Commemorative Place Names — Their Specificity and Problems

This paper focuses on the distinctive features of a particular type of geographical name, referred to as commemorative place names: e.g. Bat´ov, Gottwaldov, Frunze, Leningrad, or Stalingrad. These features are illustrated with primarily Czech toponymic material, presented in comparison to Slovak, Russian, Yugoslav, and Bulgarian place names. Commemorative names display several specific and distinctive features as a consequence of their dependence on political regimes and ideologies. These features include the domination of naming above other onymic functions and the elevation of naming to a symbolic act; instability, manifested in frequent changes and renamings; high ideological value, reflected in the importance of equivalence between the place and its name; and certain difficulties involved in using such place names in everyday communication. These distinctive features could be considered compelling reasons for the establishment of a specific type of geographical name, termed “commemorative place names.”