ETHNONYMS AND CULTURAL MEMORY: A LINGUOCULTURAL AND HISTORICAL-ETHNOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS
Keywords:
The aim of the study: to reveal the layers of cultural memory (totemic, mythological, social, and geographical) preserved within ethnonyms—by analyzing their formation and functions from linguocultural and historical-ethnographic perspectives—and to demonstrate the role these names play in shaping national identity.Abstract
Relevance of the topic: Language is not merely a means of information exchange; it is a living treasury that preserves the experience, worldview, beliefs, and history accumulated by a people over centuries. In the context of modern globalization and cultural homogenization, preserving a people's national-cultural identity, understanding its roots, and ensuring the transmission of spiritual heritage across generations are pressing issues. Ethnonyms (the names of peoples, ethnic groups, clans, and tribes) are not simply ordinary, transient labels within a language; rather, they are entities that carry profound cultural and historical codes. Through them, it is possible to reconstruct the stages of a specific ethnic group's formation, its geographical distribution, its socio-political structure, and its belief systems.
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