Toponymic Database Documentation

Overview

This database is designed to systematically store, analyze and eventually visualize historical and contemporary toponyms (place names) with a structured approach, focusing on spatial, linguistic, and temporal aspects. The structure consists of three interlinked tables:

1. Spatial Table - Stores geographical locations and metadata.
2. Linguistic Table - Captures toponyms, their various variants and linguistic attributes like pronunciation and etymology.
3. Temporal Table - Documents historical changes in toponyms over time.

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1. Spatial Table

Purpose:

The spatial table contains unique geographic entities, their locations, and relevant metadata.

Columns:

• ID (int, PK): Unique identifier for each geographic object. In the very beginning the order followed an original alphabetically sorted table, 2023_jun_14_dubanov_toponymy, based on a book (Дубанов И.С. «Топонимический словарь Чувашии. Географические названия и термины») order, now it is basically free.
• LAT, LON (float): Estimated geographic coordinates derived from historical and modern maps (see http://www.etomesto.ru/ , https://retromap.ru/ and various other resources).
• OFFNAME (string): The most "official" available name for the location (either current or historical).
• LANG (string): The language of the name, using codes such as RUS, CHU, HIM, MEM, ERZ, TAT, UNK.
• CLASS (string): Specifies the toponymic category, e.g., oikonym (settlement), hydronym (water body), dromonym (road), etc.
• TYPE (string): Specifies the sub-category, e.g., village, city (for oikonyms), river, stream (for hydronyms), etc.
• DISTRICT (string, nullable): Modern administrative district (e.g., to differentiate places with the same name).
• DOUBT (int, nullable): Certainty level of assigned coordinates (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "The coordinates are doubtful").
• LANDMARK (string, nullable): Relevant for microtoponyms; describes nearby visible features to help locate the object.
• COMMENTS (text, nullable): Free-text notes for human workers.
• OTHER (text, nullable): Reserved for future use.

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2. Linguistic Table

Purpose:

The linguistic table stores different names (and their variants) of the same geographic object across different languages and sources, etymological information and other linguistic metadata.

Columns:

• ID (int, PK): Unique identifier for each toponym entry, independent from the spatial table.
• SPATID (int, FK → Spatial.ID): Links the toponym to its corresponding spatial object.
• DOUSPAT (int, nullable): Certainty of name relation to the spatial object (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "The spatial link is doubtful").
• MAINID (int, FK → Linguistic.ID): Represents the "main" name in a "nest" of interconnected toponyms (sometimes grouping is necessary, many sources give several somehow connected names for a single spatial object and we want to reflect this connections in database).
• TOPONYM (string): The attested name as recorded from sources.
• TOPFORMS (text, nullable): Holds different attested spelling variations of the name from multiple sources.
• DOUTOPO (int, nullable): Certainty of the given TOPONYM form (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "It is doubtful").
• LANG (string): The language of the toponym, following the predefined codes.
• DOULANG (int, nullable): Certainty of the language of the toponym (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "It is doubtful").
• PRONUNC (text, nullable): Reserved for pronunciation information (format yet to be decided).
• DOUPRON (int, nullable): Certainty of the pronunciation information (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "It is doubtful").
• ETYM (text, nullable): Etymological explanation of the name's origin. It is always doubtful.
• ORIGIN (string, nullable): Language from which the name originated (e.g., CHU, RUS, TAT, OTH, UNK). This one is always doubtful too.
• COMMENTS (text, nullable): Free-text notes.
• OTHER (text, nullable): Reserved for future use.

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3. Temporal Table

Purpose:

This table records historical changes in toponyms, tracking their usage over time.

Columns:

• ID (int, PK): Unique identifier for each temporal record.
• LINGID, LINGNAME (Composite FK → Linguistic (ID, TOPONYM)): Together, these fields reference a specific toponym in the linguistic table.
• START (int): Earliest recorded use of the name (source text goes to FULLTEXT column).
• DOUSTART (int): Certainty level for the START date (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "It is doubtful").
• END (int, nullable): The last recorded use of the name. If the object still exists, this field remains empty. The source text is stored in the FULLTEXT column.
• DOUEND (int, nullable): Certainty level for the END date (empty = "I'm sure", 1 = "It is doubtful").
• EVENT (string): Categorization of historical change, with predefined values:
  • MERGEIN: The object was absorbed into another.
  • ACTIVE: The name is still in use.
  • RENAME: The object was renamed.
  • CEASE: The object ceased to exist.
• OBJID (int, nullable), OBJNAME (text, nullable): Context-dependent:
  • ACTIVE: Both empty.
  • RENAME: Stores the information about the new name of the object, it is a reference to Linguistic (ID, TOPONYM).
  • MERGEIN: Stores the information about the absorbing object, again, it is a reference to Linguistic (ID, TOPONYM).
  • CEASE: Both empty.
• COMMENTS (text, nullable): Free-text notes.
• OTHER (text, nullable): Reserved for future use.
• FULLTEXT (text): Full textual information about the historical event, preserving source transparency.

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Relationships and Interactions

• SPATID (Linguistic) → ID (Spatial): Links toponyms to geographic locations.
• LINGID (Temporal) → ID (Linguistic) and LINGNAME (Temporal) → TOPONYM (Linguistic): Tracks historical changes of a specific name.
• OBJID (Temporal) → ID (Linguistic) and OBJNAME (Temporal) → TOPONYM (Linguistic): Records specifically name changes or mergers.

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Next Steps

• Finalize the format for the PRONUNC field.
• Make a separate table for the list of written sources