Wherein lies the heritage value of place names?

0582549 - EÚ 2024 BE eng J - Journal Article
Mácha, Přemysl
Wherein lies the heritage value of place names?
Onoma. Roč. 58 (2023), s. 19-35. ISSN 0078-463X
Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) StrategieAV21/23
Program: StrategieAV
Institutional support: RVO:68378076
Keywords : intangible cultural heritage * place names * heritage conservation
OECD category: Antropology, ethnology
Method of publishing: Open access
https://onomajournal.org/wherein-lies-the-heritage-value-of-place-names/

There is a growing academic consensus that place names represent
a valuable form of intangible cultural heritage of humanity and therefore they deserve
systematic recognition and protection. However, when we attempt to put this idea into
practice, we run into many problems. First, we have to define the heritage value of
place names and establish the object of protection efforts. Second, we have to weigh
political, moral, and practical implications of specific choices, set protection priorities
and select from alternative courses of action each of which has its advantages and
disadvantages. Finally, we have to reflect self-critically on our protection efforts in
order to honour the dynamic nature of toponymic systems and allow people to choose
or coin place names for the places which are important to them. The paper discusses
the most important dilemmas we face in place-name recognition and protection and
suggests possible solutions to some of them.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0350677