Open AccessMisha or Mihailik: A Sociolinguistic View on the Ukrainization of Russian Proper Names in Modern Ukraine
Author(s) -
Natalia Knoblock
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
names
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.2
H-Index - 12
eISSN - 1756-2279
pISSN - 0027-7738
DOI - 10.1080/00277738.2018.1452910
Subject(s) - ukrainian , resentment , onomastics , alienation , toponymy , politics , ideology , refugee , population , identity (music) , political science , proper noun , sociology , linguistics , law , demography , philosophy , physics , acoustics
This article focuses on linguistic identity and ideology through analysis of the attitudes of Russian-speaking Ukrainians toward the Ukrainization of traditionally Russian proper names (personal names and toponyms). It summarizes the results of a survey conducted among Ukrainian refugees to Russia, which gauged whether this policy contributes to the alleged alienation of the Russian-speaking population of Ukraine from current political and social developments in the country. The results of the study appear to support the importance of preserving the Russian proper names. Their Ukrainization seems to cause some resentment, especially when it affects people’s own names and the names of their children.