Abstract
The aim of this article is to study the semantic-lexical relations that emerge between French urban place names (e.g., rue Calvin) via their generic terms (e.g., rue). To achieve this objective, the article proposes a classification of urban place names in the canton of Geneva (Switzerland) based on a two-stage model. The first stage involves a lexicographic analysis of geonyms extracted from a French language dictionary. The second stage involves analysing the geographical distribution of these generic terms. It is then proposed that the lexicographic analysis should identify the meanings of the generic terms, while the geolinguistic analysis should identify the referential relationships between the generic terms and the types of places they describe. Using this model, a taxonomy of generic terms in place names can be proposed, based on hyponymy relationships. This taxonomy reflects a conceptualisation of urban places through the prism of French language.
Published Version
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