The Historical Development of the Place Name in Armenian (Etymology of ‘Harzhis’ Sacred Area)

Authors

  • Mher Kumunts

    Dialectology Department, Language Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan 0015, Armenia; Syunik Armenological Research Center, Goris 3201, Armenia; Chair of Philology and Historical Jurisprudence, Goris State University, Goris 3204, Armenia
  • Inga Margaryan

    Syunik Armenological Research Center, Goris 3201, Armenia; Yerevan State College of Humanities, Yerevan 0051, Armenia; Lexicography Department, Language Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan 0015, Armenia
  • Hasmik Khachatryan

    Dialectology Department, Language Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan 0015, Armenia
  • Gayane Mkhitaryan

    History of Armenian Language Department, Language Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan 0015, Armenia
  • Gayane Gevorgyan

    Dialectology Department, Language Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan 0015, Armenia
  • Lusine Nersisyan

    Syunik Armenological Research Center, Goris 3201, Armenia; Chair of Philology and Historical Jurisprudence, Goris State University, Goris 3204, Armenia
  • Viktor Katvalyan

    Dialectology Department, Language Institute of National Academy of Sciences, Yerevan 0015, Armenia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i6.7184
Received: 1 September 2024 | Revised: 20 September 2024 | Accepted: 23 September 2024 | Published Online: 26 November 2024

Abstract

Armenian linguistics still has a lot to do in the field of onomastics. Many place names, tribal names, myth names, and names of objects with material cultural value have not yet received onomastic, historical-comparative, dialectological studies. However, they have historical value and contain important information. Place names are important in the study of Armenian Special Names, which contain a lot of linguistic, historical, ethnographic, and archaeological information about the region. Many place names in Armenian, which exist from prehistoric times, have not yet been studied. Harzhis settlement of Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia has received world recognition due to its sacred landscape. However, there is no study on the toponym until now. Comparing the results of the studies in the fields of different scientific disciplines, we tried to etymology the place name Harzhis. We reconstructed its initial version in the Indo-European proto-language, then compared the formal and semantic changes in the Urartian period, in ancient Armenian (grabarum), in the Syunik dialect area, with related languages. The prehistoric cave, the statues with religious significance, the traditions, and the findings preserved in the settlement are not yet complete to determine the period of existence of the Harjis settlement. Linguistic research allows us to conclude that the settlement is one of the first cultural centers of the Indo-European people in the South Caucasus and the Armenian Plateau.

Keywords:

Onomastics; Place Name; Etymology; Armenian; Sacred Landscape

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How to Cite

Mher Kumunts, Margaryan, I., Hasmik Khachatryan, Gayane Mkhitaryan, Gayane Gevorgyan, Nersisyan, L., & Viktor Katvalyan. (2024). The Historical Development of the Place Name in Armenian (Etymology of ‘Harzhis’ Sacred Area). Forum for Linguistic Studies, 6(6), 43–53. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v6i6.7184

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Vol. 6 , Iss. 6 (December 2024)

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Copyright © 2024 Moussa Diagne Faye, Vini Yves Bernadin Loyara, Amadou Keita, Mamadou Diop, Angelbert Chabi Biaou, Mahamadou Koita, Hamma Yacouba

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