Competing place names: Malvinas vs. Falklands
What is it about?
The Argentinian claim of sovereignty over the Falklands has impacted its place names since Argentina has assigned the archipelago Spanish place names. Cases like this one have not received much attention. We study the Spanish place names used in Argentinian maps but not in local ones. We resort to in situ interviews, participant observation, and social media data. Our analysis suggests that these Argentinian toponyms receive neither official nor societal approval by Islanders. We conclude that Argentinian Spanish names became a point of contention because of the political conflict, leading to a linguistic conflict scenario.
Why is it important?
This is the first study on Falklands toponymy held within the framework of critical toponomatics, resorting not only to maps but also to Islanders’ language attitudes.