Preface

Onomastica Uralica (Vols. 1/a, b, c, Debrecen-Helsinki 2001-2002), a three-volume selected bibliography of onomastic studies in Uralic languages, is now followed by the second volume, dealing with the history of place name research.ű

Launching it, the Editor and the Editorial Board sets the aim to give an over-all view of the research in the onomastics of the major and minor Uralic (Finno-Ugric) languages (peoples), to survey the extent and the real values of the work that has been carried out in the given field. Thus, the present volume can be regarded as a historical summary of the results that have been achieved by onomasticians, mainly in the study of settlement names and hydronyms.

The ordering of the languages is as follows: Estonian, Finnish, Saami, Mari, Mordvin, Komi, Udmurt, Hungarian, Ob-Ugric (Mansi and Khanty) and the Samoyedic language(s), with the surveys arranged in a chronological order. The studies cover the last twenty-five years first of all, but they go back deeper in time where it seems necessary, especially in the case of Hungar-ian, Finnish and Estonian onomastics, which all have rich traditions.

In the opening study, written by Mihály Hajdú, onomastics is reviewed in its universal development, with special regard to how this branch of studies emerged and evolved in Hungary. Research in Estonian onomastics is reviewed by Marja Kallasmaa. Finnish studies are covered by Terhi Ainiala and Ritva Liisa Pitkänen, Saami is treated by G. M. Kert. I. S. Galkin and O. P. Vorontsova deal with Mari. Sándor Maticsák and Nina Kazaeva survey Mordvin, A. G. Musanov analyses Komi. Studies in Udmurt onomastics are described by L. Y. Kirillova, István Hoffmann gives an account of the history of investigations into Hungarian names. Research in Ob-Ugric onomastics is the topic of the article written by Gábor B. Székely. Sándor Szeverényi and Beáta Boglárka Wagner-Nagy summarise Samoyedic. As the material available and the authors' fields of interest are different, the articles may vary in their approach, length and depth of analysis, but they all meet the objectives and conditions mentioned above.

The papers collected in the present volume are also reflective of the extent of research both in time and space. Eventual gaps are also revealed in them and there remain entirely undisclosed areas such as Votian and Veps, in which no summaries are available. What can be done at present is the processing of sources we know of on the basis of studies hitherto published. These gaps are to be filled in the future, but, after all this work has been carried out, we are at least aware of where further research is necessary, what goals can be and are to be achieved. There are Uralic languages in which onomastics is still at an initial stage, which may account for a certain heterogeneity of our material, but we consciously take the responsibility for this relative unevenness in order to promote further research and to achieve new results.

Thus, this volume is designed to help the progress of onomastic research not only in major, but also minor Finno-Ugric languages and peoples, which we consider to be vital to the preservation and development of these peoples' identity as well as to mapping their one-time and present-day habitat.

It is a matter of course that the publication of this volume does not close down research in the history of onomastic studies. We are determined to extend the range of the work going on at present, involve more scholars and continuously publish material available in and relevant to the topic.

Debrecen, July 2002