Review article

Classification method in exonym studies

Ivana Crljenko ; The Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Exonyms are adapted names of foreign geographical features that differ from their original names (endonyms); e.g. Azija (Asia), Beč (Vienna), Prag (Prague), Rim (Rome), Sejšeli (Seychelles). They are an important part of the cultural heritage and linguistic identity of the community that created (and uses) them. They are researched on the international level by the Working Group on Exonyms, which operates within the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names. Only a few researchers study exonyms within the Croatian linguistic and geographical scientific communities. Analyses based on a large number of exonyms are especially rare. The purpose of this article is to contribute to a comprehensive study of exonyms by the development of an exonym classification method, and the aim is to propose possible classifications and explore their use. The results of exonym studies conducted using this method will be able to be compared with the results of similar studies carried out elsewhere. Country names have reached the highest degree of standardisation in Croatia, so they were used as an example of how to apply classification according to the motivation for naming and typology based on the way geographical names are adaptated into the Croatian language.

Keywords

exonyms; classification of exonyms; country names; toponymy; Croatian language

Hrčak ID:

182124

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/182124

Publication date:

26.5.2017.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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