HUNGARIAN STREET NAMES IN NOVI SAD

Abstract

The paper deals with the names of streets in Novi Sad, a multinational, multicultural and multilingual community. The primary subject of our interest are former Hungarian odonyms, as the research is aimed at understanding how changes in the society and in city life reflect on the practice of street naming. The conventions of street naming or changing the names of streets evoke memories of the past, thus creating the collective identity of the community. A thread of political ideology and power runs in the background, with the goal of influencing the collective consciousness and shaping the attitude of the people who live in that community. A change of government may also lead to the transformation of the collective identity. Driven by political and ideological currents or due to changes in the collective identity of its inhabitants, the names of streets in Novi Sad have changed several times throughout their history. The paper also gives an overview of recent initiatives in naming streets after Hungarian people related to this geographical area and discusses problems with the proper use of current odonyms which involve a Hungarian element.