International Symposium on Place Names Conference Proceedings

The vision of the International Symposium on Place Names (ISPN) series is to advance research on place names. Hosted biennially, this event serves as a platform for local and international collaboration on toponymic matters. Each symposium is followed by a proceedings that is prepared in line with DHET criteria for accreditation. Up to now, every publication has been accredited by DHET.

Initiated in 2011 by the former Unit for Language Facilitation and Empowerment, the ISPN is since 2018 hosted by the Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies at the University of the Free State, South Africa (incorporating the former Unit). In 2015 the symposium became an international occurrence when the Joint IGU/ICA Commission on Toponymy came on board. The Working Group on Toponymy (International Council on Onomastic Sciences) joined in 2023. The Scientific Panel is made up of representatives from the organising institutions as well as scholars from the surrounding countries (Lesotho, Eswatini, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe).

This symposium is the only one in Southern Africa that focuses exclusively on toponomy. The 2011 symposium, entitled 'Planning name changes – the quest for authenticity', was hosted in Bloemfontein, as was the one in 2013 with the theme, 'Place names in a multilingual society'. The symposium in 2015, which focused on 'Place names, diversity and heritage', was held in Clarens. The University of Namibia collaborated to host the 2017 symposium, 'Critical toponymy: place names in political, historical and commercial landscapes', in Windhoek, Namibia. ISPN returned to Clarens in 2019 with the theme 'Recognition, regulation, revitalisation: place names and indigenous languages'. The 2021 symposium was hosted virtually, with the theme 'Standardisation and the wealth of place names - aspects of a delicate relationship'. From this year onwards, a special emphasis is placed on the niche area of signed toponymy, or place names in signed languages. In 2023, ISPN was hosted in conjunction with the African Association for Lexicography (Afrilex) on the Bloemfontein campus of the University of the Free State, with the theme ‘The presence of minority and indigenous languages in urban naming’. ISPN 2025 will be hosted once again in Clarens, with a focus on ‘Harmonising toponymic heritage: balancing standardisation and local diversity’.