OLD EUROPEAN HYDRONYMY IN THE MODERN INDO-EUROPEAN STUDIES

Abstract

Subject of the investigation in the article are big river names in Western and Central Europe. The scholar to be mentioned fi rst and foremost in this context is Hans Krahe. In the 1950s, he single-handedly, and without any recognizable precursors, created the theory of the ‘Old European hydronymy’ which some minor additions by others, is still the only theory of its domain. Critical remarks and reservations have frequently appeared in print over the years. The theoretical concept of H. Krahe “Old European hydronymy” is critically examined. The author also critically examines some of the work of his followers in this scientifi c fi eld. The author notes the need to clarify the theoretical foundations of ‘Old European hydronymy’. First, this concerns the etymology of some river names. Attention is drawn to the general theoretical principles of modern Indo-European studies, which form a unifi ed concept for reconstructing the proto-linguistic situation in Western and Central Europe. The main object of study is the theoretical concepts of scientists dealing with the problems of reconstructing the protolanguage and culture using onomastic material. The theoretical basis of this study is based on the achievements of interdisciplinary discoveries, conclusions from general and specifi c archaeological studies and the results of the latest linguistic research in the fi eld of Indo-European studies. In the analysis process, facts obtained in studies on Indo-European languages were used. It was established that the question of the linguistic status of “Old European” hydronymy has not been fi nally resolved. The fragmentary nature of the linguistic material does not allow us to draw an unambiguous conclusion in favor of one concept or another. Nevertheless, the issue of the convergence of Old European hydronyms with the hydronyms of individual Indo-European languages – Celtic, Germanic, Slavic – deserves special attention. It is noted that the expansion of our knowledge and research capabilities poses new problems, the development of which is being carried out by domestic and foreign researchers.