# Choronym

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{{Short description|Toponyms (place names) for regions or countries}}
{{linguistics}}
'''Choronym''' (from {{langx|el|χώρα}} 'region' or 'country' and {{langx|el|ὄνομα}} 'name') is a [linguistic](/source/linguistic) term that designates a [proper name](/source/proper_name) of an individual [region](/source/region) or a [country](/source/country). The study of regional and country names is known as choronymy, or choronymics. Since choronyms are a subclass of [toponyms](/source/toponyms), choronymic studies represent a distinctive [subfield](/source/subfield_(science)) of toponymic studies and belong to the wider field of [onomastic](/source/onomastic) studies.

Choronymic studies are primarily focused on questions related to the origin ([etymology](/source/etymology)) and meanings ([semantics](/source/lexical_semantics)) of choronyms. Since names of regions and countries have great historical, cultural, political and social significance, the field of choronymic studies is closely related to [sociolinguistic](/source/sociolinguistic) and [ethnolinguistic](/source/ethnolinguistic) studies.{{sfn|Dorion|Hamelin|1976|p=6-13}}{{sfn|Room|1996|p=20}}

The term ''choronym'' was introduced to [linguistic](/source/linguistic) terminology in the second half of the 20th century.{{sfn|Dorion|Hamelin|1966|p=195-211}}{{sfn|Dorion|1975|p=4-12}}{{sfn|Kapfhammer|1989|p=32-34}}

==Typology==
Choronyms can be classified by several criteria, primarily related to their origin (etymology) or meaning (semantics).

According to their origin ([etymology](/source/etymology)), choronyms are divided in two basic groups:
* Endonymic choronyms, known as endochoronyms,{{sfn|Munteanu|2009|p=746}} represent regional or country names of [endonymic](/source/endonymic) (native) origin, created and used by native populations of those territories. For example, term ''Deutschland'' is an endochoronym (native name) for a country that is called ''Germany'' in English.
* Exonymic choronyms, known as exochoronyms,{{sfn|Kozlovskaya|2017|p=235}} represent regional or country names of [exonymic](/source/exonymic) (foreign) origin that are created and used by those who do not belong to the native population of a referred territory. For example, the term ''Germany'' is an exochoronym (foreign name) used in English as a designation for a country that is called ''Deutschland'' by its native population.

According to their meanings ([semantics](/source/Lexical_semantics)), choronyms can also be divided into:
* Natural, or geographical choronyms: proper names of natural (geographical) regions, spanning from names of local geographical areas, to regional names of global significance (''Scandinavia'', ''Amazon'', ''Sahel'', ''Siberia'', ''Africa'') 
* Political, or administrative choronyms: proper names of political (administrative) regions (counties, provinces, states, state unions).{{sfn|Room|1996|p=3}}

==See also==
{{columns-list|colwidth=25em|
* [List of country-name etymologies](/source/List_of_country-name_etymologies)
* [List of country names in their native languages](/source/List_of_country_names_in_their_native_languages)
* [List of ISO 3166 country codes](/source/List_of_ISO_3166_country_codes)
}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Dorion|first=Henri|title=New Perspectives in Choronymic Research|journal=Canoma: News and Views on Canadian Toponymy|year=1975|volume=1|number=1|pages=4–12|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DOd5AAAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Dorion|first1=Henri|last2=Hamelin|first2=Louis-Edmond|title=De la toponymie traditionnelle à une choronymie totale|journal=Cahiers de géographie du Québec|year=1966|volume=10|number=20|pages=195–211|doi=10.7202/020624ar |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/59280829.pdf}}
* {{Cite journal|last1=Dorion|first1=Henri|last2=Hamelin|first2=Louis-Edmond|title=From the Traditional Toponymy to a Comprehensive Choronymy|journal=Canoma: News and Views on Canadian Toponymy|year=1976|volume=2|number=1|pages=6–13|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOl5AAAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite journal|editor-last1=Harvalík|editor-first1=Milan|editor-last2=Caffarelli|editor-first2=Enzo|title=Onomastic Terminology: An International Survey|journal=Rivista Italiana di Onomastica|year=2007|volume=13|number=1|pages=181–220|url=https://pure.knaw.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/461196/Terminology.pdf}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Jeník|first=Jan|title=Choronyms in the Bavarian-Bohemian-Upper Austrian Borderland: Contribution towards their Standardization|journal=Silva Gabreta|year=2002|volume=8|pages=5–18|url=https://www.npsumava.cz/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/sg8_jenik.pdf}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Kapfhammer|first=Günther|title=Choronym - die zukünftige wissenschaftliche Bezeichnung für Landschaftsname?|journal=Blätter für oberdeutsche Namenforschung|year=1989|volume=26|pages=32–34}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Kozlovskaya|editor-first=Valeriya|title=The Northern Black Sea in Antiquity: Networks, Connectivity, and Cultural Interactions|year=2017|location=Cambridge, UK|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01951-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hcwnDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite book|last=Munteanu|first=Eugen|chapter=Das Choronymische Mikrosystem des Rumänischen: Eine Historische Darstellung|title=Names in Multi Lingual, Multi Cultural and Multi Ethnic Contact. Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences|year=2009|location=Toronto|publisher=York University|pages=740–750|chapter-url=http://www.diacronia.ro/ro/indexing/details/V257/pdf}}
* {{Cite book|last=Room|first=Adrian|title=An Alphabetical Guide to the Language of Name Studies|year=1996|location=Lanham and London|publisher=The Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-3169-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XEtiAAAAMAAJ}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wiktionary|choronym}}
*{{Commonscatinline|Country names}}

Category:Country names
Category:Onomastics

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Choronym](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choronym) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choronym?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.