Revisiting phonetic and graphic adaptation of some Iranian origin toponyms in “Travel notes” and letters by A. Griboyedov

The paper is devoted to the comparative analysis of spelling of five Persian origin toponyms in “Travel notes” and the letters by A. Griboyedov and three maps of the XIXth century published in Russia. Special attention is paid to the spelling originality of the Iranian toponyms in A. Griboyedov’s texts. The author contemplates that A. Griboyedov’s choice of a particular toponym for a geographical object nomination was determined by the colloquial speech of a local community. The research focuses on the genre characteristics of A. Griboyedov’s texts under investigation and on historical and cultural conditions of their creation. Each of the maps is characterised, i.e. the year and place of publication and the mapmaker are given. Study of the phonetic and graphic adaptation of the Iranian toponyms is based on the comparative data of phonology studies of the Persian and Russian languages. Many written versions of the toponym in different maps and contemporary usage are explained by natural causes, i.e. by the phonetic discrepancy of the two languages. It is emphasized that due to lack of uniform written rules in Russian cartography of the XIX century the Russian geographical maps of the XIXth century had dramatic changes in the names of cities, regions, rivers, passes and other toponyms primarily of the Persian origin.