To standardise or not to standardise:Minority (and majority) place names in the United Kingdom

This paper investigates aspects of minority-language standardisation with particular relevance to place names in the UK, and the current extent of official co-ordination on regulation of minority place names in various parts of the UK. Examples are included from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland,and the adjacent Crown Dependency of the Isle of Man, although the latter is not part of the UK. Following a historical overview focused on naming policies followed by official mapping agencies, developments in recent decades are summarised as seen through the reports prepared by the Committee of Experts appointed by the Council of Europe to report on the UK’s implementation of commitments in respect of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.<br/><br/>While the focus is mainly on minority languages, the paper also touches on some inconsistencies in naming practices at the state level related to geographical naming in the majority language, reflecting aspects of the more general approach to standardisation of English. There is also consideration of whether there are broader lessons to be learnt from the approach to minority toponymic standardisation in different parts of the UK. Through this, it is queried whether more wide-ranging place-name standardisation efforts, building upon existing activity and with an inclusive approach, might help to build more effective and accountable institutions in the UK.