Aspects of “Balkanism” Reflected in the Use of Anthroponyms in Contemporary Romanian Public Space
Aspects of “Balkanism” Reflected in the Use of Anthroponyms in Contemporary Romanian Public Space

Summary/Abstract: The present paper aims at presenting specific aspects of features that define the concept of “Balkanism” and that are reflected in the usage of anthroponyms in contemporary Romanian public space. Theoretically, the article relies on the framework provided by pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and ethnolinguistics, while the analysis of the phenomena investigated (based on a corpus collected from Internet resources and consisting of examples that are relevant for written and spoken language) employs concepts and methods that pertain to text linguistics and the philosophy of language. The study starts from the observation that Romanian intra- and extra-Carpathian public communication displays dissimilarities in the research and manifestation of so-called “Balkan” features that are also salient in the use of certain anthroponyms to designate Romanian public figures. The belonging of the two Romanian spaces divided by the Carpathians to temporarily separate histories has affected the level of mentalities identified in public utterances as well as in a community’s metalanguage. On the level of communication, two components can be identified as regards the two intra-/extra-Carpathian spaces: (1) a pragmatic conscience that is cultivated within given communities; and (2) a heritage of specific illocutionary resources that express a group's cultural values. These variables also affect the level of anthroponymic behaviour in contemporary Romanian public space, by generating distinct variants in the aforementioned intra-/extra-Carpathian spaces.

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