Exonyms and other geographical names

Abstract

Geographical names are proper names of geographical features. They are characterized by different meanings, contexts, and history. Local names of geographical features (endonyms) may differ from the foreign names (exonyms) for the same feature. If a specific geographical name has been codified or in any other way established by an authority of the area where this name is located, this name is a standardized geographical name. In order to establish solid common ground, geographical names have been coordinated at a global level by the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) since 1959. It is assisted by twenty-four regional linguistic/geographical divisions. Among these is the East Central and South-East Europe Division, with seventeen member states. Currently, the division is chaired by Slovenia. Some of the participants in the last session prepared four research articles for this special thematic issue of Acta geographica Slovenica. All of them are also briefly presented in the end of this article.

Syungu Namutitima or Victoria Falls? Contest for place and place naming

“…This study uses critical toponymyic theory (CTT) in data analysis. In CTT, toponyms are examined in the context of political situations and power struggles over landscape/place and place naming (Vuolteenaho and Berg 2009;Perko, Jordan and Komac 2017;Wideman and Masuda 2018). This approach to toponymy has been justified by Perko et al's (2017) observation that individually or severally, people never have the same privileges to name places.…”

“…Consequently, place names reflect and promote the ideologies and interests of those who are privileged to bestow names to places, while the ideologies and interests of those who are not privileged to bestow names are suppressed. Perko et al (2017) note that toponyms may also embody cultural heritage vital in the establishment and reproduction of social identities. At the same time, toponyms may be replete with contested histories, different interpretations and emotions, a state of affairs that does not accord them neutrality.…”

“…CTT is able to expose the ways in which place names can be used in claiming territories and in removing linguistic traces of native groups (Rose-Redwood, Alderman and Azaryahu 2010). This is possible because the theory examines the connection between power and toponymy (Perko et al 2017). In other words, CTT is able to interrogate and expose the contest for landscape.…”

Challenges in the transformation of Slovene geographical names into Arabic

“…Some different articles have been published recently in Slovene journals in which Slovene exonyms have been analyzed (Kladnik 2007;2009;Kladnik et al 2017;Perko, Jordan and Komac 2017). They only emphasize the exonymization in the Slovene language.…”

“…V zadnjem času so bili v Sloveniji objavljeni različni članki, ki obravnavajo slovenske eksonime (Kladnik 2007;2009;Kladnik s sodelavci 2017;Perko, Jordan in Komac 2017). Prav v vseh je pou darjena eksonimizacija v slovenskem jeziku.…”