Kosova (disambiguation): Difference between revisions
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'''Kosova''' (pronounced "ko-SO-vah") is the [[Albanian language|Albanian]] spelling for the southern [[Serbia|Serbian]] province of [[Kosovo and Metohia]]. [[Albania|Albanians]] tend to use "Kosova" exclusively in preference to the Serbian name, which many of them reject as a symbol of Serbian dominance over the ethnic Albanian majority in the province. It is also occasionally spelled as Kosovë; this is a feature of Albanian grammar, which changes the ending of words according to the position of the word in the sentence. |
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Some Albanian researchers claim that the name "Kosovo" is a Serbian form of an old Albanian placename meaning "high plain". However, this is not a widely accepted theory. It is generally believed that the name derives from the [[Slavic]] word ''kos'' (or "[[blackbird]]"). "Kosovo" is a widely used placename in Slav countries, used for a number of localities in [[Belarus]], [[Bosnia]], [[Bulgaria]], [[Croatia]] and [[Russia]]. The Albanian form "Kosova" would thus be an Albanian version of a Slavic placename. |
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Within the province, which is administered by the [[United Nations]] following the [[1999]] [[Kosovo War]], the name "Kosova" is almost exclusively used in Albanian-populated areas and "Kosovo" in the Serb-populated north. The international community tries to steer a middle path by referring to "Kosovo/Kosova", although in practice the Serbian variant is still the most frequently used. |
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During the Kosovo War, [[United States]] President [[Bill Clinton]] was criticised by some for frequently using "Kosova" and appearing to pronounce "Kosovo" the Albanian way, putting the emphasis on the middle syllable rather than on the first syllable as in the Serbian pronunciation. This may, however, have been a simple mispronounciation and was at least closer to the correct form than President [[George W. Bush]]'s description of the province's inhabitants as "Kosovians". |
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===See also=== |
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* [[Albania]] |
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* [[Serbia]] |
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===References=== |
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* "Conflict in the Balkans: West has ditched 'Kosovo'" - ''Daily Telegraph'', London, April 22, 1999 |
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* "Kosovo or Kosova? A world of difference - President Clinton's pronunciation is a loaded issue for the Balkans" - ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', April 2, 1999 |
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Revision as of 14:04, 16 March 2004
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