Re: [tied] Moldova Confusion

----- Original Message -----

From: Rex H. McTyeire

To: cybalist@egroups.com

Sent: Sunday, September 03, 2000 4:30 PM

Subject: Re: [tied] Moldova Confusion

I agree with most of what Corina says, except the first point.

 

"Moldova" (for the country) is the politically correct form used by all English-speaking foreigners who know anything about the local sensitivities, but even some of those continue to use Latinised "Moldavia" for the historical region as opposed to the Republic.

 

Now as for the river, I can't recall a case of a river being named after a region, but there are lots of regions named after rivers (e.g. Moravia from Morava). As the morphological structure of the name fits a well-known hydronymic pattern, I have no doubts that the rivername is older than the name of the region. I'll try to see when the name is first attested.

 

Cheers, and my regards to Corina,

 

Piotr

 

 

Rex adds:  Hmmm.  Some difference in perception.  Must apply an anthropological approach to narrow.   Enter house guest:  Corina Bejanaru, 14, student, favorite subject: Romanian history, relationship: little sister of girlfriend.  Home Town: Iasi, Moldova . Task: read these two paragraphs and sort them out.    Recorded comments and excerpts from intensive interview below:-):

Corina says:

1)  The river is called Moldova because it runs through Moldova.

2)  The people in the whole area, Moldoveni, have always called home Moldova

3)  Moldavia is English from the Hapsburg usage or something else.

4)  We even called the political "principat" Moldova, but it was designated by foreigners: Moldavia.

5)  Bessarabia as " The Democratic Rebublic of Moldova" became temporarily independent on 27 March 1918.  Russians later decided that was "Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic." 

6)  "Moldavia" is older than the soviet past, but erroneous and external.

7)  They didn't name it Moldova to avoid the Soviet usage of Moldavia, they just named it right.

8)   Some English speakers now use Moldova because they finally started listening to us, rather than foreign powers corrupting our word.  But most of them still use Moldavia  (yech).