Slovak exonyms and some of their current problems

Valentová, Iveta

doi:https://doi.org/10.17651/ONOMAST.65.1.2

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Title: Slovak exonyms and some of their current problems

Abstract:

Exonyms are an integral part of every language, history and material and spiritual culture of individual nations. Slovak, like any other language, has the right to adapt foreign names to its needs. There is no doubt about the social importance and significance of the standardization of geographical names, including exonyms, also for communication and exact identification of the object. When standardizing exonyms as well as other kinds of toponyms, it is necessary to take into account not only the language system and the literary language, but also the forms used in various spheres of communication. Social and political factories of international character have a much greater influence on the standardization of exonyms, in comparison to other kinds of toponyms. The paper deals with the definition of the term exonym and the suitability of the Slovak domestic term “vžitý názov” (conventional name), given that some exonyms are not characterized by the sign of ‘conventionality’, i. e. the standardized form is no longer used, or the form that is not used in communication is standardized. The author briefly characterizes the basic types of Slovak exonyms and some of their orthographic problems, which were solved in the past, the principles of standardization of exonyms and recommendations in connection with the use of exonyms and endonyms. The next part of the paper is devoted to some current issues related to the standardization of some exonyms, such as the standardization of the abbreviated Slovak names of the state “Spojené kráľovstvo, Veľká Británia” (United Kingdom, Great Britain), the standardization of two Slovak exonyms for one object or previously standardized forms of Slovak exonyms for some names of municipalities in Hungary with a Slovak national minority, which are not used today among Slovaks in Hungary. A long-term problem is incorrectly formed and used exonyms of Slovak geographical objects in translations of Slovak texts into foreign languages.