I encourage the move taken by our President, however it must be applied to each and every citizen of TJK having name WITHOUT ‘ov’. Only then, it’ll be perfect.

Faramarz,

This is a hypothetical,

But let’s for a moment imagine, Rakhmonov would pass a law and name changing would be compulsory for everyone in TJK, including Russians. Then Ivanov would be Ivanzoda? Petrov - Petrovulloev? :)))))))

Did you know that in Lithuania all Russians bear Lithuanian endings on their last names?
Example: Vladimir Starkovs

But there is not tendency of name changes dropping -ev/-ov amongst the ethnic/’real’ Russians. The only examples I know of were Russians who migrated to the US and ‘americanised’ their first names (eg. Yevgenii became Eugene, Anastasia became Nancy).

The Russian name-endings were colonialist inheritance.

But this decision seems to be a blow to Russian politicians and Media. Many of the Russian media lashed out at the Tajik president for “discriminative norms/laws” and one even equated removing of Russian name-ending with what it termed “violence/abuse/oppression against Russian-speakers” in Tajikistan. What a nonsensical myth!

Firtsly, President Rahman did not order all Tajikistan’s citizens to change their names, he just observed the Language law that was in force since 1989. He changed his name according to that law so that other people, especially officials follow his example. There is nothing wrong with it, the politics of Tajikistan should have Tajik face, rather than Russian. By the way, until now many bureacrats created obstacles before parents naming their children in traditional way. Many parents paid so much in bribe in order for their children not to have Russian name-endings before. Rahman’s decision will simply ease the procedure of naming, which is the sole right of parents and removes obstacles created by bureacrats to this date.

Secondly, Pres. Rahman’s decision is not compulsory and anyone who wants to keep his/her Russian name-ending, he/she can keep. There is no compulsion.

Thirdly, Traditional Tajik naming only applies to Tajiks and local ethnic groups who had their own traditions of naming, it does not apply to Russian or Russian-speaking people of Tajikistan, who are free in chosing their names and naming their children.

The fact that as if Pres Rahman banned the last bell and farewell parties is also wrong. He did not ban the holidays or parties at all, he banned wrong ways of celebrating or organizing these events.

Nowadays many tajik graduates collect huge money and hire cars and drive around the cities and towns with no order, violating all norms and rules, last year five graduates died in an accident west of Dushanbe, tajik Capital. Such ways of organizing such events could be banned everywhere in the world. Everything has a limit and should be according to laws.

Best wishes,
Faramarz

true, but he is talking about the change in Russian society…