Methodological challenges associated with compiling the place names of multilingual settlements Cover Image

A helynévgyűjtés módszertani problémái többnyelvű települések esetében
Methodological challenges associated with compiling the place names of multilingual settlements

Author(s): Barbara Bába, Előd Dudás, Márta Müller, Zsuzsa Szilágyi-Varga, Tamás Török
Subject(s): Language studies
Published by: Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem
Keywords: multilingual settlements; place names; toponymic fieldwork; methodology; Hungarian National Toponym Registry Program; phonetic transcription; bilingualism; German-Hungarian; Croatian-Hungarian; Romanian-Hungarian linguistic contacts; Hungarian minority

Summary/Abstract: The methodological challenges associated with compiling the place names of multilingual settlements have become particularly pressing in recent years, particularly in light of the ongoing data compilation efforts related to the Hungarian National Toponym Registry Program, launched in 2022. Comprehensive documentation of place names in such multilingual areas – covering all relevant languages – requires methodological approaches that differ significantly from those applied in monolingual contexts. Key issues that require clarification include the linguistic situation of multilingual settlements both in Hungary and in neighbouring countries; the methodological procedures employed during previous compilations; the techniques of collecting spoken language data under the current program; the challenges of assessing the linguistic characteristics of place names; problems relating to their phonetic transcription; and the various methods of presenting place name data in multilingual contexts. This study addresses the theoretical foundations and methodological experiences associated with these questions, with particular attention to the regions and languages which link the participating researchers and their empirical work.

  • Issue Year: 47/2025
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 9-29
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Hungarian
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