Prerequisits:

Second-cycle Bologna degree or a university (level VII) degree.

Content (Syllabus outline):

• Toponymy as a discipline and its role in the humanities
• Formation of geographical names; onymization and transonymization
• The grammatical behavior of geographical proper names, the formation of derivatives, and appellativization
• Etymology and stratification
• Standardization and standardizing bodies
• Exonymization
• Transcription and transliteration
• Databases
• Names as cultural heritage
• Multilingualism and the legal framework for the use of minority names

Readings:

• Dobrovoljc, H., Černivec, M., Geršič, M. (uredniki) 2020: Živim v Bukovem Vrhu pod Bukovim vrhom: o spremembi pravopisnega pravila za pisanje zemljepisnih imen. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana.
• Dobrovoljc, H., Lengar Verovnik, T., Vranjek Ošlak, U., Michelizza, M., Weiss, P., Gliha Komac, N. 2020: Kje pa vas jezik žuli? Založba ZRC, Ljubljana. (Izbrana poglavja)
• Geršič, M. 2020: Pokrajinska imena kot dejavnik identitete. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana.
• Geršič, M., Kumin Horvat, M., Logar, E., Perko, D., Pipan, P. 2024: Zemljepisna imena Slovenskega Porabja. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana.
• Giraut, F., Houssay-Holzschuch, M. 2022: The Politics of Place Naming. Iste Ltd, London in John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Hoboken.
• Kladnik, D., Ciglič, R., Hrvatin, M., Perko, D., Repolusk, P., Volk, M. 2013: Slovenski eksonimi. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana
• Kladnik, D., Perko, D. 2013: Slovenska imena držav. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana.
• Kladnik, D., Perko, D., Geršič, M. 2020: Slovenian geographical names. Acta geographica Slovenica 60-3.
• Naftali, K. 2000: Toponymy: The Lore, Laws and Language of Geographical Names. Vantage Press, New York.
• O’Reilly, G (urednik) 2023: Place Naming, Identities and Geography. Springer, Cham.
• Sabbar Abdel, H. 2018 The toponymy of an endangered Nubian language. Oxford.
• Šimunović, P. 2009: Uvod u hrvatsko imenoslovlje. Golden marketing – Tehnička knjiga, Zagreb.

Objectives and competences:

The aim of this course is to introduce the latest concepts of toponymy in order to provide a deep understanding of the linguistic, historical, cultural and spatial aspects of geographical names. The linguistic aspect of names will also be presented, including their orthography (principles of adaptation), inflection and structure, usage in texts, and the changes in their referents, also from a semantic perspective.

Special attention will be paid to the role of place names as an integral part of the linguistic corpus of a given language, including their symbolic and identity-related meaning and sociolinguistic role in different social contexts.

In addition to the use of classical sources (cartographic, historical, archival), the course emphasises the training of students in modern research methods. Students are methodically enabled to use geographic information systems (GIS), digital tools and approaches from the digital humanities. They are also familiarised with the basic principles of corpus linguistics, which enable an analytical and data-supported investigation of place names in space.

Particular attention is paid to political, cultural and ideological factors that influence the use, change and preservation of geographical names. Topics include toponymy in the context of linguistic and national minorities, changes in place names in colonial and post-colonial contexts, toponymy as part of intangible cultural heritage and the use of names in urban and multicultural environments.

The course encourages critical thinking, an interdisciplinary approach and independent research.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• analyse geographical names in terms of linguistic structure, historical development and social function;
• independently use digital tools to collect, analyse and visualise toponymic data;
• formulate research questions and carry out field research to record local place names;
• critically evaluate toponymy as an expression of social power, political decisions and language policy.

As part of the course requirements, students will produce an independent seminar paper based on a selected research problem, source analysis and the application of modern tools and approaches.

Intended learning outcomes:

• Describes the role and specific features of geographical names in the language corpus.
• Interprets the geographical nomenclature of Slovenia.
• Critically analyzes sources and formulates a proposal for the appropriate use of a geographical name.

Learning and teaching methods:

Types of learning/teaching:

• Frontal teaching
• Work in smaller groups or pair work
• Independent students work
• e-learning

Teaching methods:

• Explanation
• Conversation/discussion/debate
• Work with texts
• Case studies
• Different presentation
• Inviting guests from companies

Assessment:

• Long written assignments (50 %)
• Final examination (written/oral) (50 %)

Lecturer’s references:

• Dobrovoljc, H. Černivec, M., 2023: (Ne)standardizirana slovenska zemljepisna imena v uradnih virih in pravopisnih priročnikih. V: MARUŠIČ, Franc (ur.), et al. Škrabčevi dnevi 13 : zbornik prispevkov s simpozija 2023. Nova Gorica: Založba Univerze, 2025. Str. 88
• Dobrovoljc, Helena. Pisanje začetnice v predložnih lastnih imenih. V: JAKOP, Nataša (ur.), et al. Pravopisna stikanja : razprave o pravopisnih vprašanjih. Ljubljana: Založba ZRC, 2012. Str. 51-61.
• Dobrovoljc, H. 2012–2025: Odgovori na vprašanja o zemljepisnih imenih – Jezikovna svetovalnica. Založba ZRC, Ljubljana.
• Geršič, M. 2017: Changing denotations of selected Slovenian choronyms / Spreminjanje denotata izbranih slovenskih pokrajinskih imen. Acta geographica Slovenica 57-1.
• Kladnik, D., Crljenko, I., Čilaš Šimpraga, A., Geršič, M. 2017: A comparison of Croatian and Slovenian exonyms. Acta geographica Slovenica 57-1.
• Geršič, M., Černivec, M., Dobrovoljc, H. 2024: Preimenovanje prelaza Ljubelj v Stari Ljubelj. Geografski vestnik 96-1.