Adequate Minority Place-Name Representation on Topographic Maps

Abstract

Besides representation of their place names in public space (in the linguistic landscape) on town signs, road signs, public buildings, etc., finding their names also on topographic maps, notably official topographic maps, is very important for autochthonous linguistic minorities residing in a place already for many generations. They regard this as recognizing their presence and their share in the place. It also means supporting their emotional ties to the place and is, thus, also in the interest of the majority since it strengthens the minority’s loyalty to the majority and their common political entity. Based on Ferjan Ormeling’s seminal work (Ormeling in Minority Toponyms on Maps. The Rendering of Linguistic Minority Toponyms on Topographic Maps of Western Europe (= Utrechtse geografische studies, 30). Utrecht, 1983), later literature and the author’s (together with Přemysl Mácha et al.) recent comparative study of southern Carinthia (Austria) and the Těšín/Cieszyn region (Czechia) (Jordan et al. 2021), the paper endeavors to substantiate that the following are criteria of an adequate minority place-name representation on topographic maps: (a)Share of minority place names in local use represented on the map(b)Consistency of minority place-name representation across feature categories(c)Consistency of minority place-name representation across map scales(d)Visual representation of minority in relation to majority place names