The protection of linguistic minorities through the conservation or restoration of traditional
toponyms in the areas of traditional settlement involves (albeit by different approaches) all
pluralistic and plurilingual legal systems. Despite the apparent favour of recovery of
traditional toponomastics and legal protection of linguistic minorities the right to use
traditional place-names is often assigned minor rank in the hierarchy of minority protection
measures and the formal legal provisions sometimes are ineffective or contradicted when
implemented. This book is conceived in an attempt to understand these mechanisms of which
there has not yet been any full legal analysis. In consideration of the specificity and
multidisciplinary character of the subject the research contained in this volume includes
contributions by linguists glottologists and historians as well as papers on the European
legislation of linguistic minorities' toponomastics in a comparative perspective.
