Sociological study of toponyms in the village of Silická Jablonica

Abstract

Sociological study of toponyms in the village of Silická Jablonica

The study presents the results of research into the use of toponyms in Jablonca (Silická Jablonica), a Hungarian settlement in Slovakia. According to the results of the 2021 census 91.76% of the population in this border village is of Hungarian nationality. The village community is characterised by Hungarian-Slovak bilingualism. Consequently, the place-name collection revealed both Hungarian and Slovak place names for some areas. The paper describes the sociological aspects of the research, which aimed to investigate the inhabitants’ knowledge of place names. The paper reviews the non-lingual factors that influence the knowledge of place names. Research was conducted via interviews, questionnaires and asking respondents to draw a mental map. The results showed that place of birth, ethnicity and mother tongue, as well as occupation and leisure activities, are the main factors that determine knowledge of place names. Hungarian dominates the residents’ place name use, with only a minority knowing place names in Slovak (i.e., those shown on a map). The study of place-name knowledge within the family shows the importance of family knowledge in the transmission of place-names.