Academic literature on the topic 'Latvian language Etymology Dictionaries'

Latgale is the essentially most different and most peculiar Latvian region from the perspectives of language and culture and their interaction with the cultures of other nations. Hence, this article attempts to reveal how the images of werewolves in Latgalian folklore and the means of their expression used in traditional tales differ from the rest territory of Latvia. The aim of the article is to understand the use of this relatively little studied mythical image and the features of their characters in Latgalian folklore. Previously, the author studied the features of werewolf depictions in Latvian folklore in general, and also compared it to Lithuanian folklore. The main source used in the research are five tales of werewolves, which can be found in an electronic version of Pēteris Šmits’ collected fairy tales and tales on http://valoda.ailab.lv/folklora/pasakas/saturs.htm, recorded in the dialect of the Eastern part of Latvia. Different dictionaries and encyclopedias, for example the „Interpretative Dictionary of the Latvian Language” („Latviešu valodas skaidrojošā vārdnīca”) (http://www.ailab.lv/Vardnica/), the „Dictionary of Latvian Etymology” (“Latviešu etimoloģijas vārdnīca”), the „Encyclopedia of Mythology” (“Mitoloģijas enciklopēdija”), and the „Dictionary of Foreign Words” (“Svešvārdu vārdnīca”) were used to describe the symbolical and etymological meaning of a werewolf image. The main methods used in the paper are semiotic and comparative. The semiotic method is used to explain the symbolical meaning of the werewolf image and the semantics of the word. The comparative method is used to compare the comprehension and interpretation of the werewolf image in the tales written in the Latvian and Latgalian languages, as well as to compare the structure of these tales and the use of artistic means of expression. As the result of the research, it is possible to conclude that the Latgalian tales of werewolves show features that both agree with and differ from tales of other regions. However, the means of expression in the Latgalian tales of werewolves are rather different from texts written in other regions. One of the major differences is the language which the tales are written in, as well as emotionally expressive elements in the colloquial speech of the narrators, such as the lexis of the region, dialectisms, similes, hyperbolization, and russicisms.Just like in the majority of tales from other regions, special introduction and conclusion formulas are used. The introduction formula takes the listeners into the world of fairy tales and magic, and the conclusion fromula brings them back into reality. In addition, the use of particular toponyms to gain the effect of credibility is quite common. The motive of shapeshifting wedding guests in a number of Latgalian tales is more characteristic and more common in Lithuanian folklore, but not in the folklore of other Latvian regions. Only in one of the analyzed tales a person turns into a werewolf of his own free will. What’s more, he is not a Latgalian, which subtextually implies dislike and prejudices against an alien, which is relatively typical of Latgalian folklore in general. Also, a special shapeshifting formula – a curse – is found in one tale only. Few techniques are mentioned for retrieving human form – jumping over another shot werewolf’s skin, eating a piece of bread given by a human, or cross-cutting a wolf’s skin. Among these methods the bread technique is the most common also in the tales from other Latvian regions. Also, it should be noted that the word „werewolf” is mentioned in one tale only and an expressive description of a werewolf’s appearance is missing. This probably means that this character was not very popular in Latgalian folklore, which is also proved by the small quantity of these texts. Only one tale is narrated by a man, whereas male narrators are predominant in the other regions. In addition, in some Latgalian tales there are relatively distinguished features of patriarchy, relationships between the rich and the poor, and a peculiar sense of humor for this region and its means of expression. Having conducted the research of the tales of werewolves it is quite safe to assert that the narrator’s place of residence and the region that he/she comes from has a relatively essential meaning in the choice of folkloristic motives. The social and cultural environment, the language, and mutual relations are those preconditions that form a person’s weltanschauung, perception of life and basic values. With their special mentality, emotionally colorful means of expression and an exciting, different language, the Latgalian tales are for sure distinctive from the other ones and are very important for Baltic folklore in general.

Abstract This contribution researches various translation dictionaries – mobile apps with Latvian that are available for free on the Google Play Store and sets out the experience of developing specialised translation dictionaries at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS). The results encounter three different dictionary models that are compiled for the acquisition of Languages for Special Purposes (LSPs) to support vocabulary (term) learning, translation, reading, listening and writing skills during the foreign language-learning process. Dictionaries with grammatical information and rich, supportive data or encyclopaedic information added are more useful for understanding specific domain concepts and content, as well as for the translation practice. Thus, the dictionary user does not have to look for another application or other source to get this additional information. Each new app takes up some space on the user’s smart device; therefore, it is important to maximise the support provided by a single dictionary. The research provides insight into the range of dictionaries with Latvian available on the Google Play Store, gives a brief description, and explains the practical experience of VUAS when working on developing such dictionaries and applying them for language-learning purposes and specialised terminology courses for students. The study also provides an overview of challenges, problems and lexicographic and information technology solutions for mobile applications. The goal of the research is analysing and characterising those free-of-charge dictionaries in the form of mobile apps with Latvian as one of the translation languages. Surveys were used to gather and analyse research data. A survey of dictionary users and a survey of language learners using dictionary apps were carried out after the development of the specialised dictionaries.

Translation needs tools, the oldest and most widespread of which are (bilingual) dictionaries. In the absence of the necessary language pair dictionary, translators seek advice in foreign language dictionaries. Translators have frequently been the authors of dictionaries themselves. Latvian and Lithuanian nations and languages, though kindred, have had a rather different history. Both historically and politically, developments in Latvian have been more parallel to Estonian than Lithuanian as both fell under German and Lutheran influence while Lithuanian had a Polish-bound Catholic history. Yet the development of their writing, translation and lexicography has followed a remarkably similar process and testifies to the common space of knowledge (Wissensraum). As with their lexicography, their bilingual dictionaries grew out of a connection between translation and religion. Both countries underwent a national awakening/awareness in the 19th century that led to a greater variety of translations and dictionaries. Notably, monolingual Latvian and Lithuanian dictionaries appeared only in the 20th century, testifying to the importance of bilingual lexicography in ensuring language contact. Bilingual dictionaries have dominated the lexicography scene of Latvia and Lithuania from the start until the present day. The twentieth century, with its expanding translation needs, produced an even greater variety of translations and bilingual dictionaries in both countries.

While studying the state of contemporary Latvian terminography, it must be acknowledged that terminological dictionaries are issued very often. The present research examines 450 Latvian terminological dictionaries that have been published in the last 30 years. Terminological dictionaries represent 30–40 % of the entire Latvian lexicography. Their characterization has a wide variety, both in terms of the authors and publishers, in terms of language selection and in terms of target audience. In addition, there are dictionaries approved by the Terminology Commission and dictionaries that are not approved by any official institutions. There is a lack of studies on the habits and needs of term dictionary users. In addition, publications of criticism or analysis about the qualitative performance of such dictionaries are also rare and no criteria has been developed to fully analyse and evaluate the development of terminology’s theory and practice. In this article, the authors have focused on exploring the situation in order to clarify the main trends in the characteristics of the terminography of Latvia. This was done through interviews with representatives of leading publishers who confirmed that the publishing houses are losing interest in issuing terminological dictionaries and discussion with the Chairman of the Terminology Commission of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. The authors have identified the main issues in organising the terminology process and determined answers to specific questions: what determines the dictionaries’ choice and credibility factor; how is feedback sought after a new dictionary is issued; what alternatives exist in areas where terminological dictionaries have been missing for decades, etc. Finally, the study analyses the new Latvian National Terminology Portal, which has been in operation for two years, with an aim to provide information on terms and to allow everyone to participate in the process of creating new terms.

The article talks about the main works on the etymology of the Tatar language. The main sources of Tatar etymology are the works of the famous Turkologist Rifkat G. Akhmetyanov, author of numerous studies on the history of the Tatar language. The most important is the two-volume dictionary "Etymology of the Tatar language", which is the fruit of the scientist's many years of effort. The article provides a meaningful analysis of all editions of the etymological dictionaries of the Tatar language, compiled by Rifkat G. Akhmetyanov.

In this article, the names of Clupea harengus membras will be considered in Estonian, (Salaca) Livonian and Latvian (respectively räim, reńǵand reņģe ‘Baltic herring’). It will be shown that the source of all of these words is the Estonian-Swedish strämg (sträηg), or its preceding word shape *sträimg. The Latvian reņģe is borrowed from Estonian-Swedish through Salaca Livonian. Paul Ariste proposed an adequate etymology for the Estonian räim as early as 1933

Previously more than 50 Hungarian borrowings into the Latvian language have been identified, among which kuntuži is purely a Latgalian word. During the 20th century kuntušs appeared in lexicographical sources of the Latvian language. In the interwar period the lexeme was lexicographized as a foreign word. At the beginning of the 20th century kontuscha is fixed as a lexeme of feminine gender. According to a widely accepted etymology the lexeme was borrowed from the Polish kontusz ~ dialectal kuntusz perhaps through the Lithuanian kuntušas or the Belarusian контушъ ~ кунтушъ where the Polish word originates from the Hungarian *köntüs ~ modern literary köntös. In addition to this explanation there are a number of Indo-European etymologies existing. The etymology of the lexeme becomes even more complicated due to the fact that it is internationalism.

Celem artykułu jest opis i analiza zadań oraz perspektyw współczesnych badań etymologicznych w Polsce. Artykuł rozpoczyna się krótkim zarysem historii pierwszych słowiańskich słowników etymologicznych. Następnie omówiono pokrótce współczesne słowniki etymologiczne w Polsce oraz współczesną metodologię badań etymologicznych. Potem autor odwołuje się do przełomu cyfrowego w badaniach etymologicznych i opisuje współczesny model edukacji językowej w Polsce. Uważa się, że gwałtowny spadek liczby specjalistów w zakresie etymologii jest wynikiem wycofania przedmiotów historyczno-językowych i historyczno-porównawczych z programów uniwersyteckich. Autor proponuje różne sposoby zachęcania studentów do studiowania etymologii. Artykuł kończy się omówieniem wyzwań stojących przed etymologami, w tym badań nad pochodzeniem słownictwa dawnego, gwarowego, potocznego i środowiskowego oraz etymologią słownictwa języków zagrożonych, a także sugestiami, jak można tym wyzwaniom sprostać w przyszłości. ABSTRACT The aim of the article is to describe and analyse the tasks and perspectives within contemporary etymological research in Poland. The article begins with a brief outline of the first Slavic etymological dictionaries. Next, contemporary etymological dictionaries in Poland and the contemporary methodology of etymological research are briefly discussed. Then the author refers to the digital breakthrough in etymological research and describes the present-day model of linguistic education in Poland. A sharp decline in the number of specialists in etymology is argued to be a result of the withdrawal of historical-linguistic and historical-comparative subjects in university curricula and the author suggests various ways of encouraging students to study etymology. The article finishes with a discussion of the challenges facing etymologists, including research into the roots of ancient, dialectal, colloquial, and sociolectal vocabulary, as well as the origins of the vocabulary of endangered languages, followed by suggestions for how these can be overcome in the future.

<p>Rendering of foreign proper nouns as spelling of proper nouns of any language in a different language according to grammatical system and spelling rules of that language is an issue, which one has to deal with, when referring to foreign geographic objects in various publications. Theoretical approaches and their practical implementation differs in each country. In Lithuania there is a rule that foreign proper nouns in fiction, popular publications and publications addressed to children have to be spelled according to the pronunciation, but in other texts, such as scientific literature, advertising, information and special text in the language of origin. It must be said though, that these requirements are not always precisely met in practice, so there is a large variety of foreign proper names. This often leads to frustration and occasionally in the community rather sharp debate is breaking out on these issues. While the view on rendering of the Latvian language proper names in Lithuania is different: they are written in Lithuanian according to pronunciation resp. Lithuanized. However, difficulties arise in practice, when theoretical approaches have to be implemented. In addition, it should be stated that original spelling of proper names is increasingly encountered.</p><p>Article addresses Lithuanian use of place-names for one of the Latvian regions – Latgale. Purpose of the study – to find out what are trends in use of the Latgale place-names. Analysis is performed, what place names of Balvi, Daugavpils, Krāslava, Ludza, Preiļi and Rēzekne are included in editions of bilingual dictionaries: Latvian-Lithuanian, 1977 and 2003, and Lithuanian-Latvian, 1964 and 1995, and how these have to be used in travel guides and newsletters about the region, as well as in the Lithuanian press. Mainly newspapers in Siauliai district and city, some republican newspapers and magazines, as well as tourist guides are analyzed. From these editions attempts have been made to get as much as different information as possible resp. not taking into account the frequency of use of the place-names. The research was carried out by the descriptive and item methods, but data from dictionaries are not computed.</p><p>Latvian place-names usually are reproduced in Lithuanian in two ways: 1) those Lithuanian forms are given, which are used by local Lithuanians and 2) transcribed Latvian forms – when there are no Lithuanian forms or if they are not sufficiently tested, are infrequent. One part of the Lithuanized names are those known and used by the majority of Lithuanians, for example, Daugpilis (in Latvian Daugavpils). Unlike other Latvian place names, there are more names in Latgale that have to be used in Lithuanized forms because of its historical development path, which has been different from the rest of Latvia. This can be explained by the historically developed community with Lithuania, therefore also in their rendering traditional forms are common, an opportunity exists to select from several parallel forms.</p><p>Analysis of materials of the Latvian-Lithuanian and the Lithuanian-Latvian dictionaries are indicative of names from various semantic groups of Latgale place-names – towns and settlements, rivers and lakes and mountains - included in all four dictionaries. But apparently the size of section of the names of geographical objects has been of considerable significance. In Latvian-Lithuanian dictionaries these parts are larger, therefore there are more Latvian place- names in them: respectively, 562 Latvian place-names and 98 are from Latgale (LLKŽ 1977) and 231, of which 41 are from Latgale (LLKŽ 2003). A factor of no less importance, which could affect the number of place-names – language for translation wherefrom the dictionary is intended resp. there are more Latvian place-names is dictionary to translate from Latvian. While in the Lithuanian-Latvian dictionary in total there are 39 Latvian place-names, and only 4 from Latgale (LLV 1964), but in the latest edition 98 Latvian and 24 of them are place-names from Latgale (LLV 1995). It is also noted that this dictionary is not always exactly pointing to the object designated by the specific place-name - sometimes restricted to a single indication.</p><p>Name of the region in Lithuanian may be reproduced in two ways, but more popular is the traditional form of Latgala. Only in certain press publications form Latgalė is found, but in the symbolic names Latvian form Latgale is used.</p><p>Names of Latgale towns and settlements are recorded in dictionaries both in traditional and reproduced forms (often referred to more than one), but their practical use still tends to be inaccurate, since obviously theoretical approaches are insufficiently taken into consideration, as well as dictionaries are used. In the press we have to come into contact with declension problem of incorrectly reproduced (or even non-Lithuanized) place-names, as well as incorrect rendering of individual letters. There are comparatively many distortions of place-names in travel guides.</p><p>There are very few semantic groups of the river and lake names in the place-name dictionaries (only in the 1977 Latvian-Lithuanian dictionary there were 35 of them). While in the press and travel guides their numbers are much higher, especially wide spectrum is for the names of lakes (apparently attempts are made to show that Latgale is really the land of lakes).</p><p>Mountain names, although there are not many of them, are reproduced in a particularly creative way: both translation and original form reproduced side by side. Various forms of the same name are found, but not all of them meet the theoretical rendering rules. It could also be affected by the existence of versions in Latvian.</p>

This thesis investigates the roles played by etymology in the work of three late modernist poet-critics: W. H. Auden, J. H. Prynne, and Paul Muldoon. The relationship between poetry and etymology has a long history, but the advent of modern linguistics at the beginning of the twentieth century brought about a change in this relationship. Structuralism developed a more comprehensive condemnation of the etymological fallacy – the view that historical forms and meanings are relevant to current ones - that both isolated etymology as an abstract field of study and undermined its scientific validity. One reaction to this state of affairs has been to re-evaluate etymological discourse itself as poetic or rhetorical. But it is the tension created by what Paula Blank has called 'the quasi-disciplinarity of etymological desire' that motivates Auden, Prynne, and Muldoon's concerns with linguistic historicity. Etymological poetry encourages, even necessitates, very close reading. While this thesis accepts the challenge to read arguably too closely, it also examines the limits of such an approach and its implications for the relationship between poetry and criticism. The first three chapters consider how Auden, Prynne, and Muldoon invoke etymologies in their own criticism, and how etymology affects the ways their poetry may be said to communicate. The second three develop these analyses into new interpretations of commonly debated aspects of their work: Auden's landscape poetry, Prynne's lyricism, and Muldoon's onomastics. It is argued that the fact of obsolescence is key to the etymological poetic; obsolete forms and meanings make poetry difficult, but in the process they intimate that a truer way of representing the world may be (re)discovered. All three poet-critics confront and absorb the consequences of etymological obscurity. Their preoccupation with the history of words is self-consciously and unavoidably pedantic, and it is this pedantry that plays the most significant role in the poetic power they accord to etymology.

This study is in the area of terminology activities in Zimbabwe and it analyses the term creation used in the following selected specialised terms dictionaries: Duramazwi Reurapi Neutano (Dictionary of Biomedical Terms), Duramazwi Remimhanzi (Dictionary of Shona Musical Terms), and Duramazwi Redudziramutauro NeUvaranomwe (Dictionary of Shona Linguistic and Literature Terms). The study specifically analyses and explores how terminographers together with health, music, language and literature specialists made use of their term creation skills and strategies in the creation of new specialised terms for the field of music, health and linguistics. In addition, this research takes into account the impact of factors such as culture, socio- economic, etymological purity, attitudes of the target users, language policy, as well as availability of resourceson term creation. Hence, term creation is an exercise that involves many aspects and interlinked factors. This research advances the argument that while some term creation strategies (compounding, coining and derivation) can be adequate and appropriate, however, at times; they are some which result in created terms that are rather cumbersome, vague, artificial, and difficult to master and remember. In addition, this study found out that some term creation strategies (semantic expansion and loan translations) are unproductive; that means they do not add any value on the Shona language vocabulary. Moreover, the borrowing term creation strategy was analysed on the basis of whether it is promoting and elevating the Shona language or is it undermining its value and vitality. This study emphasises the need for a collaborative approach to term creation, with terminologists, linguists, subject area specialists and target language users during the different phases of word formation processes for the collective ownership of the created term and their acceptability to the target users. This study highlights that, through good term creation strategies the Shona Language can significantly contribute to the promotion and development of Shona language in Zimbabwe. Overally, the research yields a substantial amount of information in the terminological formation processes as well as the identification of factors that can be used to improve term creation strategies in order to develop indigenous languages for use in all spheres of life.The major contribution of this study is the identification and highlighting of the major strength and weaknesses of term creation strategies as a way of developing indigenous languages. The useful findings in this study will benefit the indigenous language development and language policy planners and terminologists in Zimbabwe and other African languages in similar situations. The significant amount of information about term creation that was used in the analysis of term creation in the three dictionaries was solicited from questionnaires and interviews that were carried out with linguists, the specialised dictionary compilers, music students, medical students and high school students doing Shona language and literature subject in Zimbabwe. More information on the term creation was done through content analysis of the three specialised dictionaries and the present researcher’s own experiences as a former Shona high school teacher, linguist and above all as a Shona language speaker.
African Languages
D. Litt. et Phil. (African Languages)

In 2013 an article entitled English loanwords in Polish lexicons was published by the present author. It discussed the research involved in the compilation of the lexicon entitled Słownik zapożyczeń angielskich w polszczyźnie (A Dictionary of English Borrowings in the Polish Language) and at the same time highlighted a number of problematic areas in Polish dictionaries describing Anglicisms. The lexicon mentioned above was written at the request of Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. Therefore the corpus was provided by the publishing house. In the event, the corpus (one Polish and two foreign dictionaries from 2003 and from 1995, 2003, respectively) contained many mistakes (etymological, semantic, graphic, etc.) which were corrected by the present author. The purpose of this paper, however, is to compare more recent dictionaries with the findings presented in the 2013 article. On the basis of a similar analysis of the 2014 lexicon we can observe a certain improvement in the description of the etymology of Anglicisms although we have to be aware of the fact that the corpus analyzed was smaller. The conclusion, therefore, is that while writing new Polish dictionaries, Polish lexicographers should consult philologists specializing in different languages.

‘Authorities’ considers how the rules of usage are established. It first describes the role of dictionaries, frequently held to be the ultimate authority. It then discusses linguistic academies, governing bodies that make pronouncements about correct usage. An alternative source to the dictionary is the usage guide, which tends to adopt a more prescriptive approach and which focuses on a small subset of frequently disputed points of usage. Other ways of determining acceptability is to turn to examples of actual usage, logic, or etymology. Despite the many controversies concerning correct usage and how it should be established, each of the authorities discussed would agree that there is a single authoritative form of the language, known as Standard English.

According to the modern etymological dictionaries of the Hungarian language, Hungarian denevér ‘bat’ is a word of unknown origin. The author discusses the popular etymological versions of the Hungarian word, and proposes to revive in modernized form an etymology by A. Edelspacher (1876). After making some required corrections to this old etymology, the author argues for the Slavic origin of the Hungarian word. As an etymon of Hungarian denevér ‘bat’, he proposes the Common Slavic word *netopyrь ~ *nedopyrь ‘bat’ reflected in all Slavic languages in the surroundings of the Hungarian language area. This etymology meets with no semantic difficulties, and the phonetic differences can be overcome relatively easily by supposing a metathesis and a usual accommodation to the vowel harmony in Hungarian (*nedopyrь > *denopir > *denepir); the ending of the word could be influenced by Hungarian vér ‘blood’.

The article deals with the nominations of various types of gloves in the Russian and Abkhaz-Adyghe languages in the synchronicdiachronic plan. An attempt is made to systematize the names of gloves in the Abkhaz-Adyghe languages and their dialects, to determine the motivating features that underlie the basis of the nomination and to identify the word-formation structure, as well as to give an etymological analysis of the names that have lost their internal form in the process of language development. Investigation in this field will make a certain contribution to the word formation and etymology of the Abkhaz-Adyghe languages. The research materials are important for the lexicology, word formation and etymology of these languages and may be used in lexicography for making up derivational and etymological dictionaries, as well as for lecture courses, special courses and seminars on various sections of the language structure.

Adams discusses the formulation of Richardson’s New Dictionary of the English Language, focusing especially on Richardson’s influences as he defined his methods and the organizing principles he applied to the construction of the dictionary. Following Horne Tooke, Richardson’s method viewed etymology as unifying different words with distinct meanings and grammatical functions. As such, he lumped derivationally-related words in single entries and eschewed historical principles favoured by other prominent lexicographers. This entry-level practice, Adams argues, had a number of drawbacks, despite Richardson’s supposedly scientific arrangement of English words and the underlying semantic principle his method was meant to support. Though Richardson’s methods were largely ignored by subsequent lexicographers, Adams argues, without Richardson’s intervention in the history of lexicography, there would have been no OED. With its primary focus on Richardson and consideration of other significant contributions to continental lexicography, Adams’ chapter engages the argument about what dictionaries should do—whether they’re about words or meanings or usage or culture, and if in some combination, in what proportion. He claims that although this is principally a nineteenth-century argument, it persists as a conceptual and practical problem for lexicography to the present day.

The etymology of the terms «digital» and «electronic» and their interpretation in world-known English language dictionaries and professional terminological dictionaries as applied to the library and information sector are analyzed; relevant conclusions by prominent Russian and foreign scholars are cited. The analysis findings on how the adjectives «digital» and «electronic» are used to characterize the libraries in the national professional publications of the recent years are presented. The conclusion is made that both adjectives may be used as synonyms for solving periodical and practical problems of library and information activities.

The author considers various aspects of reflection of the functioning of the Russian language as a contact language in the national lexicographic tradition of Latvia. The composition and characteristics of Russicisms in monolingual and multilingual dictionaries of the Latvian language are analyzed. It allows to conclude about the main trends in the history of language contacts in Latvia. The author analyzes how the lexical features of the regional variety of the Russian are reflected in the dictionaries. Some general lexical and grammatical categories of two languages also are considered, the differences in the functioning of which are significant for analyzing the processes of interferent influence in both languages.

Proper names reflect the interaction between society and language. They identify unique entities and are used to refer to them. At the same time, it is not uncommon of proper names to serve as a source for word-formation. It should be noted, however, that while in a natural language (notably English) proper names mostly give rise to denominal verbs or adjectives, terminologies are different. Most units that count as terms are nouns, which makes their semantics somewhat special. The paper originates as one of a series towards a typology of sociological terminology and endeavors to analyze the terms whose etymology refers to a proper name (that is, eponymic terms). The research poses the following questions: whether this type of terms is common in Social Science, what are their structural and semantic distinctions as well as mechanisms behind their motivation, whether they are culture specific. The terms were manually retrieved from a set of data of 2500 terminological units extracted from a number of dictionaries and other sources. They were further grouped by structural criteria and the nature of eponymous components and made subject to morphological and semantic analyses. The research shows that structurally eponymic terms are morphological derivatives or two-(or more)-word compounds, with their prevalence estimated at 2%. The authors come to conclusion that terms of this type feature substantial diversity with regard to their eponymous components; they are motivated through the combination of encyclopedic knowledge of the entity, represented by the eponym, and the semantics of derivational morphemes or appellative components. Mythology-based eponymous terminology is represented by two groups, the first tracing back to Antiquity or biblical tradition, and the second of later origin, which requires a specific cultural experience for the meaning to be retrieved. Further analysis shows that the latter type along with toponym-based terminology is culture-specific in relation to American culture.