앗시리아인의 이름, 정체성의 뱃지 : 현대 이라크 앗시리아인의 이름 짓기

Abstract

An Assyrian name which is taken from ancient Assyrian history such as Ashur, Sargon, and Ninos is one of the most salient identity markers of the Assyrians like “a badge of cultual identity” as Hanks and Hodges refer. Also, the usage of these ancient names is often taken as a proof of Assyrian continuity over thousand years. However, the naming pattern tends to change over the course of time either voluntarily, or sometimes by force. Especially an increase of ancient Assyrian names, besides Assyrian religious names, seems to be quite a modern practice along with rise of the Assyrian national movement. This article is an empirical examination of names and naming behavior of contemporary Assyrians in Iraq, a minority Christian group which is experiencing the most drastic population decrease in the twenty first century in the Middle East. The study finds that traditional Assyrian naming pool for a newborn baby was expanded from a preferably a grandparent’s name or from one of the relatives’ to famous Assyrians such as ones in ancient Assyrian history and Assyrian church history. The rise of modern Assyrian nationalism inevitably resulted in this expansion of naming pool since widely used names before the nationalism were mostly religious names. At the same time, this change shows that the focal point of self-identity of Assyrians had been shifted from a religiously defined one to an ethnic nationalism. For being an Assyrian is presumed to be Christian, Assyrian names regardless of their religious origins tend to be perceived as Christian. Ancient Assyrian names and Christian names in Assyrian language make up about eighty percent of male names, meaning these names do differentiate Assyrians from other sectarian groups in the region. As a minority group, though these names are a group marker, an expression of the identity and a source of pride, they may lead the name holders to social discrimination and sometimes harrassment, in addition to distortion in pronunciation when written in Arabic, the official language. Adoption of Arabic names is consciously rejected as it is considered as a part of larger Arabicization, hence the loss of distinct identity. On the other hand, adoption of Western names, especially Western version of Christian names, is voluntary and increasing despite some concern for the loss of identity. They are considered more fashionable and modern but still Christian, hence a continuation of identity. The study also confirms the general conservativeness in male naming. Assyrian males tend to use nationalistic names and religious names more in Assyrian language, comparing to female names which are more sensitive to fashion and aesthetic elements, have more religiously neutral names and adopt more Western form of Christian names. One can foretell that ongoing ordeal of Assyrians in Iraq and the consequent mass emigration will enhance the adoption of Western names, if not emerges a new trend in Assyrian naming.