A Kyrgyz lawmaker wants to "de-Russify" Kyrgyz names by dropping the male and female name endings typically associated with ethnic Russian names.
Nurkamil Madaliyev, a lawmaker from the Ar-Namys (Dignity) party, told RFE/RL on Friday that he had sent a bill to the country's parliament regarding Kyrgyz names that were Russified during the Soviet era.
According to the bill, the Russian ending — "ov/ev" for men, and "ova/eva" for women — would be replaced with "tegin, which is the traditional Kyrgyz suffix and denotes "lineage of."
The bill would also see Russian patronymics that end in "ich" for men and "ovna/evna" for women replaced by the Kyrgyz endings "uulu" (son of) and "kyzy" (daughter of), respectively.
While many Kyrgyz citizens dropped their Russified names after the collapse of the Soviet Union, others have readopted them in recent years, saying it makes life easier as a migrant worker in Russia, the report said.
About 1 million Kyrgyz were earning their living in Russia as of December 2014, Reuters reported.
In the past 10 months alone, 38,000 Kyrgyz have officially Russified their names, RFE/RL reported Friday, citing Kyrgyz officials.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
