GDT: Finland Vs Slovakia | 12/30 @ 2PM ET | TSN/NHLN

[Stubu]

Yeah, but I mean it's pretty intriguing. I just found it interesting how it's Viro rather than Virolainen. In Central Europe you get plenty of people called after a nationality but never a country, and it's like that even in Hungarian AFAIK.

On the Slovak team you've got Nemec - German in Slovak. But also in Hungarian common names are Horvath (Croatian in Hungarian) or Toth (it was used to refer to non-Hungarian people in Hungarian empire, later it was mostly used to refer to Slovaks).

For sure, we have both kinds, Country & Western. Virolainen is actually a more common family name than Viro. Same way with Suomalainen ("Finnish") over Suomi ("Finland" or "Finn"). Back in the day I had an army buddy of the latter variety with the initials M.R. so of course he was "Mr Finland" throughout the service.

Fascinating stuff about the names in Slovak. So Bo Horvath's name has Hungarian-Croatian roots? The Austro-Hungarian empire was perhaps stronger in its latter often dismissed part...But it doesn't help nowadays that Orban's government is so unlikable. Wakey wakey, Magyars.

I have a pet liking for the now gone project of Czecho-Slovakia. A bit like our Sweden influenced Finland. It was a Central European model example of a democracy while it lasted, before the awful decades. I haven't had a chance to visit Slovakia yet but some friends tell me Bratislava simply rocks. Let's get this pandemic thing under the wraps first...

 

[Stubu]

Viro or Viru actually comes from Indo-European word Vir which means man. So basically northern Estonia is just "populated land"

So Eemil Viro is Eemil Man

Not necessarily. That kind of a basic concept would be native to the original language group, thus Uralic over Indo-European. Maybe a loan word took over?

Linguists disagree about the Baltic group (not Estonian but neighboring) being Indo-European or Proto-Indo-European, and then you have the possibility it was something else if not Uralic. (It's likely it wasn't Uralic. It's likely it was in fact Indo-European.)

(And we'd need to double-check on the etymology of "Vir", of course. But your theory makes so much sense it's just the probable one. Caveat lector, though, as usual.)

Once upon a time a jolly bunch of us attempted to discover how to order a pint of beer anywhere in Europe. We arrived at the Proto-Indo-European reconstruction of "one beer". The logic was, this should be dimly recognizable everywhere. We actually had success hollering our "oinos alu" and getting the table filled, so there's that.

 

[slovakiasnextone]

For sure, we have both kinds, Country & Western. Virolainen is actually a more common family name than Viro. Same way with Suomalainen ("Finnish") over Suomi ("Finland" or "Finn"). Back in the day I had an army buddy of the latter variety with the initials M.R. so of course he was "Mr Finland" throughout the service.

Fascinating stuff about the names in Slovak. So Bo Horvath's name has Hungarian-Croatian roots? The Austro-Hungarian empire was perhaps stronger in its latter often dismissed part...But it doesn't help nowadays that Orban's government is so unlikable. Wakey wakey, Magyars.

I have a pet liking for the now gone project of Czecho-Slovakia. A bit like our Sweden influenced Finland. It was a Central European model example of a democracy while it lasted, before the awful decades. I haven't had a chance to visit Slovakia yet but some friends tell me Bratislava simply rocks. Let's get this pandemic thing under the wraps first...

Ah, okay, thanks for the explanation, that makes sense.

Yes, it's possible with Horvath. Or it might be just that his ancestors were Croatian and they moved to a Hungarian speaking part of Austria-Hungary. A lot of people moved within the empire mainly as a result of colonization into parts which got depopulated in the various invasions in the middle ages. For example Horvath is one of the top 10 most common surnames in Slovakia and it could be a result of the fact that a lot of Croatians moved to the region surrounding Bratislava after the Battle of Mohacs. Also until today there is a significant Slovak minority in Vojvodina region of Serbia where they also moved during the days of the empire and a smaller one in Romania as well from those days.

As for Czechoslovakia, it's a bit strange for me. I was born when it still existed but have no memories of its existence, so the entire concept of it is a little difficult for me to grasp unlike my mum who even to this day will sometimes say that she feels like she's Czechoslovakian.

 

[FinPanda]

wrong thread

 

[Stubu]

Ah, okay, thanks for the explanation, that makes sense.

Yes, it's possible with Horvath. Or it might be just that his ancestors were Croatian and they moved to a Hungarian speaking part of Austria-Hungary. A lot of people moved within the empire mainly as a result of colonization into parts which got depopulated in the various invasions in the middle ages. For example Horvath is one of the top 10 most common surnames in Slovakia and it could be a result of the fact that a lot of Croatians moved to the region surrounding Bratislava after the Battle of Mohacs. Also until today there is a significant Slovak minority in Vojvodina region of Serbia where they also moved during the days of the empire and a smaller one in Romania as well from those days.

As for Czechoslovakia, it's a bit strange for me. I was born when it still existed but have no memories of its existence, so the entire concept of it is a little difficult for me to grasp unlike my mum who even to this day will sometimes say that she feels like she's Czechoslovakian.

The Battle of Mohacs... Epic, quick, and tragic. One of the decisive battlefield outcomes in European history. Yet some historians focus on trivial stuff like Hastings, or Mackleburg.

Not easy being small in this big honking union, haha.

Just don't ask any Finn about Kekkoslovakia. Just don't. There's too much sheer kek.

(And dear god I like our new PM. She's a skipper for the ship, not just a pretty face. Solid good outcomes so far.)

 

[Stubu]

wrong thread

Come on, historics is top of the bill now. And anyway, right thread anyday, you could say. It's no use being a nihilist, even unintentionally; and there's logically only one alternative view.

 

[FinPanda]

Come on, historics is top of the bill now. And anyway, right thread anyday, you could say. It's no use being a nihilist, even unintentionally; and there's logically only one alternative view.

I only wished new year but meant to post it to the Canada game thread, not this. lol.