Yugoslavia gropes for names

What do you call a citizen of a country called Serbia and Montenegro? A Serbonegrin? The question has been on the lips of many here since what used to be Yugoslavia converted earlier this week into a new state now called simply after its two republics: Serbia and Montenegro. ‘‘It is easy to rename a state like this,’’ notes Rankobugarski, a linguist and professor at Belgrade’s faculty of philology. ‘‘But there are no good solutions for how to call its citizens.’’ The renaming problem is one that will irk the former Yugoslavs for some time to come, and not only when it comes to defining their nationality. For example, the country’s national carrier, which for decades has been called Yugoslav Airlines, or JAT.

Or, what will become of the Internet extension .Yu, or the only car manufactured here, called Yugo, or thousands of companies that have Yugo or Yugoslavia incorporated in their name? Is it conceivable to cheer on Serbia and Montenegro, like the national soccer team, or the basketball team. Or is the new country’s name just too long and clumsy? The even more nagging question is how do people ignore a name that has been their national identity for so long?

Hardly any name changes have taken place since February 4 when the new state was proclaimed. The only institutions that are using the new country name seem to be foreign embassies.