Re: [tied] Moldova Confusion

We English speakers tend to use the words printed on our maps. There is also a learning curve when a name is changed.

I am suprised that 'Bessarabia' was not revived for the post-USSR republic, but then, I remember being told this is named after the 'Bessarab' family, a dynastic name attaching itself to a geographic province. It would sort of be like calling Sweden 'Bernadottia'. A native speaker of Romanian did Bessarabia correctly for me: the 'rab' is a homophone of English 'rob' and seems to bear the main stress (most Americans make the the last element a homophone of 'Arabia', as in Saudi Arabia).

As for 'Wallachia' on my map, I think the National Geographic mapmakers are using it as a geographic province, much as 'Great Plains' or 'Llano Estacado' is used here in North America. They have the word 'Pomerania', in a similar distinct type face, one separate from political names, along the coast of eastern Germany and western Poland. They refer to the southern half of the Polish province of Warminsko-Mazurskie as 'Masuria', with the northern half, to include Kaliningrad Oblast being labelled 'East Prussia'.

'Oltenia' is not on any of my maps. I have to guess at what is meant.

I wonder what they call that chunk of Ukraine between the Dneister and the Danube. Considering the fact we have the term 'Trans-Dneisterian Republic' for that former part of Moldova east of the Dneister, would it be 'Cis-Dneisterian Ruthenia?'

Mark.

From: Piotr Gasiorowski

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).