Place Names of the English-Speaking World in Language Teaching

In foreign language teaching, the study of place names provides an opportunity for cooperation of several branches of knowledge and can tell us much about major socio-cultural influences on communities of speakers. Introducing place names in language teaching can give students tools for thinking about how places get named, following a cross-disciplinary approach. This paper concentrates on English language toponymy, due to the world-wide presence of English-speaking communities. Starting with a brief presentation of the relevant terminology, it illustrates the main historical factors shaping English toponymy and offers a series of suggestions for cross-disciplinary projects and activities in English language and culture teaching.