Pre-Slavic minority languages and geographic names in Northwest Russia

Abstract

Substrate toponyms of Finno-Ugric origin in northwest Russia demonstrate the proposition in critical toponymy theory that place names, especially in contested spaces, are expressions of power relations. Special attention is given to hydronyms-place names for water features. Non-Slavic ethnic groups in the region are a declining percent of the population, and people speaking a Finno-Ugric language as their primary tongue are diminishing with urbanization, modernization, and continued Russification, even in the post-Soviet period. The employment of indigenous place names to attract Russian tourists creates commodification of place identity and presents itself a new form of hegemony.