Name the places and their inhabitants
The name in French of the places of a country, a region, a city, their inhabitants… , is the science of place names.
Toponymy has a heritage dimension that is both rooted in the past and deeply current, because although the names of places and their inhabitants reflect linguistic and cultural diversity and belong to the heritage of France, new territorial entities, especially administrative ones, are regularly created. The French names of these new entities meet a number of criteria, including the rules of morphology, spelling and pronunciation of French. DGLFA is involved in the work of the National Geographical Names Commission (CNT) which oversees the conservation and development of French toponyms.
To designate foreign places, we use the form attested in current French use of exonyms – Spain is the French exonym of España, Rome that of Roma… – , inherited from French cultural or historical traditions that have spread into our vocabulary, for example, Canadian, clothing and a tent, Abyssinian, Afghan or Dalmatian, names of cats and dogs, madras and peking, fabrics, leather or suede, fine-grained fabrics…
As for the French names of the inhabitants and adjectives derived from place names, they must comply with the rules of morphology, spelling and pronunciation of French. The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs is responsible for determining the official names in French of the names of countries, capitals, diplomatic or consular offices, and of their inhabitants, taking into account local political and historical developments, and it is the Commission for the Enrichment of the French Language that publishes the list at Official journal.
The reference list of names of countries and inhabitants
The names of the countries, capitals, diplomatic or consular offices, and their inhabitants, which are adopted and recommended by the Commission d'enrichi de la langue française. Their employment is compulsory for public servants of the State.
This practical guide provides assistance to elected officials and decision-makers who must name a place (name selection, writing rules, etc.). It was published by the Commission nationale de toponymie, in collaboration with the National Council for Geolocated Information,theNational Institute for Geographic and Forest Information, and the General Delegation for the French Language and the Languages of France.
Resources of the National Geographical Names Commission (CNT)
The CNT, which is responsible for contributing to the conservation and coherent development of France’s toponymic heritage, offers on its website several inventories of toponyms and reference documents.
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