S13: Exonyms
 
 

11. Categories of exonyms

 


Pronunciation-exonyms vs orthographic exonyms:

Pronunciation-exonyms (pronounced differently): Paris (Eng) vs Paris (Fr)

Orthographic exonyms (pronounced the same): Moescroen (Dutch) vs Mouscroun (Fr)


Exonym categories based on their development:

  • Exonyms resulting from transcription (Constanţa > Konstantsa)

  • Exonyms resulting from simple adaptation (København > Kopenhagen)

  • Exonyms due to separate development from common origin
    (Colonia > Cologne, Köln, Keulen)

  • Exonyms resulting from different origins (Hellas/Greece/Junani)
    (Deutschland/Allemagne/Saksa/Germany/Németország
    )

  • Exonyms due to translation (Ecuador > l’Equateur; Kaapstad > Cape Town)


Exonym categories based on object categories:

  • Names for independent countries

  • Names of other administrative units

  • Names for historical and geographical regions

  • Names of hydrographic features

  • Names of other physical features

  • Names of settlements


Time aspects of exonyms:

  • Contemporary exonyms (in current use)

  • Historical/obsolete exonyms (current in the past)


Historical exonyms are not the same as Historical names!

 

 
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Copyright United Nations Statistics Division and International Cartographic Association, July 2012