Namespaces and datafiles of geographical names. Comments on the Gazetteer of Hungary and on developing the national geographical namespace

Abstract

With the Internet, former limitations no longer apply in the design of and the possibilities offered by traditional, printed dictionaries. Names can be edited also regarding aspects other than interpretation and linguistics, and every imaginable data may be displayed. This is especially true for geographical names. Public administration and the legal system require authoritative name files which are searchable in a user-friendly way. The particular importance for national culture of the Hungarian national namespace accessible on the web lies in providing considerable cultural and language-political support to the use of the Hungarian language over the Hungarian borders. The development of the national geographical namespace begins this year; this essay is part of preparatory works.