Elena Berezovich
Encyclopedia
Elena Lvovna Berezovich is a Russian linguist known for her works in onomastics
, etymology
and ethnolinguistics
. She is currently Professor at the Department of Russian language and General Linguistics of the Ural Federal University
(Yekaterinburg
).
in 1966, she graduated, in 1988, from the Ural State University
. In 1992 she defended her PhD thesis Semantic microsystems in Russian toponymy. After the defense, in 1999, of her habilitation thesis (Russian degree of doctor nauk) Russian toponymy in ethnolinguistic aspect, she became professor of the philological department of the Ural State University
(currently Ural Federal University
). Since 2006 Elena Berezovich has also been a research fellow
of the Russian Language Institute
in Moscow
.
, etymology
, semantic reconstruction, dialectology
and ethnolinguistics
. Elena Berezovich is head of the Ural toponymy expedition, executive director of the Russian Onomasticon Project, member of the Ethnolinguistic commission of the International Committee of Slavists, editor-in-chief of the journal Questions of Onomastics
founded by her university tutor Prof. Aleksandr Matveyev
. She is also the editor of some onomastic dictionaries and the fundamental Dictionary of Northern Russian Dialects.
Onomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...
, etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
and ethnolinguistics
Ethnolinguistics
Ethnolinguistics is a field of linguistics which studies the relationship between language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world. It is the combination between ethnology and linguistics. The former refers to the way of life of an entire community i.e...
. She is currently Professor at the Department of Russian language and General Linguistics of the Ural Federal University
Ural Federal University
The Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin is one of the leading educational institutions in the Ural region. Ural Federal University acts as a research and innovation center of the Ural region, has close cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences...
(Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
).
Biography
Elena Berezovich was born in YekaterinburgYekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg is a major city in the central part of Russia, the administrative center of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Situated on the eastern side of the Ural mountain range, it is the main industrial and cultural center of the Urals Federal District with a population of 1,350,136 , making it Russia's...
in 1966, she graduated, in 1988, from the Ural State University
Ural State University
The Ural State University is located in the city of Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian Federation. Founded in 1920, it was an exclusive educational establishment made of several institutes which later became independent universities and schools.In 1936 the university was named after one of...
. In 1992 she defended her PhD thesis Semantic microsystems in Russian toponymy. After the defense, in 1999, of her habilitation thesis (Russian degree of doctor nauk) Russian toponymy in ethnolinguistic aspect, she became professor of the philological department of the Ural State University
Ural State University
The Ural State University is located in the city of Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian Federation. Founded in 1920, it was an exclusive educational establishment made of several institutes which later became independent universities and schools.In 1936 the university was named after one of...
(currently Ural Federal University
Ural Federal University
The Ural Federal University named after the first President of Russia B. N. Yeltsin is one of the leading educational institutions in the Ural region. Ural Federal University acts as a research and innovation center of the Ural region, has close cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences...
). Since 2006 Elena Berezovich has also been a research fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
of the Russian Language Institute
Russian Language Institute
The V.V. Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is the language regulator of the Russian language. It is based in Moscow and it is part of the Russian Academy of Sciences.It was founded in 1944.-See also:* The V.V...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Work
Her main domains of research are onomasticsOnomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...
, etymology
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
, semantic reconstruction, dialectology
Dialectology
Dialectology is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their associated features...
and ethnolinguistics
Ethnolinguistics
Ethnolinguistics is a field of linguistics which studies the relationship between language and culture, and the way different ethnic groups perceive the world. It is the combination between ethnology and linguistics. The former refers to the way of life of an entire community i.e...
. Elena Berezovich is head of the Ural toponymy expedition, executive director of the Russian Onomasticon Project, member of the Ethnolinguistic commission of the International Committee of Slavists, editor-in-chief of the journal Questions of Onomastics
Questions of Onomastics
Questions of Onomastics is a Russian peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes articles on onomastics. It was established in 2004 by the Ural State University and the Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences as a periodical dedicated to linguistic studies of proper names...
founded by her university tutor Prof. Aleksandr Matveyev
Aleksandr Matveyev
Aleksandr Konstantinovich Matveyev was a Russian linguist known for his works in toponymics , onomastics , and etymology .-Biography:...
. She is also the editor of some onomastic dictionaries and the fundamental Dictionary of Northern Russian Dialects.
Main publications
- Russian toponymy in ethnolinguistic aspect. Yekaterinburg, 2000.
- Language and traditional culture: Ethnolinguistic inquiries. Moscow, 2007.