Name und Kultur – die Vornamen der Oberschlesier als Zeichen der Gruppenzugehörigkeit

Abstract

In contrast to generic names, proper names primarily serve to highlight the uniqueness of an object. This task is also fulfilled by personal names, which are intended to characterize people in their uniqueness. The first and last names, which are used most frequently in linguistic communication, play a special role here. If, in most instances, the first names used in the German language are assigned to concrete meanings only in an etymological approach, they often also call particular associations and lead to the formation of assumptions, e.g. With regard to the question, with which other cultural circle, apart from the German, the respective person or their ancestors could be connected additionally. In this way, the first names of the Upper Silesians and their use in the colloquial language show that they come to the interweaving of German and Polish elements, which in turn can be regarded as the linguistic peculiarity of the group.