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What is the "scientific consensus" on the name of a city? When the government of India decides to rename Calcutta to Kolkata, then has the "scientific consensus
by quanticle 5y ago
What is the "scientific consensus" on the name of a city? When the government of India decides to rename Calcutta to Kolkata, then has the "scientific consensus" on the name of the city shifted?
- 908B64B197 5y agoIt's what the inhabitants calls it. Calcutta, Pondicherry and Pekin were "best attempts" by Europeans to transcribe the sounds from the locals that were relayed to them by illiterate sailors.
- alisonkisk 5y agoWhich inhabitants?
- quanticle 5y agoThe inhabitants of Calcutta called it "Calcutta" prior to the Indian government renaming it. Now they call it Kolkata. The people of Madras called it Madras before the government renamed it to Chennai. Now they call it Chennai. I think it's incorrect to pretend that there's some kind of "objective" scientific reality at play here. Naming geographic locations is an inherently political act, and choosing which of several names to call a place inherently means favoring some interpretations over others.