Bulgarian Anthroponym as a (Balkan) Text

Abstract

This article considers a proper name as a text: as a linguistic, semiotic, sociocultural, and ethnographic ‘narrative.’ The author assumes that the anthroponymic space in modern Bulgaria is a live environment which is permanently developing and transforming. The environment that retains archaic patterns while adding new ones, combining the tendencies for unification and individual diversification. The analysis of the name system shows a significant Balkan influence, multiple equivalents between Slavic and borrowed vocabulary, as well as the presence of all-Balkan names and common suffixes. Personal name as a text contains linguistic information (etymology, folk etymology, and its lexicographic representation); family stories (a narrative on choosing the name, kin names, interconnection of the names of the relatives and friends; cultural, ideological impact, fashion); and church and festive allusions (calendar name days). Lexicographic interpretation of anthroponyms is peculiar because of its suggestive modality, flexibility, creativity, absence of markedness, and the removal of semiotic binaries us — them, male — female, old — new, individual — collective, sameness — diversity etc. There is a strong loyalty to the tradition of keeping the family name which reveals itself in name-giving for the newborns: it might be a precise repetition of the name of the elders, or just one syllable or even a letter as part of this name, or a combination of parts of the names of two or several relatives (as a way of compromise). Bulgarian Christian Orthodox Church is rather liberal in terms of choosing the baptismal name and the day for its celebration which makes the text behind the name more elaborate, making it a true detective story. The research material is retrieved from dictionaries of personal names, published onomastic studies, author’s interviews, observations, and field data. It is complete with a case study of reading the text of the female name Vaia.