Document Type : Original Article
Author
assistant professor of Institute for Cultural Heritage and Tourism
Abstract
Abstract
In recent decades, some countries have formally changed their “endonym” or “exonym”. Also, many countries have conflicts over the names of cities, rivers, mountains, islands, seas, or other geographical features. Also, given the importance and sensitivity of the issue, institutions have been established in many countries to review requests for changing geographical names. This study examines several instances of changes to the “endonym” and “exonym” of countries. Methodologically, this study is inductive, based on description and text analysis. In addition, related documents and the sociolinguistic, historical, political, economic, and international context or background of the subject are paid attention to. Among the findings of the article is that states change their names or give different names to cities and geographical features because of identity, political and economic motivations, or to distinguish themselves from other states, to improve their image in the international arena, or because of pressure from another country. In other words, the current research shows that in explaining the measures taken to change geographical names, a set of historical, political, economic, identity, and linguistic factors must be considered. However, in connection with the names of countries and explaining why some of them try to change their endonyms or exonyms, the concept of “face” is particularly useful, as it has been proposed in sociolinguistics in connection with human linguistic behaviors and the image that she/ he presents to society of herself/ himself, or the image that she/ he wants others to have of her/ him.
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