Various Laws and Regulations Concerning Toponyms
As a product of culture and a part of the identity of a society and nation, place names or toponyms are not only shaped by social practice, history, and culture but have also become objects of state regulation. In Indonesia, the regulation of toponyms is spread across various laws and regulations related to language, government, and geospatial information, as well as the preservation of historical and cultural values. The existence of these various regulations demonstrates that the naming of places is not merely a linguistic issue. It also involves interconnected administrative, geographical, historical, cultural, and legal interests.
Several regulations specifically govern place names or geographical names, including Law Number 24 of 2009 concerning the National Flag, Language, and Emblem, as well as the National Anthem; Law Number 4 of 2011 concerning Geospatial Information; Geospatial Information Agency Regulation Number 6 of 2017 concerning the Implementation of Geographical Names Standardisation; Government Regulation Number 2 of 2021 concerning the Implementation of Geographical Names; and Geospatial Information Agency Regulation Number 6 of 2023 concerning the Implementation of Government Regulation Number 2 of 2021. Additionally, other regulations that do not specifically govern toponyms contain provisions regarding place names or their linguistic aspects, such as the Enhanced Indonesian Spelling System V (EYD V).
One important legal foundation is found in Law Number 24 of 2009. This law uses the term ‘geographical name’. Article 36 paragraph (1) mandates the use of the Indonesian language for geographical names in Indonesia, and paragraph (2) stipulates that each geographical name shall have only one official name. The provision for using the Indonesian language also applies to various other objects related to public spaces, such as buildings or structures, roads, apartments or settlements, offices, commercial complexes, trademarks, business entities, educational institutions, and organisations founded or owned by Indonesian citizens or Indonesian legal entities. Nevertheless, the law provides exceptions for names that have historical, cultural, customary, and/or religious value. This provision shows that language use in naming places cannot be separated from historical and cultural considerations.
Regulations concerning toponyms are also found in Law Number 4 of 2011 concerning Geospatial Information. This law essentially regulates the implementation of geospatial information, which is information regarding the geographical location, dimensions, size, and characteristics of natural and man-made objects located under, on, or above the earth’s surface. In the context of this law, geographical names are an important element because they are used to provide identity to geographical objects and are included in geospatial information, including maps. This law uses the term ‘geographical name’. The elucidation of Article 12 letter d states that a geographical name is a name given to a topographical feature, whether a natural or man-made element. The elucidation also mentions that geographical names are also known by the term toponym. Law Number 4 of 2011 provides an important legal basis for the use of both terms in the context of managing geographical names in Indonesia. Although it does not yet regulate naming procedures in detail, this law places geographical names as part of the national geospatial information system.
More specific regulations regarding naming began to appear in Geospatial Information Agency Regulation Number 6 of 2017 concerning the Implementation of Geographical Names Standardisation. This regulation governs the process of standardising geographical names in greater detail and can be seen as one of the initial regulations that specifically provides guidelines for the naming and standardisation of place names. In this regulation, geographical names are distinguished into two elements: the generic name and the specific name. The generic name indicates the general type or form of a topographical feature, while the specific name indicates the particular identity of that feature. For example, in ‘Gunung Singgalang’ (Mount Singgalang), ‘Gunung’ is the generic name, and ‘Singgalang’ is the specific name. Similarly, in ‘Danau Maninjau’ (Lake Maninjau), the element ‘Danau’ is the generic name and ‘Maninjau’ is the specific name.
The standardisation of geographical names in this regulation covers not only the written form but also spelling, pronunciation, and coordinates. This demonstrates the close relationship between toponymy, linguistics, and geospatial information. The naming principles require that geographical names use proper and correct Indonesian or regional languages, be written in the Roman alphabet, have one official name for each topographical feature, prioritise local names, respect ethnic, religious, racial, and group diversity, avoid using the names of living persons, and not use mathematical symbols. The regulation also governs linguistic aspects more specifically. The writing of geographical names basically uses the Indonesian spelling system. However, names with distinctive pronunciations can be described using an internationally recognised phonetic symbol system. The use of a person’s name as a geographical name is also restricted. A person’s name may only be used if the person has been deceased for at least five years and is deemed to have rendered service to the state or the local community. In the inventory process, the information that must be considered includes not only the form of the name but also its meaning, alternative names, language origin, history, spelling, and pronunciation.