Description linguistique en toponymie contrastive dans une base de données multilingue

Abstract

The project to establish a multi-lingual database of toponyms and its associated purpose to compare exonyms through 10 languages has stressed the necessity to analyze the toponyms, in particular the analysis of complex toponyms of the different languages by means of a global method. We determined the elements of the toponyms by means of a double dichotomy: proprial against appellative and generic against specific. Four different types of elements and an important number of possible combinations have been determined by this method, by which the toponyms can be sorted, classified and compared in one language as well as between different languages. The same method made it possible to describe French toponyms and mechanisms with regards to spelling as well as gender, number and use of articles. This description combined with the information given for each entry in the data base will serve as a guideline for the correct application of French toponyms in their context. The descriptions of the nine other languages are being established along the same principles. They will appear next to the French descriptions on the web-site of the dictionary for proper names. (Dictionnaire des noms propres: DiNoPro). This should enable users and in the long run non-French users, to have access to the same information for the other languages.

Keywords

• base de données multilingue
• toponyme
• endonyme
• exonyme
• appellatif
• proprial