Aspects of colonial and post-colonial Toponymy with special Consideration of German Colonialism

This paper argues that linguists and historians alike may learn from studying colonial and postcolonial toponymy comprehensively. The authors provide an inventory of toponyms which were introduced during short-lived colonial reign of Imperial Germany in Africa and Oceania. The focus is on two classes of colonial toponyms, namely those which are entirely German and those which give evidence of hybrid formations. The systematicity of these toponymical classes on the phonological, morphological, and semantic level is described and evaluated. The presentation of the facts from the colonial past of Germany is preceded by a discussion of a variety of aspects which are of interest for the study of colonial and postcolonial toponymy in general. This study marks the beginning of a long-term project which aims at a comparative analysis of the toponymical practices associated with colonialism and postcoloniallism.