Dictionary of Russian subdialects of the Amur river region as a source of information about the Transbaikal Cossacks

The article analyzes the lexical units (their meaning and use) recorded in the Dictionary of Russian subdialects of the Amur River region and representing valuable linguistic and ethnographic information for the study of subdialects of the Transbaikal Cossacks, namely, the words that have gone out of use from the Transbaikal subdialects, but preserved in subdialects of the Amur River region in the same meanings: ‘козляк’ and ‘орогда ’, as well as the attributive combination ‘орочонские рукавицы ’ (the reason for their obsolescence is the loss of denotation), and the derogatory nickname of peasants ‘гужеед ’, which changed its meaning in subdialects of the Amur River region. Other lexical units presented in the dictionary, such as ‘аргунец, читинка, шилкинка, аргунские колоба’ characterize the outdated customs of Transbaikalians. Information about the meaning of the word ‘гуран ’ and dictionary illustrations help to understand how this nickname of the Transbaikal Cossack arose. The study is relevant due to the interest to the ethnic roots of the Russian nation, the origins of national culture, and the etymologies of the word ‘гуран ’ put forward in recent years.