Vonatnevek Magyarországon

Absztrakt

Train names in Hungary

The study outlines the development of giving names to means of transport and describes the motivations behind the naming. It analyses in detail the development of train names. On the basis of an almost complete list of train names in Hungary, it examines domestic and international train names separately. The names discussed are divided into main groups and subgroups. The paper describes the characteristics of “good” and “bad” train names and outlines spelling and pronunciation problems. It also offers insight into informal train names and describes the background of the name giving. In addition to domestic examples, it also provides insight into the naming principles of railway companies in neighbouring countries. The paper concludes that naming practices in almost all countries give priority to geographical names (country, part of country, region, mountain, water). In addition, the names of famous people, historical figures, saints, artists (painters, sculptors, composers, writers, performers) have also been included in railway timetables, as have the names of landmarks (buildings, natural features), characters from novels and fairy tales. Latin names have also been given a prominent role in train names. The study also outlines the possibilities for further developments in the practice of naming trains.