Anthropocentric features of toponyms in Australia and Oceania as a reflection of the geographical and historical factors of their appearance in the language

Abstract

Toponyms are a complex system, the semantic and structural features of which reflect the cultural and historical peculiarities of the nation. The toponyms of Norfolk Island stand out from other toponyms of the English language due to the isolated geographical location of the island and its violent history. This article discusses in detail the extralinguistic factors that determine the semantic features of geographical names of Norfolk Island. The historical factors that influenced the creation of a significant number of place names include the fact that the settlement of Norfolk Island was founded as a British penal colony. Other factors include political and economic dependence on the UK, and later on Australia. It is noted that the most important among such factors is the motivation of the residents who inhabited Norfolk Island after its discovery by Captain J. Cook. The historical factors we are considering influence the formation of certain connotations of the toponyms of Norfolk Island and Australia. The article proposes a structural and semantic classification of toponyms of Australia and Oceania. The criteria that served as the basis for describing the classification include the presence of positive or negative stylistic coloring. It is noted that some names change their stylistic coloring. This phenomenon is an example of historical rehabilitation. Among the most common anthropogenic factors affecting the structure of toponyms, we have identified the influence of historical figures on the development of the island and the difficult living conditions of the first settlers. Such factors determine the choice of a toponym and are reflected in the presence or absence of its stylistic coloring.