Milan Majtán and the Beginnings of Literary Onomastics in Slovakia

Résumé

The article highlights the significant contributions of Slovak linguist and onomastician Milan Majtán (1934–2018) to the field of literary onomastics. His theoretical and methodological foundations played a crucial role in shaping the study of literary proper names in Slovakia. As a pioneer in the discipline, Majtán’s work inspired a new generation of linguists and literary scholars to further develop and expand the field. The text explores the key characteristics of his research, with particular emphasis on his studies of literary onomastics and the distinctive features of proper names in the works of Slovak authors, as identified through his scholarship. In conclusion, the article notes that Majtán’s contributions to literary onomastics were republished in the volume Štúdie z literárnej onomastiky (“Studies in Literary Onomastics”) to commemorate the 90th anniversary of his birth.