THE INFLUENCE OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ON THE ONOMASTIC SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX PARISH IN BIAŁOWIEŻA AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES AND IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD (BASED ON ENTRIES IN REGISTERS OF CERTIFICATES)
Teresa Pluskota
Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w BydgoszczyAbstract
This paper discusses the problems associated with the cultural frontier where Białowieża and
its vicinity have been situated for many centuries. The analysis focused on anthroponyms in the
Russian Orthodox parish in Białowieża. Russian was the official language at the turn of the 19th and
20th centuries, whereas Polish was the official language in the interwar period. A detailed analysis
demonstrated linguistic influences on the onomastic system. Under the Russian influence, a 3-element
onomastic model was in use (first name, father-derived name, surname), as well as Russian national
name variants, especially in the names of parents and godparents. Father-derived names with the -ovič
suffix were also employed, along with first name and surname variants. The Polish official language
in the interwar period affected the emergence of a greater number of names of Latin origin, first name
and surname variants, which appeared as a consequence of, inter alia, various ways of transferring
anthroponyms with a different alphabet. All these changes resulted in the situation when one person
had different variants of the first name and surname in various official documents.
Keywords:
anthroponomy, Białowieża, official language, 19th and 20th centuriesReferences
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