Adaptation of Russian Christian Names into the Mari Language

• Main Author: Alexander L. Pustyakov
• Format: Article
• Language: Russian
• Published: Izdatelstvo Uralskogo Universiteta 2017-11-01
• Series: Voprosy Onomastiki
• Subjects: anthroponymy; Mari language; Mari personal names; Christian names; Russian-Mari contacts; adaptation of Christian names; Middle Volga region
• Online Access: http://onomastics.ru/sites/default/files/doi/10.15826/vopr_onom.2017.14.3.027.pdf

This article analyses the phonetic and morphological adaptation of Christian personal names in the Mari language. The work examines personal names recorded in different regions among the Mari. The composition of the presented data is not exhaustive; it does, however, allow one to observe some general patterns of the adaptation process. The main part of the article is preceded by a brief overview of the Christianization of the Mari region and the contacts between the Mari and the Russian-speaking population; the features of the local dialects of the Russian language are briefly stated. The Mari language incorporated a significant number of Russian names. The source of loans included, besides the standard church name forms, also the numerous varieties found in the Russian dialects. As part of the study, phonetic, structural changes of Christian names in the Mari language are revealed and the reasons for the majority of these transformations are identified. The author also pays attention to the intermediary role of the neighbouring Turkic languages in the penetration of Russian names into the Mari language. Changes in borrowed names were induced by internal Mari linguistic rules, as well as dialectal features of the local Russian dialects. The identification of systematic phonetic and structural transformations helps to determine the origin of obscure anthroponyms.