Names of Kosovo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kosovo in English language sources is mostly referred to in this spelling. The Albanian spelling Kosova has lesser currency.

The alternative spelling of Kossovo was frequently used until the early 20th century and before that[1] Cossovo, Italianisations of the name.

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[edit] Kosovo

Kosovo (Косово, /ˈkɔsɔvɔ/) is the Serbian possessive adjective of kos (кос) "blackbird",[2][3] an ellipsis for Kosovo Polje "field of the blackbirds", the site of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo Field.

The root word kos- is widely used as a toponym in Slavic countries, and the name Kosovo is itself used in other Slavic countries, appearing in Belarus, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Russia (see Kosovo (disambiguation)).

All places in the world whose names begin with "Kosov"
All places in the world whose names begin with "Kosov"

Kosova (pronounced /kɔˈsɔva/) is the Albanian name for the region. It is also occasionally spelled as Kosovë, without the Albanian enclitic definite article -a.

The use of these spelling variants is a highly sensitive political issue for both Serbs and Kosovo Albanians, who regard the use of the other side's name as being a denial of their own side's territorial rights.

Kosovo is not usually given the definite article ("the Kosovo") in English. Albanian usage varies (Kosova vs. Kosovë). The question does not arise in Slavic, which has no definite article. French has the definite article, le Kosovo. In German, no article, or the masculine or neuter articles, are variously used (Kosovo, der Kosovo, das Kosovo).

[edit] Metohija

Metohija (Метохија, alternatively spelled "Metohia"[citation needed]) derives from the Greek word metochia (μετόχια), a term which denotes church-owned land. Historically, the estates of the Serbian Orthodox Church were located principally in this region. The name does not indicate a modern administrative district. Albanians tend not to use the name, regarding it as a statement of Serbian territorial ownership (which they reject for political reasons), and instead prefer to call it Rrafsh i Dukagjinit, the "Dukagjin plateau".

[edit] Dardania

Some Kosovan Albanians refer to Kosovo as Dardania, the name of the ancient Roman province (later absorbed into Moesia) which covered the territory of modern Kosovo and part of the Republic of Macedonia. The former Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova had been an enthusiastic backer of a "Dardanian" identity and its flag and presidential seal refer to this national identity. However, it is not recognised by any international power and the name "Kosova" remains more widely used among the Albanian population.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Kossovo". Volume V15, Page 916 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
  2. ^ Ibid.
  3. ^ "The name Kosovo". Dr John-Peter Maher, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, Northeastern Illinois University

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.