ANTROPONIMIJA GORNjEG I SREDNjEG PONIŠAVLjA U XVI VEKU (PREMA DEFTERU SOFIJSKOG SANDžAKA IZ 1571. GODINE)

Abstract

In addition to indicating the most important methodological problems related to onomastic research of the Ottoman-Turkish defters (cadastral surveys), this paper researches the characteristics of proper nouns (personal names) in Gornje and SrednjePonišavlje in the 16th century, based on the material of the defter of the Sofia Sanjak (1571). The analysis was carried out on a corpus of some 6800 personal names of citizens in 95 settlements in Gornje and Srednje Ponišavlje (83 settlements in the territory of Serbia and 12 settlements of today’s Bulgaria). On the basis of this research, the most important features can be pointed out where the system of male names in this area differ from the names of neighboring ones: a) the greater presence of Christian names (around 55% of Christian names against 45% of Slavic ones), which is related to the geographical position, the openness of the area, and the good transportation connections (the Constantinople road – the Via Militaris, the most important European road of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires); b) the presence of the male names Džudža, Džodža, Džura, Džora, Džurdža, Džurdžo, Džurka, Džurko, Džuro, Džudžo, Džero, Džuša which reflect the process of establishing the consonant /dž/ which was also characteristic of the speech of Ponišavlje; c) the reduced productivity of the root rad-, and especially of the roots vuk-/vlk-, which is more often noted in the villages with a large number of immigrants from the areas west of this territory; d) besides the productive use of the hypocoristic suffixes -a, -e, and -o, there is special productivity in the suffixes -ke (Brajke, Vlajke, Vojke, Dojke, Drajke, Krajke, Milke, Projke, Rajke, Stajke/Stanke, Stojke) and -čo (Belčo, Brajčo, Vojčo, Vlčo, Denčo, Drajčo, Krajčo, Malčo, Milčo, Mirčo, Rajčo, Stajčo/Stančo, Stojčo, Hrančo). Along with the already mentioned establishement of the consonant /dž/ in personal names like Džura, other examples with the vowel /l/ in the root vlk- indicate the contemporary use of language in Gornje and Srednje Ponišavlje, and probably examples of the consistent writing of the sonant /l/ in the frequent name Milko. On the other hand, the small amount of material which could be relevant for evaluating the state of the jer was not useable because of the non-standardized noting of vowels in the defter. By comparing the personal names from our defter with the name register of Torlaks in the 19th century, one can follow the continuity in the development of names from the 16th to the 19th century (personal names with the phonetism /dž/ like Džura, the productivity of the suffix -a in the production of hypocoristics), but also the development of tendencies which came about after the 16th century (the reduced productivity of the suffix -ke, the increase of the role of Greek names after the influx of the Cincars in the 18th century). The comparison of names in the villages on both sides of today’s Serbian-Bulgarian border generally confirms our current knowledge about the area of Gornje and Srednje Ponišavlje as a unique linguistic zone.