The attempt to periodize the toponymic system of Artsakh is aimed at identifying historical and linguistic toponyms – realities and regularities of development of their system based on the analysis of historical and linguistic facts. Periodization is carried out on the basis of three principles: 1. The principle of the history of the toponymic system is the history of all its separate stages. 2. The principle of impossibility of absolute periodization. 3. The principle of the direct connection between the emergence of toponyms and their change in parallel with the history of the nation.

Keywordstoponymy of Artsakh historical periodization elements of substrate linguistic impact renaming influence of historical and political processes.

The renaming of oikonyms in the toponymic system of Artsakh is a multilayered process shaped by the interaction of historical, linguistic, cultural, and political factors. The renaming causes changes to the semantic content of an oikonym, the perception of its historical biography, and its symbolic value in public consciousness. The renaming is grounded on administrative-territorial restructuring, socio-economic relations and the ideological changes that reflect them, linguistic contacts, as well as requirements of written documentation and cartographic representation. In different historical periods, translation, phonetic transformation, calquing, reinterpretation, transliteration, literary normalization and standardization have served as mechanisms of oikonymic changes.

KeywordsArtsakh place name oikonym renaming toponymic system historical memory administrative-territorial restructuring socio-economic relations language standardization identity cartography