TOPONYMS IN TEXTS OF RUSSIAN TEXTBOOKS ON CHINESE HISTORY (THE DATA OF FREQUENCY ANALYSIS)

Abstract

The article presents a unique analysis of the use of toponyms in the texts of Russian textbooks on the history of China, based on the data of automated frequency analysis. The work considers the most frequent toponyms included in the first 500 most frequent lexical units (minus 2000 most frequent Russian words), except for the toponym China itself: Beijing, Yangtze, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangdong, Guangzhou, Huanghe, Taiwan, Henan, Hunan and Hubei. The analysis shows that certain geographical names stand out in terms of frequency of mention, which reflects their significance in the historical and cultural contexts presented in the teaching materials. The results of the study not only reveal the authors’ preferences in the textbooks for certain toponyms, but also emphasize the importance of place names in the educational process, allowing for a better understanding of the historical, political and cultural aspects of China. The article emphasizes the diversity and complexity of historical and cultural processes in China that can be revealed through a detailed analysis of toponyms, making this approach significant for linguistic and cultural sciences. Special attention is paid not only to the systematization of data on the most frequently mentioned toponyms, but also to an in-depth investigation of their significance for understanding Chinese history and culture, which is of interest both to specialists in history and linguistics and to a general audience seeking to deepen their knowledge of China.