Latin American Exoethonyms: Linguistic and Cognitive Features of Identification within Collective Social Imaginary

This article explores the phenomenon of Latin American exoethonyms, which constitute a distinct group of linguistic units, differing from both official ethnonyms and toponymic designations. The authors argue that exoethonyms — toponymic nicknames — represent a unique category of lexemes that conceptualize national and cultural meanings relevant to the formation of identity as a sense of national or ethnic belonging. It is noted that exoethonyms serve denotative, pragmatic, and identificatory functions within the discursive space. Special attention is given to the connotative meanings of exoethonyms, which, through the lens of the binary opposition “us vs. them,” reinforce certain stereotypes within the collective social imaginary and necessitate caution in usage due to their potentially offensive implications. This study contributes to the fields of Latin American studies, onomastics, and linguistic cultural studies, demonstrating how ethnonymic vocabulary participates in the creation and transmission of collective representations and in constructing a national-linguistic worldview. The work holds practical significance for intercultural communication, linguistic geography, and translation.

cognitive toponymy, ethnonym, exoethonym, endoethonym, ethnofolklore, collective nickname, Latin America