Surname distributions and linguistic-cultural identities in the Alto Adige-Südtirol Area (original) (raw)
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Surnames as Alleles: Spatial Distribution of Surnames in a Province of the Italian Alps
Journal of Biosocial Science, 2006
Summary.The present paper seeks to analyse the spatial distribution of surnames in the province of Belluno in the Italian Alps, and describes the internal mobility of the population taking into consideration one of the most important and ancient roads in the area. The study is based on the analysis of the similarity of the frequencies of some autochthonous surnames depending on their geographical distance apart. The population considered turned out to be basically sedentary. When forced to migrate, the population preferred to go far from their homeland rather than inside the area: this happened probably because the opportunities that the province of Belluno could offer were quite scarce throughout the whole territory, and people hoped to improve their economic situation by going abroad.
The present paper seeks to analyse the spatial distribution of surnames in the province of Belluno in the Italian Alps, and describes the internal mobility of the population taking into consideration one of the most important and ancient roads in the area. The study is based on the analysis of the similarity of the frequencies of some autochthonous surnames depending on their geographical distance apart. The population considered turned out to be basically sedentary. When forced to migrate, the population preferred to go far from their homeland rather than inside the area: this happened probably because the opportunities that the province of Belluno could offer were quite scarce throughout the whole territory, and people hoped to improve their economic situation by going abroad.
The surnames of populations of the municipalities with Cimbro and Mòcheno origins are compared with each other and with other municipalities of the neighbourhood. This study starts from the supposition that a community of surnames shares a common cultural origin, maintained by reciprocal mobility. The analysis has been carried out by using estimates of the similarities between populations, the topological representations obtained by them and the spatial autocorrelation. On the whole, this research shows no evidence of peculiar distinctions between the populations that share Cimbro and Mòcheno origins compared to the neighbouring ones. Moreover, there is not any evident process of undifferentiated diffusion along all the directions. On the contrary, it is emphasized that belonging to the same geographic collocation and to the same administrative subdivision mostly influences the similarity between populations. The exception is the Cimbro municipality of Luserna, which presents a peculiar structure of surnames different from other municipalities of the same territory.
An analysis of the spatial distribution of surnames in the Lecco area (Lombardy, Italy)
American Journal of Human Biology, 1999
The internal mobility of the population of the province of Lecco (Lombardy, Italy) was evaluated on the basis of the frequency of characteristic surnames in three territorial areas as a function of their geographical distance. Nearly three fourths of the patterns are statistically significant in one of the three areas, where the process of diffusion of surnames could be interpreted as due to socioeconomic factors. On the contrary, a similar distribution is less evident in the other two areas of the same territory. Am. J.
The structure in surnames of some communities of the Dolomitic area, where there is a relevant component of the Ladin language, are compared with each other and with other communities of the neighbourhood, where there is no Ladin tradition or idiom. The research, that tries to evaluate the presence of a cultural and behavioural identity of the Ladin populations, starts from the supposition that a community of surnames is equivalent to a common cultural origin maintained by a reciprocal mobility. The analyses that have been carried out using estimates of the similarities between populations, the topological representations obtained by them and the spatial autocorrelation, show no evidence of the presence of a higher similarity between the populations that share Ladin traditions and idiom, nor the presence of preferential exchanges between them and not even the process of undiferentiated diffusion along all the directions; they show instead, in the geographic collocation, the belonging to the same province or to the same valley, the phenomenon that has more influence on the similarity between populations and the mobility of individuals, thus indicating that this is the cause which most conditions exchange between populations.
Homo-journal of Comparative Human Biology, 2018
We explored the relationships among Sardinian populations by means of a spatial analysis of surnames in five villages in the historical-geographical zone of Barbagia di Belvì, a mountainous area traditionally devoted to sheep-rearing and the point of departure of transhumance toward lowland areas. We collected the surnames of 19 th century Sardinian populations through the Status Animarum (parish censuses). The structures of past populations were compared with current ones based on surnames reported in telephone directories. The lowland villages studied have been the final destination of transhumance and have a different historical, cultural and economic background. The spread of surnames in Sardinia may have occurred also by means of transhumance, occurring every year along precise routes from the pastoral mountain zones to the agricultural plains. We used the standardized index of Chen and Cavalli-Sforza to calculate the relationships among the five villages of Barbagia di Belvì (Aritzo, Belvì, Desulo, Gadoni and Tonara). Application of nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling to the isonymy matrices showed that the villages of Barbagia di Belvì form a group that has changed very little over time. Transhumance routes were studied by Spatial Autocorrelation (Moran's I) applied to surnames. The results suggest that there has been an appreciable admixture between the Sardinian populations of the mountain villages of the central areas and the populations of southern lowland villages.
American Journal of Human Biology, 1999
The internal mobility of the population of the province of Lecco (Lombardy, Italy) was evaluated on the basis of the frequency of characteristic surnames in three territorial areas as a function of their geographical distance. Nearly three-quarters of the patterns are statistically significant in one of the three areas, where the process of diffusion of surnames could be interpreted as due to socioeconomic factors. On the contrary, a similar distribution is less evident in the other two areas of the same territory.
The Border Effect in Surname Structure: An Italian-Slovenian Case Study
Human Biology, 2011
Population surname structure in northeastern Italy municipalities, in which small Slovenian-speaking groups are present, are compared with neighboring populations of both Italian and Slovenian nationality. In the early 20th century those municipalities were part of the Italian territory and underwent a massive Italianization process that led to the mutation of the original Slovenian surnames into a derived Italian form. In order to track surname relationships among the examined communities, two different similarity analyses were performed: the first using the surnames as they are recorded in the Italian and Slovenian official telephone directories, and the second restoring the Italianized Slovenian surnames to their original form and then recalculating the populations' similarity. Both comparisons evidence a separation that depends on nationality, which is less marked after restoring surnames to their original form. Geographical elements, older historical events, and socioeconomic traits allow interpretation of these results.
In this study we have compared the structure of surnames of Slovenian and German (Carinthian) minorities of northeastern Italy with other municipalities of the neighbourhood. The analysis has been carried out by using estimates of the similarities between populations and the topological representation obtained by them, as well as the spatial autocorrelation. On the whole, this research shows some distinctions which depend on the territorial geography, especially in the mountainous area. Moreover, movements of individuals in the limited zones of the plain are evident, probably due to socioeconomic conditions, the moving of the people and their change of dwelling. Finally, it is probable that different Slovenian dialects generated characteristic structures of surnames which were well preserved in the most peripherical municipalities of the territory.