Changing of Forename Fashion in Slovakia Cover Image

A keresztnévdivat változása Szlovákiában
Changing of Forename Fashion in Slovakia

Author(s): Ján Bauko
Subject(s): Language studies, Sociolinguistics
Published by: Fórum Kisebbségkutató Intézet
Keywords: forename; official personal name; bilingualism; Slovakia Hungarians; mother tongue name planning; Hungarian-Slovak forename dictionary;

Summary/Abstract: Following­ the­ 1989­ change­ of­ regime,­ there­ were­ more­ factors­ that­ influenced­ the forename­ giving­ in­ Slovakia.­ After­ opening­ the­ state­ borders­ the­ rise­ of­ migration, both­ emigration­ and­ immigration­ has­ resulted­ in­ a­ dynamic­ change­ of­ given­ name stock­ that­ has­ mainly­ broadened­ by­ foreign­ language­ name­ elements.­ While before­ the­ change­ of­ regime,­ the­ loadedness­ of­ a­ name­ was­ bigger,­ strivings towards­ having­ more­ unique­ and­ rare­ names­ registered­ have­ been­ more­ powerful nowadays.­ Due­ to­ interethnic­ relationships­ the­ name­ stock­ is­ being­ enriched­ by given­ names­ of­ various­ foreign­ origins.­ There­ are­ also­ generational­ differences­ in name­ bearing:­ the­ younger­ generation­ uses­ many­ of­ those­ given­ names­ that­ are absent­ from­ the­ older­ generation’s­ name­ stock.­ The­ number­ of­ the­ registered given­ name­ variants­ is­ increasing;­ the­ foreign­ spelled­ names­ are­ also­ frequent. Movie­ and­ TV series­ characters­ often­ serve­ as­ inspiration­ for­ naming.­ More­ and more­ nicknames­ become­ registerable­ given­ names.­ Giving­ two­ forenames­ has become­ a­ new­ fashion­ in­ Slovakia­ in­ recent­ years.­ The­ members­ of­ minorities have­ a­ wider­ choice­ of­ names­ since­ they­ might­ choose­ from­ the­ minority­ as­ well as­ majority­ name­ stock.­ Among­ the­ members­ of­ the­ minorities,­ the­ name registration­ in­ mother­ tongue­ is­ increasing. Minority­ name­ planning­ is­ one­ of­ the­ fields­ of­ applied­ onomastics,­ the­ tasks­ of which­ include­ propagation­ of­ the­ mother­ tongue­ name­ usage.­ The­ minority­ name planning­ deals­ primarily­ with­ the­ official­ use­ of­ personal,­ geographical­ and institution­ names.­ Publishing­ a­ Hungarian–Slovak­ forename­ dictionary­ (under preparation­ by­ me)­ may­be­ one­ of­ the­ methods­ for­ the­ minority­ (mother­ tongue) name­ planning­ in­ Slovakia,­ which­ could­ serve­ as­ a­ guideline­ for­ mother­ tongue name­ planning,­ for­ registering­ the­ personal­ names­ of­ Hungarians­ living­ in Slovakia­ in­ their­ mother­ tongue.­ The­ study­ deals­ with­ the­ laws­ of­ the­ Slovak Republic­ concerning­ personal­ names,­ the­ name­ registers­ and­ name­ catalogues­ in Slovakia­ and­ Hungary­ used­ at­ registering,­ the­ importance­ of­ name­ planning­ as well­ as­ the­ features­ of­ the­ planned­ forename­ dictionary­ and­ the­ structures­ of­ its entries.

  • Issue Year: XIX/2017
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 3-34
  • Page Count: 32
  • Language: Hungarian