Når navneinventaret kommer i konflikt med seg selv : – om homonymi

In the context of names, homonymy – name similarity – is highly conflictive. From a linguistic point of view homonymy is a fundamental conflict, and it can appear anywhere names come into being. The conflict knows no boundaries in terms of time, place and language communities. Homonymy is an internal conflict in the naming system. And when a name inventory conflicts with itself in this way, it often leads to secondary, external conflicts of many kinds. There may be conflicts in relation to community planning and societal security, conflicts between the local community and central authorities, conflicts between cultural heritage considerations and practical needs, and conflicts between principles of spelling of place names and practical needs. These are all conflicts of which this article will give concrete examples.

The article discusses various strategies to avoid homonymy. Two strategies are usual. The first strategy is to use an addition to the name (for example, Mo > Mo i Rana, Newcastle > Newcastle upon Tyne). The second strategy is to replaceone name with another name. Of these two strategies, replacement will be the most effective strategy, because additions to names are not necessary, and because they are not, the homonymy will still exist, although it can be avoided.