Endonymák

Endonymák refers to the name by which a geographical feature, group of people, or other entity is known in its own language. This is in contrast to exonyms, which are names given by outsiders. For example, the endonym for Germany is Deutschland, while the exonym is Germany. Similarly, the endonym for the capital of Japan is Tōkyō, whereas the exonym is Tokyo. The use of endonyms is increasingly recognized as important for cultural respect and accurate communication. Many organizations and governments are working to promote the use of endonyms in official contexts and cartography. Understanding endonyms helps to avoid confusion and to appreciate the linguistic diversity of the world. The study of endonyms is a subfield within toponymy, the study of place names. It highlights how different cultures perceive and label their surroundings.