ONOMASTICS ONLINE: Croatian exonyms the use, projects, publications

 

The lecture series Onomastics Online continued on 9 October 2025 with a lecture presented by Ivana Crljenko (University of Zadar, Croatia) with the title "Croatian exonyms the use, projects, publications". Abstract: In Croatia, exonyms have long been used in literature, scholarly publications, maps, and everyday communication. Despite that, until recently, their writing and use were not addressed systematically and comprehensively. There were only very general orthographic rules for writing individual types of exonyms. The result was uneven writing and use on maps and in school textbooks, which was then transferred to the media and the public. However, in the past twelve years, the first steps in this field have been taken. Within the framework of two projects, exonyms that occur in the oldest and some new sources were listed, recommendations for writing individual exonyms were given, a comparison of the exonymization process in the Croatian and Slovenian languages was made, and manuals and papers on the subject were published. A national Commission for Standardization of Geographical Names was established. Despite all this, exonyms have not yet been standardized, so inconsistencies continue to appear. The Slovenian-Croatian project that should draw up guidelines for the standardization of exonyms and recommend standardized exonyms in Croatia is currently in the process of evaluation. The lecture briefly describes the problems of writing and use, as well as the activities and publications related to exonyms. Connect with the speaker: https://nstgospic.unizd.hr/nastavnici... Onomastics Online (ICOS – International Council of Onomastic Sciences) is a series of online lectures dealing with important timely topics related to names and naming. Presented by distinguished scholars from various academic backgrounds, the lectures demonstrate the importance and the multidisciplinary nature of onomastic research. To see the list of upcoming and past lectures, please visit our webpage at: https://icosweb.net/onomastics-online/. Previous lectures can be found on our YouTube channel:    / @theinternationalcouncilofo2460  . If you are interested in ICOS membership, please see the details here: https://icosweb.net/membership/member.... For updates and scholarly engagement, connect with us on any of our platforms: YOUTUBE    / @theinternationalcouncilofo2460   LINKEDIN   / 4081415   FACEBOOK   / icosweb   X https://x.com/ICOSnews

Lecture "CROATIAN EXONYMS: THE USE, PROJECTS, PUBLICATIONS"

 Onomastics Online — Next lecture: 9 October 2025, 17:00–18:00 (UTC+2)

Speaker: Ivana Crljenko

Exonyms - names used in one language for places located in another (think Venice for Venezia) - are everywhere in maps, media, textbooks and everyday speech. But how should they be written? When are they helpful, and when do they create confusion? This Onomastics Online talk takes us to Croatia, where new scholarly work and national initiatives are reshaping how exonyms are documented, standardized, and communicated to the public.

What to expect

• A clear overview of Croatian exonyms: how they emerged, where they’re used, and why they matter.

• A tour of recent projects and publications that catalogue and evaluate exonyms.

• Practical questions of orthography, consistency, and standardization in maps, education, and public communication.

• Time for Q&A with the speaker.

How to attend

1. Register (free) here:  – you’ll receive joining details by email.

Whether you work in onomastics, cartography, education, media - or you’re simply curious about how names travel across languages - this hour will offer concrete insights and resources.