Лінгвокультурологічне тлумачення ойконімів: у пошуках істини

The article is devoted to the review and analysis of the conceptual foundations and results of the study by V. V. Kotovych, set out in the book «The Oiconym of Ukraine as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon: monograph» (2020). The study aims at studing the names of settlements (mostly urban) in Ukraine in the onomastic and cultural aspect, decoding linguistic and extralinguistic information reflected in the basics of the analyzed concepts. In four chapters of the monograph are analyzed scientific works devoted to the study of Ukrainian oikonymy in different aspects; the linguistic and cultural information contained in the oikonyms of Ukraine (first of all the proper names of cities) is characterized; the Ukraine оikonyms is described as a multifaceted linguistic and cultural phenomenon through the prism of reflection in specific names of various manifestations of people's lives, their ideas about space and time, spirituality, certain symbols, etc. Unfortunately, in many cases V. V. Kotovych explains the names of settlements outside their historical forms, and analyzes the creative bases superficially, neglecting their word-forming structure and semantics. This approach often leads to erroneous conclusions both in the interpretation of the derivation model of oikonyms and in establishing their etymology. For example, the author derives the oikonym Zhmerynka in Eastern Podillya on behalf of *Zhmeryn + the suffix -k-a. However, the original name of the city is not Zhmerynka, but Bokiivtsi, known since the end of the XVI century: 1598 — Bokijowce. The name Zhmerynka is later. By the way, she was preceded by the Zhmerynka uniform. In addition, the suffix -k-a does not perform a possessive function. Thus, linguistic and cultural research of toponyms has prospects only if it is based on professional structural-semantic and etymological analysis of the respective geographical names, taking into account their historical forms and possible phonetic changes in the time plane.