Cultural and Linguistic Layers Embedded in Romanian Oikonyms Derived from Hagionyms
Cultural and linguistic layers embedded in Romanian oikonyms derived from hagionyms Oliviu FELECAN and Nicolae FELECAN Introduction In addition to constituting linguistic, geographical, historical, anthropo- logical, ethnographic, social and psychological markers, toponyms may also function as religious symbols, especially in those cases when the name of a place is derived from a hagionym. In the present paper, we focus on hagionymic oikonyms, a field of research that has been explored through various theoretical frameworks within Romania and which pro- vides fruitful insights into religious and cultural practices and attitudes. In the case of oikonyms bearing a religious background, “the proper name is a linguistic sign that designates a precise referent which can be located in time and space” (Billy 1995, p. 142, apud Vaxelaire 2005, p. 161, orig. French1) and whose position is transparent. Accordingly, our study lies within the broad domain of onomastics, highlighting specific aspects related to anthroponymy, on the one hand, and toponymy, on the other. With regard to Romanian anthroponymy, Puşcariu (1976, p. 298, orig. Romanian) has pointed out that: there is no continuity between the official names of pagan Romans and Christian Romanians. […] Christianity does not seem to have greatly affected old Romanian onomastics. In fact, apart from the two names Nicoară and Sumedrea (from Sâmedru = Sanctus Demetrius)2 Romanian does not evidence any other hagionyms revealing ancient phonetic structures. 1 The quotations marked as being originally in French or Romanian (indicated by “orig. French” and “orig. Romanian” respectively) are only provided as translations. 2 As an oikonym, this name does not occur in the Daco-Romanian area.
[Show full text]