“exonym” is a common, external name for a place that is used only outside that particular place.
“endonym” is a common, internal name for a place, coined and used by its local inhabitants.
Examples: “Greece” and “Egypt”.
“Greece” is a foreign name, the Greeks call their country: “Elláda”.
“Egypt” is a foreign name, the Egyptians call their country: “Miṣr”.
“Greece” and “Egypt” are: “exonyms”.
“Elláda” and “Miṣr” are: “endonyms”.
India, China, Egypt, New Zealand and Germany are the English-language exonyms corresponding to the endonyms: Bhārat, Zhōngguó, Masr, Aotearoa and Deutschland, respectively.
“Deutschland” is the endonym for the country that is also known by the exonym: “Germany” in English and “Allemagne” in French.
Adoption, Translation & Replacement
Foreigners, new-comers and immigrants, may adopt, translate, or replace endonyms.
Adopted endonym:
Qāhirah => Cairo. (adoption).
- Adopted place-names are usually misspelled or mispronounced.
- Sometimes it’s hard to determine whether or not the place-name is an Exonym (a foreign name), because it might be an adoption of a lost endonym (a native name).
Translated endonym:
Nederland => Pays-Bas. (translation)
Arrub-alkhāli => Empty Quarter. (translation).
- A place-name, which is actually a translation of a local name, may become the only known name for that place.
Replaced endonym
Elláda > Greece. (replacement, a different foreign name)
Borrowed and adopted exonyms
Borrowed exonym:
The exonym might be borrowed from a third language.
For example, Germany, in German language is known as “Deutschland”. “Deutschland” here is an endonym.
“Germany” in French language is known as “Allemagne”.
“Allemagne” here is an exonym.
“Germany” in Arabic language is known as “Almānyā”.
“Almānyā” is a borrowed exonym, borrowed from the French language.
Adopted exonym:
People may abandon their centuries-old native place name and adopt a foreign name for that place.
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