Material culture lexicon in M.A.Castrén’s dictionary (1844) and an audio dictionary of the Ižma dialect (2012): comparative analysis on LingvoDoc

O. N. Bazhenova

Ivannikov Institute for System Programming of the RAS

Abstract: This article presents a comparative analysis of the material culture lexicon in the Izhma dialect of the Komi language, utilizing data from M.A. Castrén’s 1844 dictionary (revised 2022 edition) and a 2012 audio dictionary of the Beloyarsk village dialect processed and uploaded by E.V. Kashkin onto the LingvoDoc platform. The study aims to identify key trends in lexical dynamics by examining the interplay of indigenous vocabulary with borrowings, innovations, and archaisms over a period of more than 160 years. The Izhma dialect, shaped by intensive historical contacts with Russian and Nenets languages in a unique multi-ethnic environment, offers a significant case for understanding language vitality and shift. The research employed the LingvoDoc platform for processing and analyzing 127 lexemes from Castrén’s work and 167 from the modern audio dictionary. Lexemes were categorized into five thematic groups: dwelling, utensils and household items, clothing and footwear, tools and crafts, and transport. Each item was compared based on its presence in sources, phonological form, meaning, and etymology, identifying direct correspondences, archaization, innovation, lexical replacement, and phonetic-morphological changes. Results indicate distinct patterns across thematic groups. The "Tools and Crafts" category exhibited the highest proportion of archaisms (50%), reflecting the decline of traditional practices. Conversely, the "Transport" group showed the most significant innovation (73.9%), driven by new terminology and borrowings. The findings underscore that observed differences are not solely lexical transformations but also reflect varying recording completeness and focus between historical and modern sources. Overall, the Izhma dialect's material culture vocabulary reveals areas of both stability and active restructuring, providing valuable insights for reconstructing lexical subsystems, analyzing contact linguistics, and describing language evolution in peripheral Komi linguistic regions.

Keywords: Izhma dialect, Komi language, lexical comparison, material culture, lexical dynamics, language contact, LingvoDoc

Language: English

DOI: 10.15514/ISPRAS-2025-37(6)-13