Proper names and minority language laws in Slovakia

Abstract

The use of official proper names is regulated by laws that contribute to the social codification and standardization of propria registration. The paper deals with minority language laws concerning the use of proper names of national minorities in Slovakia. The author gives an overview of the laws, or more precisely paragraphs dealing with the use of official anthroponyms, toponyms and names of institutions. In Slovakia, the largest national minority is Hungarian, so the paper gives examples of using the proper names of Hungarians living in Slovakia, that is, from Slovak-Hungarian bilingual municipalities. In an ethnically mixed environment, the variability of the forms of propria increases, since in the official (and non-official) sphere, proper names can be used not only in the state language, but also in the minority language. In bilingual municipalities, bilingual toponyms and names of institutions appear in both languages. Members of national minorities have the option of entering a personal name in the Register Offices in their mother tongue. Minority proper names fulfil an ethno-identification function, they are a source of individual and collective identity.