Toponymy

The toponymy, also toponymy (from Greek topos τόπος 'place' and onoma ὄνομα 'Name' ), German toponymy, place names research; engaged as a branch of general onomastics and linguistic geography with all toponyms, ie locality name, in the general sense and place names.

Toponyms are key data types of geoinformatics and components of cartography and topography. They are the base category of the geography and topography of other celestial bodies.

Regarding the terms toponym, city name and Geoname

The term toponym ( with ὄνομα "Name"), German place name called in the geosciences and the customer name in a general sense, the name of any topographical object. The German expression is misleading insofar as he referred to as a place name in particular also the name of a settlement point and so we speak in toponyms of locality names. Also, the term field name can be seen in two senses.

In the modern Geoinformatics we group all toponyms, the term Geoname ( English abbreviation education to English geographical name) together, and thus refers to the entire cartographically captured Namensgut the earth's shape, official designations of surveying and alternative names. This includes the Namensgut that is captured in geographic information systems as a descriptor.

Synonymous with toponym is also talk of geographic names or topographic names.

Classification of toponyms

So sub toponym is meant in particular the names:

• Choronyme ( room name, chora, land, space '): certain regions and areas, in particular the political entities ( from the perspective of settlement geography, cultural history and other social sciences ) Landscape names: as continents, regions, land
• Names of countries / states name for administrative units: States, States, provinces, districts, municipalities
• Field names in the special sense, Ried name ( parcel, presumptuous country; hall, small-scale geographical space element ): districts to individual parcels, corridors, bath, districts, climes

• Oronyme ( oros, mountain '): mountain, mountain and hill regions, mountains and peaks, as well as levels Talungen
• Forests ( Drymonyme - drymos, forest, grove '), wetlands, meadows and fields, parks, and other biogenic, agricultural and forestry overprinted forms ( primary and secondary nature )
• Topographical features such as mountains and hills, and their parts, such as peaks, rocks and stones, and much more. - This group falls naturally to the concept of field names in the narrow sense largely along

• Oceans, seas, marine parts, rivers, streams, canals, lakes, ponds, ponds, pools
• I.w.S. the transition zones ( littoral, shore and shore, fluvial landforms and the like); as well as recent hydrology ( such as dry valleys ) and glazialmorphologische forms - Islands and peninsulas are generally considered to be Choronymen

• Urbannonyme: cities, urban agglomerations, villages, districts, municipal and residential places, individual farms, industrial areas and other more
• Building name, Oikodonyme ( oikodome, building '): Castles, monasteries, churches and other religious buildings ( Ekklesionyme - ekklesia, assembly place ') and Nekronyme ( nekros, Dead ') for burial sites, and individual living and working buildings ( house names in the narrow sense )

Socio- historical importance

Toponymy is an important auxiliary science of Historical Sciences and the Historical Geography: toponyms are time based often very stable and old age, and they document the history of settlement. Here the endonyms (own names) are as revealing as the exonyms ( foreign names). And waters ( hydronyms ) play a central role because they are the oldest surviving toponyms in many cases.

Also for the migration of individuals are the origin of the name - the data related to toponyms anthroponyma - particularly revealing. Here tabernacle names are particular to mention that represent the relation of the general toponyms to the place name in the strict sense.

Political significance

The toponymy can under certain circumstances also play a significant political role, especially in national or ethnic conflicts. Often the toponymy is exploited to carry out the proof that a certain area of a particular national or ethnic group is entitled. Examples in the German language are the toponymy during the German occupation of Poland 1939-1945, the former German eastern territories after 1945, the toponymy of Alsace-Lorraine and the toponymy of South Tyrol ( Prontuario dei nomi locali the Alto Adige by Ettore Tolomei ). Just the dispute over the latter is still very relevant.