Sighetu Marmației: An Etymological and Sociolinguistic View of Urban Toponymy*
Map 1. Sighetu Marmației on the map of Maramureș
5. Concluding remarks
Urban toponymy in Sighet displays all the features of multiculturality, due to the centuries-long coexistence of several ethnicities. This fact leads to the consideration of several etymological hypotheses regarding the name of the town (Thraco-Dacian, Hungarian, Slavic) and minor urban toponyms (names of neighbourhoods, squares, bridges, and streets) which can be identified in the historical-geographical configuration of the area.
Twentieth-century street names in Sighet are the result of the interaction between political, social, and ethnic factors. Diachronically, urban toponymy reflects the naming principles of every historical age and the role played by language in relation to official power in multi-ethnic societies. Translations from Romanian to Hungarian or vice versa can be construed as approving the continuity of elements that are known and accepted by all the members of the community, a compromise between social integration and the promotion of language as a factor of ethnic identity and political, social, and cultural power. Similarly, names of neighbourhoods and certain hodonyms (Strada Morii ‘Mill Street’, Locul Târgului ‘Market Place’) are indicative of the connection between urban and rural aspects, perpetuating the history and geography of the area.
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Abstract
The municipality of Sighetu Marmației is situated on the bank of the Tisa river and has been recorded in official documents since 1326. The town has always been defined by multi-ethnicity as it is also apparent in its name: Hungarian (Máramaros)sziget, German Marmaroschsiget, Ukrainian Сигіт(-Мармаро-ський), and Slovak (Marmarošská) Sihoť. This study proposes an etymological and sociolinguistic analysis of urban toponymy, starting from the explanations provided for the name of the town (in Thraco-Dacian, Hungarian, and Ruthenian), the old names of certain villages which have become neighbour-hoods (Iapa, Lazu Baciului, Șugău, Valea Cufundoasă, Valea Hotarului), and the street names employed in the twentieth century. The diachronic and synchronic perspective allows for the understanding of the etymological complexity of old and recent names related to the languages used in the area throughout the centuries.
Keywords: Sighetu Marmației, etymological hypotheses, sociolinguistics, urban toponymy, street names