Вопросы ономастики (Mar 2025)
Anthroponyms and Toponyms in the Memorial Inscriptions at Cemeteries of National Minorities in Northern Bosnia and Herzegovina
Abstract
The article examines the anthroponyms and toponyms found on gravestone inscriptions at cemeteries in the areas of concentrated settlement of national minorities in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina — namely, Ukrainians, Poles, Czechs, and Italians. The study is based on material collected by the authors during field research conducted between 2016 and 2023, as part of a comprehensive documentation of cemeteries in Prnjavor, Trnopolje, Maćino Brdo, Lišnja, Štivor, Čelinovac, Cerovljani, Devetina, and Nova Ves. The article aims to identify both generic and specific linguistic and socio-cultural patterns in the structure of epitaphs, in which anthroponyms and toponyms serve as primary identifiers. These names allow us to trace the history of minority community formation and their processes of linguistic and cultural assimilation. An analysis of the anthroponyms and toponyms on gravestones within migrant communities in the Serbo-Croatian linguistic environment further illuminates the dynamics of language contact. Moreover, the very presence of such inscriptions in the region’s memorial landscape renders them a vital part of the linguistic environment and an important marker of identity. Given that a detailed analysis of epitaphs in cemeteries of these communities has not previously been undertaken, the authors introduce new material. The study considers the order of first and last names, the integration of graphic elements, and the combination of multiethnic first and last names. It also separately examines the names of tombstone donors, diminutive forms and nicknames, maiden names, patronymic indications, bilingual inscriptions, and surname variability. A separate section is devoted to toponyms. Further research can focus on the dialectal and contact features of the inscriptions, which were predominantly produced by individuals who did not speak the standard form of their minority language.
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