HISTORICAL ZOOTOPONYMS IN KAZAKH TOPONYMIC LEGENDS

Abstract

The aim of the research is to analyze the importance of toponymic legends in the motivation of Kazakh historical zoonyms. The article examines versions of toponymic legends related to three different zoonyms included in the multi-volume work «Babalар sozi» (The Word of the Ancestors). In particular, an attempt is made to reveal the significance of the toponymic legends underlying the names of the sources Tarbagatai, Qonyrkulja, and Zhylandy Bulak, which provoke different opinions in scientific studies, and a comparative study is conducted with the conclusions presented in scientific etymology. In fact, toponymic legends make a significant contribution to the toponymic system of a people who have lived for centuries within the triad of human - nature - animals. The article analyzes recently published scientific and informational sources, as well as literature from the 19th-20th centuries related to the topic of this study. As a result, it should be emphasized that, along with the observations of scientific etymology, toponymic legends and folk etymology of the origin of names for various geographical objects can serve as consistent and evidential material when determining the origin of toponymic names.