Difficult one. I used to write Calcutta for several years after the change. My logic being that Kolkata was always the Bengali name, but Calcutta was the accepted English transliteration. Little is gained by making the change to the English version of the name. But once usage becomes established, it becomes a bit futile to keep using the old spelling (except in writing about the past: I always use Calcutta as my birthplace, and also whenever I write about the past, but otherwise have gradually switched to Kolkata). No point saying Peking now, because fewer people understand what that means, since Beijing is so prevalent. (It was also Peiping for awhile!).prasen9 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 07, 2023 9:36 amI have thought about this and don't have a clear answer. These are the two sides. On the one hand, should a language be able to name places differently? Or should we always try to be as close to the native pronunciation as possible?
Every language uses different terms to call places differently. We use "India" whereas it should be "Bharat". Should we ask people to call our country Bharatbarsha. Actually, in my side of the country, we call it Bharotborsho. But, maybe we accept the tyranny of the majority to avoid confusion. Or do we need the country/city/place to officially change the name before we ask people to use the new name, which is the old name?
Then, we should call Germany Doychlant (closest phonetic spelling). The Spanish should not call the U.S.A. Estados Unidos, etc.
Also, if a place changes its name, e.g., Calcutta became Kolkata, I am confused about what I should write when I have to write my place of birth. Should I use the old name to say when I was born it was called Calcutta in English assuming I am filling out the form in English? There is no confusion if the form is in Bangla. We always wrote Kolkata or maybe more formally Kolikata. What if I am filling out a form in German? Should I write it as Kalkutta? I think I have seen PKB use Calcutta even after the change was official although I do think he has no love lost with the British. If I am not mistaken. Of course, when talking in English. I doubt he uses that in Bangla.
What do people think? Is there a principled way to decide?
With Calicut, the world knows the place as the one where Vasco da Gama made landfall -- and met the 'Zamorin' (who I always refer to as the Samoothiri Raja). A little bit of global brand equity is lost via the use of Kozhikode...
