Hungarian results of the standardization of undersea feature names

Abstract

Hungarian results of the standardization of undersea feature names  

The author of the present paper, a cartographer, has studied all sorts of questions in relation to geographical names for the correct representation of seas. Determining and handling the Hungarian names for maritime features raise questions that are identical with those relating to land objects: spelling, standardization, determining “official” names, managing name changes, compiling gazetteers, etc. The author’s ongoing research in maritime geographical names is based on his experience with compiling the Gazetteer of Hungary II between 1976 and 1981 as well as his subsequent studies on managing geographical names (1979–1985). The present paper gives an overview of the author’s research results of the past thirty years. The results of the standardization of undersea feature names can easily be checked by analyzing the names appearing in cartographic products (in published maps, atlases, and on globes), in professional books on geography and in higher-level popular geographical publications. It is certain that various cartographic publications, mainly geographical world atlases displaying also the sea-covered areas, use the linguistic cartographic results produced at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and formerly at the office of the national Cartographia Enterprise. However, the picture is less positive when we observe the use of standardized names by geographers. As for textual publications, the results of the research concerned can be demonstrated only in those entries of the Magyar Nagylexikon (1993–2004) in which physical geographical descriptions and related maps are both given. In these cases, the positive influence of the work of researchers, educators and former students at the Department of Cartography and Geoinformatics of ELTE University is evident.