A systemic approach to the analysis of Slavic (Ukrainian and Polish) oikonymy from a diachronic perspective

Abstract

The article traces the formation of the oikonymic system, toponymic space and toponymic landscape, twenty-four place names of of Shchyrets povit in the Lviv Land Ruske Voivodeship over the 14th to the 15th centuries, using a systemic approach to analysis of historical Western Ukrainian oikonymy. The onset of certain derivational and semantic types of place names models are also established in the article, i.e.: *-any (Dobrzany/Dobriany, Łubiany/Liubiany), *-ovb (Krasów/Krasiv; Kahujów/ Kahuyiv; Tatarynów/Tataryniv), plural (patronymic, lineage, ethnic) names (Horbacze/Horbachi, Honiatycze/Honiatychi, Koniuszki/Koniushky, Sroki/Soroky, Czerkasy/Cherkasy, Nowosiółki/ Novosilky), physiographic names (Piaski/Pisky, Ostrów/Ostriv). These names are elements of a language system (to be more precise of two intertwined systems — Ukrainian and Polish), and they were created and adapted by their speakers in accordance with the laws of the system, and genetically connected with the community that populated the area.