Toponymy of the city of Cherkasy and its environs in the scientific heritage of Ukrainian local historian m. F. Ponomarenko

The purpose of the article is to study the scientific work of the famous Ukrainian local historian Mykhailo Fedorovych Ponomarenko on relevant issues of toponymy of Cherkasy and its environs. Research methodology. While working on the topic, general scientific methods of scientific analysis and synthesis, as well as biographical and chronological methods of historical research were used. The academic novelty. The article first characterises M. Ponomarenko’s approaches to the study of toponyms as a source for the reconstruction of historical, socio-economic, migration and ethno-cultural processes. Attention is paid to the scientific heritage of the researcher, in particular his articles “On the Name of the City of Cherkasy” (1988) and “Cherkasy: the Secret of the Toponym” (1991). In these works, M. Ponomarenko examined the origin of toponyms in detail, the historical contexts of their formation and transformation, as well as the peculiarities of the functioning of geographical names over the centuries. Results of the study. It has been found that M. Ponomarenko critically rethought the established hypotheses about the etymology of place names, based on historical documents, archaeological finds and linguistic analysis. The article contains M. Ponomarenko’s main hypotheses about the origin of these place names, their connection with ethnographic groups, historical events, anthroponyms, and natural features of the area. The author examines the toponymic research of the local historian on the names of settlements and geographical objects of Cherkasy region. In particular, the author analyzes his research on Cherkasy neighborhoods (“Mytnytsia”, “Dakhnivka”), villages (Buzukiv, Geronimivka, Khatske, Khudyky, Dubiivka, Kumeika, Leski, Verguny, Budyshche) and natural objects (Irdyne). The conclusions of the study confirm the significance of M. Ponomarenko’s scientific work for the development of Ukrainian toponymy. The use of his methodological approach can contribute to the expansion of knowledge about the origin of place names and their role in the cultural and historical heritage of Ukraine.