Examination of place names compiled from the central villages of Tokat province in the context of folk etymology and toponym

Many products produced in the history of humanity and culture have been transferred largely through language. In this respect, language is as old and important as human and cultural history. In this study, the subject of toponymy is discussed from a broad perspective within a framework focused on language and culture. First of all, folklore was used to understand and reveal the relationship between language and culture. Place names not only contain the sound and morphological features of Turkish, but also the beliefs, worldview and life of the people. Place names were also examined in the context of folk etymology and folklore, and discussed with a multidisciplinary structure. Since it is impossible to examine the subject under investigation under a single discipline, both in terms of quantity and quality, this subject has been examined and conveyed in a multidisciplinary context. The findings obtained from the field were grouped, classified and analyzed using the Lexic-Semantic Classification method. In this study, data obtained from interviews and observations, which are commonly used in folklore and onomastics studies, were compiled and classified. This study was conducted by examining 12 villages and 211 place names in Tokat province. An academic study has attempted to prevent the loss of the richness that these place names offer to the Turkish language. In this study, place names were examined in the context of folklore and folk etymology and a new and original classification method was proposed. Key Words: Folklore, Onomastics, Toponymy, Folk Etymology.