Theoretical and practical issues relating to the linguistic classification of place names in a bilingual context

Insights from a comparative onomastic analysis of three settlements

Abstract

Linguistic and ethnolinguistic research based on place names has a long tradition, and in recent years, increased attention has been paid to the toponymic systems of multilingual regions. In connection with this, I conducted a study in three bilingual settlements: a Hungarian–Slovak community (Háromhuta), a Hungarian–Swabian community (Hercegkút), and a Hungarian–Rusyn community (Komlóska). During the research, several methodological challenges emerged. One of the main issues is that,
when working with data collected through spoken Hungarian, it is often difficult to clearly delineate whether a name belongs to the Slovak, Swabian, Rusyn, or Hungarian naming system. Another key aspect deserving special attention is the distinction between one-part and two-part place name structures. The most effective approach here is to base the analysis on the actual language and naming practices of the local speech community. The aim of this paper is to draw attention to these issues, which call for consideration not only from a theoretical, but also from a practical perspective. My findings are presented in two parts: first, I address the question of name affiliation with different naming systems; second, I examine the problems related to the delimitation of one-part and two-part place names, along with possible solutions.