Changing status of Russian proper names in Estonia
Many Estonian place-names which have associations with Russia even if their origin does not lie there have been partly or fully Estonianized, "Aktuaalne kaamera.Nädal" reported.
While names reminiscent of Estonia's eastern neighbor may cause disturbance, communication studies professor Triin Vihalemm for one suggested focusing on the essence of a name, rather than just the change itself.
One of the most well-known such places is the village of Veneküla, near Tallinn.
The name literally translated would be "Russian village," though this is not its etymology – "Vene" is also a fairly old-fashioned name for a type of boat, and is applicable here.
But to many especially younger people, the name can only mean one thing, and now the roughly 60 inhabitants, including those who are ethnically Russian, plan to change the village's name.
"Aktuaalne kaamera.Nädal" met with village elder Ramses Alliksoo, reflecting on the picturesque, 227-hectare area, alongside the Pirita River.
A name change had been in the air before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and even before its annexation of Crimea and start of the shadow war in eastern Ukraine, a decade ago.
Alliksoo said: "Fifteen years back, we initiated a discussion with the locals as to why we have this name."
"We talked about it a little bit each year, and so it went. Then two years ago, the issue became a serious one once again, and everyone here agrees that it is very difficult to explain why our village is called Veneküla."
"Yes, we can say that 'vene' means boat in Estonian, but let's be honest—young and middle-aged people today don't associate Veneküla with a boat village," he continued.
Luckily, the village does have a historical, Estonian name: Koplimetsa, and village leaders have unanimously agreed to adopt the name change.
All that is left to do is formally register it.
Name changes have occurred in various areas over the past two years.
For instance Last spring, Jõhvi Russian basic school (Jõhvi vene põhikool) was given the more appropriate, not to mention accurate, new name of Jõhvi city center school.
This has affected brands too – food producer Maks & Moorits now makes "Tooma" branded sausages (formerly "Moscow"), while "Russian" checkers is now "64-square checkers."
Less common is holding a competitive process for selecting a new name – as the city government in Tartu is doing with a school up to now named after writer Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837).
School principal Alina Braziulene said she hoped that more Estonian families would send their children to the school after the renaming; currently, only two pupils speak Estonian at home.
"Our vision is for everyone to study together, and perhaps this step could help encourage people to send their children here. At least, that's what we hope for," Braziulene said.
"Aktuaalne kaamera.Nädal" asked the students themselves what they thought of the impending name change.
It could be changed, yes, this would be something exciting and new for us; for everyone," 7th-grader Zlata said.
Maria, a grade above, said that since she and her classmates attend an Estonian school, it would be nice if the school had an Estonian name too.
When asked why the name change is necessary, Katarina, a 4th-grader, also said the reason is classes are now taught in Estonian.
Ira, another 4th grader, added that the name is not suitable for an Estonian school, since Pushkin was a Russian writer.
Katrin, a 9th-grade pupil, suggested that the school could be named after scientist Nikolai Pirogov (1810-1881). A square in central Tartu is already named after him, though since Pirogov, while an alumnus of the University of Tartu, then known as Dorpat, was himself Russian, it is not clear if the square will remain so-named either.
There are many other potentially provocative street names in Estonia's towns and cities, as well as brands and other proper and informal names: Tallinn has a Vene street and a Peterburi (St. Petersburg) road; there is also a "Russian cheese" (Vene juust), and a "Moscow bread" ("Moskva sai").
So should all these get new names too, "Aktuaalne kaamera.Nädal" inquired.
Professor Vihalemm said: "I've already noticed that the cake has kept the same filling, but now it has some sort of creamy cake name. Perhaps it is just a matter of waiting for alternative names to come out, and when other names take on that distinguishing function, it might be justified."
"Is a name is still a significant information placeholder, be it a reference to a cake's taste, or that of a cheese, or the location of a street; then it would be pragmatic to consider things carefully, perhaps even conducting a brief linguistic analysis of what other terms are in common use for the same object. Is it the right time for a recommended or official change, or is it better to leave it alone?" Professor Vihalemm continued.
But it really the case that every word associated with Russia irritates us?
"This is probably a justified concern, especially in today's digital world where we rely on keyword-based searches. Gradually, people might start thinking, 'Aha, there's that root word,' and even if just for a nanosecond, it could evoke slightly negative emotions," Vihalemm added.
We will leave it to readers to decide whether the town of Moscow, Idaho, Muscovy ducks (actually native to the Americas), the skill game of Russian poker, or the more deadly game of chance that is Russian roulette, need a name change in English too.
The same could apply to two types of cocktail, one of them drinkable the other not, namely the White Russian and the Molotov cocktail – the latter so named by the Finns in fact.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Aleksander Krjukov
Source: 'Aktuaalne kaamera,' reporters Veronika Uibo, Ode Maria Punamäe.