Functions of geographical names and the use of endo- And exonyms

Abstract

In most cases the use of endo- and exonyms takes place within a text produced in a natural language. Geographical names are linguistic signs and fulfil in communication general functions of language as well as some additional specific functions that are typical of proper names only. Therefore, the description and assessment of endo- and (particularly) exonym use should take these functions into account. The aim of this paper is to propose a set of functions of geographical names, which, however, does apply to proper names in general as well. The set shall be useful in the evaluation of the use of exonyms. Some basic assumptions of the semiotic theory of proper name semantics are discussed in the paper. A concise presentation of Jakobson’s (general) functions of language is made and the two possible perspectives in the description of toponym functions are discussed: the naming act and the subsequent use of a name. The paper provides a brief survey of selected theoretical stands on the functions of proper names taken by (Slavic) onomastics. These theoretical proposals are then compared with the functions listed by Jakobson. Finally, an extended set of communicative functions of toponyms is proposed and then applied to the description of endo- and exonym use.