‘Toponimi esposti’ in lingua minoritaria nella regione Friuli Venezia Giulia

Tra normalizzazione e autopercezione

Abstract

In multilingual areas, displaying toponymic indications in different languages is a fundamental contribution to ensuring the visibility of the languages of the territory. In the case of minority language communities with marked dialect fragmentation, which either do not dispose of a variety of reference or whose variety of reference has been codified only recently, as well as in areas with little orientation towards an exogenous norm (language islands, but sometimes also border territories), deciding to display toponyms in several languages is, however, not without its problems: should the local form, often of limited diffusion, or a supra-local form be preferred? In the case of non-codified languages, which graphic tradition should one refer to? Using the example of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in north-eastern Italy, we will illustrate how toponymic choices could be very different if the actors implementing them are different. Furthermore, we will show how this can cause irritation and negative reactions in the local community. We will then attempt to investigate the motives driving such choices and what culture of memory emerges from them.