MEĐIMURJE, MEĐIMORJE, MEĐUMURJE - PRILOG POZNAVANJU HORONIMA HRVATSKE TRADICIJSKE REGIJE
MEĐIMURJE, MEĐIMORJE, MEĐUMURJE – CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF NAME OF THE CROATIAN TRADITIONAL REGION

Summary/Abstract: The name Međimurje with its symbolic function for most respondents during the interview was clearly defined by the location of the region along the Mura River, and the only doubt was to use it in the official version of Međimurje or in the archaic and, according to many, dialectal expression Međimorje. The problem of this name is much more complex, although there are not many papers on this topic. The most comprehensive and complex is the work of Z. Bartolić (1998), which is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining knowledge of linguistics, history, literary history and geography, but is not monitored and based on field research, which was conducted during the preparation of this paper. The basic thesis of his work is that the correct name of the region would be Međimorje, where the name itself is interpreted with the appellation „otok“ in dialectal speech. This interpretation is proven by examples from older literature where it is used in the meaning of island (otok), alluding to the hydrographic boundaries of Međimurje, which throughout history have been a significant communication barrier to neighboring areas, and thus enhanced the sense of isolation characteristic of an island. The term island is also found in the Latin version of Insula, which in various variations is found in older literature, especially on old maps, but never independently but in variations with the names of the rivers Mura and Drava. At the same time, foreign sources, especially in the languages used in Međimurje in certain periods, such as the German Murinsel meaning Mura Island or the Hungarian Muraköz meaning the area along the Mura, contain the name of the river as the basic determinant of the name. It is interesting that none of the interlocutors in the interview knew the translation of the word Međimorje (island), but they all interpreted it in the Međimurje way of pronunciation, ie “in the local language”. The survey showed that the majority of residents in Međimurje (49%) and beyond (54%) believe that the name Međimurje is associated with the name of the Mura River, almost a third believe that the name comes from the Latin Insula inter Muram et Dravam.

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