20 April 2023 (CEST: 3 pm, UTC: 1 pm, KST: 10 pm)

Abstract: As a valid tool representing social constructs, place names contain various facets, encompassing cultural, linguistic, political and economic ones. When place names are given economic values, they are acting as brands; they are commodified and becoming commodities; they are subject to commercialization conforming to capitalist protocols. There happen even struggles to take possession of preferred names with presumable brand values, which sometimes progress into attempts to retain naming rights or naming rent. Place names as substances of culture and linguistic elements therefore should be understood with the mixture of place names as brands and with the political procedure of connoting as well as denoting those names. This is not an end of the story, however; there is also the possibility of negative brand value of place names, normally associated with detrimental images, dangerous incidents or toxic facilities. It is observed that negative brand values are developed with stigma effect created by negative images of place names or those places. This presentation summarizes research achievements so far made and suggests research issues to be explored in future studies.

Keywords: place name, brand value, commodification, commercialization, toponymic stigma

Link to the Zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 631 0416 2099
Passcode: 785068