeness of their own ethnicities to the Central Asian cultures of the past. M.A. Castrén and A. Csoma de Kőrös had paved the first roads of research to the East, after which the expeditions of J.R. Aspelin, H. Vámbéry, A.O. Heikel, K.G. Mannerheim, G.J. Ramstedt and J.G. Granö followed. A leading role in the organization of field research in Southern Siberia, Altai and Mongolia was played by the Finnish-Ugric Society, established in 1883, and its longstanding Chairman, Professor O. Donner. Studying the oral poetry, literary and monumental heritage of Mongolia, scholars have directly or indirectly touched upon the issues of ethnic identity and self-representation of contemporary Finno-Ugric peoples. In this case, the scholarly dialogue was combined with discussions on domestic politics and international affairs at the same expedition tent.

“Proto-Uralic” *waśke ‘metal, (? copper); decoration’ and Its “Derivatives” in the Permian and Ugrian Languages

The traditional etymology of the PU *waśke ‘metal, (? copper)’ is of great importance for the reconstruction of Proto-Uralic culture and the time of the disintegration of Proto-Uralic. Continuing some older works and considering the results of the latest research, this etymology is considered as fictitious, breaking up into at least three etymological nests: Finnic-Mordv. *vaśa-kive ‘axe-stone’ (etymology of T.-R. Viitso, where *vaśa- denotes ‘axe, adze’, a borrowing from Aryan + PU *kive ‘stone’), Proto-Perm. *veś ‘non-ferrous metal; metal decoration’, Proto-Sam. *wesä ‘metal, metal decoration’. The last two words can be independent borrowings from a language close to Tocharian (*wəsa ‘gold’ < PIE). It is impossible to restore a Proto-Ugric word for metal associated with these etymologies, since Hung. vas ‘iron’ (s [љ] < *č), Khanty *waχ ‘metal; iron’ and Mansi *wes in *ǟϑ-wes ‘lead’ cannot be phonetically related to each other in any way. Mari βaћ ‘ore’ also cannot be considered a normal reflex of *waśke but is rather a semantic development of Mar. βaћ ‘root’ (< PFU). The names of silver in the Permian (Perm *özüś > Udm. azveś, Komi eziś) and Hungarian (ezьst) languages have a special history, they are in no way related to other Finno-Ugric names of metals and are loans from Alanian *жzvestж (> Osset. жvzīst ‘silver’), which can be dated to the second half of the I millennium BC — the first half of the I millennium AD. The names of tin / lead in the Permian and Mansi languages (Perm *os-veś ~ Mansi *ǟϑ-wes) are also etymologically unrelated to either the fictitious PU *waśke or the Permian-Hungarian name of silver, but represent a common innovation, where the second component is Proto-Perm *veś ‘non-ferrous metal; metal decoration’, and the first component is a color designation (? ‘grey metal’ cf. Hung. ősz ‘gray-haired’). The composite emerged in the second half of the I millennium BC — I millennium AD, in the region from the middle and lower Kama region in the west to the southern Trans-Uralian taiga forests in the east. Probably, this innovation relates to the development of the Perm and West Siberian “animal style” phenomenon. The article also discusses some features of conducting discussions in modern Finno-Ugric studies.

SCIENCE IS GREAT JOY! (TO THE ANNIVERSARY OF JORMA LUUTONEN)

The article is devoted to Jorma Luutonen, the well-known researcher of the Finno-Ugric languages, Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor of the Volga Region Languages Research Sector of the Turku University. The article considers his scientific and creative activities, highlighting his contribution to the development of Finno-Ugric studies, primarily to the study of the languages of the Volga region. His research interests also include Turkology, contrastive linguistics, lexicography, and the creation of digital language corpora. The name of the Finnish linguist is known not only throughout Finland, but also far beyond its borders.

MUSEUM ETHNOGRAPHY IN THE CONTEXT OF ETHNOGRAPHIC FINNO-UGRIC STUDIES IN THE USSR (1920s-1930s)

This paper offers a discussion of the role of ethnographic Finno-Ugric studies in Soviet nation building. In particular, it is concerned with the issue of representation of ethnicity/ethnic identity in various fields of museum studies: expeditions, local history, educational work, and exhibition activities. Special attention is paid to the field studies of Moscow and Leningrad ethnographers who participated in the formation of collections of regional museums of local lore and the construction of “authentic” visual images of Finno-Ugric peoples in the Soviet ethnographic portrait of the “family of peoples of the USSR”. One of the key questions is how the ethnographic reality and the transformative perspective of Soviet nation building correlated in the expedition practice. The role of the institute of museums in national movements is emphasized in recent studies of the history of Russian ethnography and the implementation of various ethnographic projects. In the authors’ opinion, ethnographers who conducted expert and scientific research, acted as intermediaries in the dialogue/conflict between local communities and authorities in building a regional national discourse.

Aleksei Petersoni roll vepslaste ja udmurtide rahvuslikus taassünnis (1980.–1990. aastad)

Estonian ethnographers have always taken a keen interest in Finno-Ugric peoples, their linguistic kin. The golden age of Finno-Ugric studies in Estonian ethnography began in the 1960s and lasted until the early 1990s. The State Ethnographic Museum of the Estonian SSR in Tartu (the current Estonian National Museum) emerged as the center of Finno-Ugric research with its long-term director Aleksei Peterson at the helm of the enterprise. Estonian ethnographers visited almost all Finno-Ugric peoples, with the major focus given to the Veps in the 1960s and 1970s, and to the Udmurts, in the 1980s. The museum acquired an awe-inspiring number of ethnographic objects, descriptions, photographs, drawings and films. Did all this benefit the peoples visited? What was the relationship of Estonian ethnographers with the subjects of their research? Did their plight affect Estonian scholars? The Estonian ethnographers had a high regard for the ethnic particularities, languages and traditional folk cultures of the kindred peoples and resisted their disappearance. Their views contradicted the Soviet nationalities policy which until the mid-1980s, emphasized the convergence and assimilation of nations. The interaction between the Estonian ethnographers and the Veps and Udmurts during the long series of expeditions helped to stimulate the suppressed and weak ethnic self-esteem of the latter. The mid-1980s marked the beginning of the era of Gorbachev’s glasnost and perestroika. As a result, national issues could be discussed openly, and it was at that time that the national revival of the Veps and Udmurts began. Estonian ethnologists embraced the process and actively contributed to it. This is especially true of Peterson, who was quite well known in Vepsia and Udmurtia and had a certain authority there. In his speeches at various events and in the press, Peterson encouraged the use of Veps and Udmurt in public life, including the schools. He emphasized the need to place a greater emphasis on traditional folk culture, which he considered to be critical to the national identity of small nations. His ideas influenced the creation of the open-air museum of the Udmurts. He supported the territorial autonomy of the Veps. He could speak as a messenger of perestroika whose word had weight. Thus Veps and Udmurt activists and nationally-minded ordinary people received inspiration and moral support from Peterson (and other Estonian ethnographers) for the preservation of their mother tongue, national identity and cultural heritage.

The Hungarian Sebeok

Abstract It was never a secret that Thomas A. Sebeok was born in Hungary, and he always referred to his Hungarian background. He emigrated from Hungary (1936) to England and later (1937) to the United States, where he Americanized his family name, Sebők. As a scholar, he started Finno-Ugric studies (not only in Hungarian, but also in Cheremis). Sebeok continued as a general linguist, and then as a communication expert. From the 1960s, he became a semiotician, a key figure in building an international semiotic network. Sebeok often visited Hungary in connection with his research activities. He was a foreign member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and became Honorary Professor at Loránd Eötvöspapers University in Budapest. Such was the respect he garnered that an international congress was organized in Budapest in honor of his 70th birthday, and his papers and books were also translated into Hungarian. From his very wide range of interests, I mention here only the Hungarian context of studying animal signs. Prolific writer, excellent organizer, and eloquent speaker, Sebeok is unforgettable as a world-renowned person – with many ties to his home culture, which he referred to as his “Hungarian frame.”

Языкознание Урало-Поволжья в лицах: Халиль Ачыкгёз

The work is devoted to the description of the life of the Turkish linguist H. Çıkgöz. For the first time in the history of Turkish science his scientific interests were directed to the Finno-Ugric peoples of the Ural-Volga region of Russia – the Mari and Udmurts. Methods. The work is written in the genre of an essay, many episodes of which are due to the author’s memories of the scientist. Results. The presented material can be used in the compilation of bio-bibliographic indexes and databases in the field of the study of the Turkic and Finno-Ugric languages of the Ural-Volga region. Discussion. As a scientist H. Açıkgöz had a wide range of scientific interests and systemic knowledge in various fields: in the field of modern linguistics and written monuments, medieval classical poetry and art in general. In Turkey he was a lecturer at Istanbul University, known as a philologist in his true sense. In Tatarstan he was known as a Türkologist, but few had any idea of the true scope of his scientific interests. In Mari El and Udmurtia they did not have time to recognize him, with the exception of a narrow circle of scientists. This work is useful in that it sheds light on his activities in the field of Finno-Ugric studies, which still remain in the shadows. A wide circle of scholars, both in Russia and abroad, still do not know that H. Açıkgöz was engaged in theoretical and practical study of the Finno-Ugric languages, compilation of the Mari-Turkish dictionary and translation of the dictionary of Tatar and Bashkir borrowings in the Mari language of N.I. Isanbaev.

FINNO-UGRIC SCIENTIFIC AND PUBLIC FORUM “WE ARE ALL RUSSIA!”: PUBLIC INTERESTS AND SCIENTIFIC OBJECTIVES

October 8-9, 2020 in the city of Saransk within the framework of the Finno-Ugric scientific and public forum “We are all Russia!” the most significant issues related to the preservation of the ethnic and civic identity of the Finno-Ugric peoples were discussed. The main organizers of the forum were the Federal Agency for Nationalities of the Russian Federation, the All-Russian Public Movement “Association of the Finno-Ugric Peoples of the Russian Federation”, Ogarev Mordovia State University. The key events of the forum were the International Scientific Conference “Finno-Ugric Peoples in the Context of Formation of the All-Russian Civic Identity and the Changing Environment”, the All-Russian Scientific Conference “Finno-Ugric Peoples in the Socio-Economic and Cultural Space of Russia”, the meeting of the Bureau of the Association of Finno-Ugric Peoples of the Russian Federation. The events were held dew to the financial support of the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and “The History of the Motherland” Fund. The actualization of the topic of the forum is due to the need to conduct and present the results of interdisciplinary research in the field of complex Finno-Ugric studies as an important area of modern science. It is focused on promoting the further development of scientific, cultural, linguistic and other cooperation of kindred Finno-Ugric peoples. Representatives of the scientific world, public organizations, federal and regional authorities, experts who successfully study the development of the multinational people of the Russian Federation and the Finno-Ugric peoples of Russia and foreign countries, the most important components of ethnic culture, largely determining and reflecting its features, preservation of the identity of the multinational people. The holding of the forum strengthened the integration of scientific developments, a productive dialogue was formed between specialists and scientists not only in the social and humanitarian field, but also in natural science, information and other fields of scientific knowledge, increasing the effectiveness of their research and applied developments in the study of Finno-Ugric issues.

IN HONOR OF SZILÁRD TIBOR TÓTH

Szilárd Tibor Tóth, PhD, Finno-Ugrist, Executive Editor of the Yearbook of Finno-Ugric Studies, lecturer at Narva College of Tartu University turned 50. He founded the journal “Finnugor Világ” in 1996. He has taught Hungarian in Tartu, Izhevsk, Kudymkar and Riga. His scientific interests include Estonian philology, contacts between Latvian and Finno-Ugric languages, Permic languages, lexicology, lexicography and culinary linguistics. In his dissertation, he gave his first overview of the history of the South Estonian Tartu literary language.

Névszói -ik végződéseink egyikének valószínű keletkezéstörténete

A Probable Etymology for One of Our Nominal -ik Suffixes There are altogether six such suffixes in the Hungarian language that have an -ik phonological form; three of these are used in the nominal and three in the verb category. This paper examines the history of research and the circumstances for the emergence of the -ik element with a highlighting function. The most frequently occurring lexemes of the formations created with this morpheme are egyik ‘one of’, másik ‘another, other one’, mindenik ‘everyone’, melyik ‘which one’, and valamelyik ‘one of them’. A large part of those studying this issue in Hungarian and Finno-Ugric Studies have identified this element as the pl. 3rd person possessive suffix (dialectal -ik ~ -uk/-ük in literary language) in a way that this morpheme was perceived to have two components: -i was interpreted as the dialectal sg. 3rd person possessive suffix (e.g., ház-i ‘his house’, kez-i ‘his hand’), while -k was identified as the plural suffix (e.g., háza-k ‘houses’, keze-k ‘hands’). This paper studies the emergence of the -ik morpheme and the process of its formation starting out from the fact that the most frequent egyik and másik pronouns with a highlighting suffix (in which -ik was probably first used) appear in old language and dialects both in an accented position only with an -i suffix added and without any ending with a highlighting function. The Hungarian -i and -k have such equivalents in a large part of Finno-Ugric languages (Balto-Finnic, Sami, Votic, Komi, Khanty, Mansi) that also make the lexeme they are attached to accented; these turned into the -ik highlighting suffix in Proto-Hungarian in three steps, egy ~ “egy + i” > egy- ~ egyi- ~ “egyi + k” > egy- ~ egyi- ~ egyik. This -ik, however, did not become the pl. 3rd person possessive suffix, this wording appears as a conclusion in opposition to the overall view of experts studying this issue.

A Kiss Lajos-díj 2020. évi nyertese: dr. Bárth János

The Lajos Kiss Prize, awarded every two or three years since 2006, is considered to be a highly prestigious award for young onomasticians. The 2020 winner of the prize is Dr János Bárth, senior lecturer at the Institute of Hungarian Linguistics and Finno-Ugric Studies of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. He was given this award for his contribution to Hungarian Historical Onomastics, especially for his research on place names.

Lisovskaya (Syktyvkar, Russia). Linguistic means of expressing comic in the works by Victor Savin

Introduction. In Finno-Ugric Studies, as well as in Komi linguistics, the language of the founders of Komi literature, its features and artistic means of expression, its role in text formation are not well understood. Viktor Alekseevich Savin was not only the first Soviet Komi poet, playwright, composer and critic, but also one of the foundeers of the modern literary language. His works showed the great potential of his native language, laid down the tradition of creative writing, and became a role model for young poets and prose writers. The article analyzes the linguistic means of expressing the comic in his most popular works. Materials and methods. The object of the study was a series of works by Savin, his poems, essays, and several plays, which are traditionally referred to as anti-religious in literary criticism. The authors used traditional methods of semantic analysis of vocabulary, component, and contextual analysis. Results and Discussion. Not everything written by Savin is equally relevant and close to a modern reader, but many items of his poems, his dramas, and short stories are loved by readers and are still in demand. These are the anti-religious comedies “Rayin” (“In Paradise”), “Inastov lov” (“A Restless Soul”), “Wa Shyr” (“Water Rat”), and the poem “Arkirey” (“Bishop”). However, already in the post-perestroika years these works were not staged any longer at any of the state theaters of the Komi Republic. Conclusion. Satirical poems, comedies, short stories, and essays by Savin have been checked by the time, and remained in the Komi literature’s golden fund, loved by readers and spectators. In connection with the 130th anniversary of the birth of Victor Savin, it is necessary to raise the question of reprinting his works and staging his plays.