On conteporary odonyms of Kosovo and Metohija (sociolinguistic aspect)

This paper, based on the analysis of Albanian odonyms in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica and Serbian odonyms in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, examines the current ideological and political orientations, differences in regard to cultural and social priorities of residents living on both sides of the Ibar River, as well as the manner and extent of abolishing the old and establishing the new town identity. It is established that odonyms, among other things, play an important role in shaping the public opinion and value system of the population. The research has shown that both Albanian and Serbian odonyms are of the commemorative type, and that Albanian commemorative odonyms primarily consist of names of war and rebellion participants, whereas Serbian commemorative odonyms are devoted to cultural dignitaries. Furthermore, although Albanian odonyms considerably outnumber the Serbian odonym corpus, the latter is characterised by a greater variety of motifs.