TOPONOMASTYKA POLSKA PIERWSZEJ ĆWIERCI XXI W.: MIĘDZY TRADYCJĄ A NOWYMI PARADYGMATAMI BADAWCZYMI
POLISH TOPONOMAS­TICS IN THE FI RST QUARTER OF THE 21ST CENTURY: BETWEEN TRADI­TION AND NEW RESEARCH PARADIGMS

Summary/Abstract: The article offers a comprehensive overview of the current state and developmental trends of Polish toponymastics in the early 21st century, situating the subdiscipline at the intersection of established historical-etymological research traditions and emerging methodological paradigms. Drawing on data from Bibliografia onomastyki polskiej ('Bibliography of Polish onomastics') and an analysis of monographs, the study examines research dynamics within the field, noting a gradual decline in studies devoted to settlement, minor place names, and hydronyms, accompanied by a growing scholarly interest in urbanonyms. The article also addresses the evolution of toponymic lexicography, tracing the transition from long-term dictionary projects - such as Nazwy miejscowe Polski ('Polish Place Names') and Słownik etymologiczny nazw geograficznych Śląska ('Etymological Dictionary of Geographical Names of Silesia') - to contemporary digital initiatives, including Elektroniczny słownik hydronimów Polski ('Electronic Dictionary of Polish Hydronyms') and the database project Toponimia Polski ('Toponymy of Poland'). Furthermore, the analysis considers both the continuation of classical research orientations (regional, structuralist, and diachronic) and the emergence of new approaches, such as cognitive, cultural, sociolinguistic, ethnolinguistic, semiotic, and memory-based perspectives. The study also identifies current research directions related to specific classes of toponyms, including oikonyms, hydronyms, microtoponyms, urbanonyms, and exonyms, thus emphasizing the increasingly interdisciplinary character of contemporary toponymastic research.

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