Military Terminology in Official Letters of Khan Ayuka and 1714 Russian Translations

Vocabulary in the ethnolinguistic aspect is considered as a verbal manifestation of the national culture. A special layer of the lexical system of the Kalmyk language, the formation of which is associated with the conditions of the socio-political life of the Kalmyks, is represented by the vocabulary of military affairs. The study of military vocabulary in the Kalmyk language touches on various aspects: historical lexicology, lexical borrowings, lexicographical description. The military vocabulary of the Kalmyk language at the present stage is considered as part of socio-political vocabulary. As sources of the material for the study of military vocabulary, works of fiction, folklore texts, the epos “Dzhangar”, old Kalmyk business texts, lexicographic publications were used. At the same time, the military vocabulary of the Kalmyk language in synchronous and historical aspects remains insufficiently studied. Materials. The work is based on the material of letters of the Kalmyk Khan Ayuka (1714) and Russian translations of these letters (1714) stored in the National Archives of the Republic of Kalmykia. The transliteration and transposition to the modern Kalmyk graphics used in the article were made by D. B. Gedeeva. The author analyzes military vocabulary that is specific for that historical period under consideration and relates to several thematic subgroups: 1) names associated with the general concept of ceriq ‘army’; 2) representatives of a certain type of troops; 3) the type of military activity; 4) names of substances that are used for the manufacture of weapons (ammunition). Findings. The elements of the thematic group of military vocabulary analyzed in the article, recorded in business letters of Khan Ayuka for 1714, give a clearer picture of the history of the development of the lexical system of the Kalmyk language and the ethnolinguistic specificity of the business text — original and translated. An analysis of the use of the names of general concepts in business letters, representatives of a certain kind of troops, means for making ammunition reveals the specifics and patterns of functioning of one of the lexical subsystems of the Kalmyk language, confirms the possibility of replenishing existing dictionaries with outdated words and creating a separate dictionary of Kalmyk business letters of the 18th century.

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