In recent years, some authors have proposed the term "
logonym" as an alternative designation for the
onomastic class that includes the names of languages, thus avoiding the use of already accepted terms (linguonym, glossonym, glottonym). Critics replied that the proposed term (
logonym) has several meanings, spanning different fields of study. As of 2015 the term had not gained wide acceptance. Searching for appropriate
onomastic terms for some other classes of
proper names, several researchers have tried to use term
linguonym (glossonym, glottonym) as a designation not for the names of languages, but for a specific class of
anthroponyms (proper names of humans, individual and collective) that are given to the
groups of speakers of any particular language. Some of those attempts were made as a result of misunderstanding, by referencing to official
UNESCO documents, that used those terms in their proper meaning, as designations for language names, thus revealing the lack of bases for the proposed alternative uses. Other attempts were made without any referencing, or addressing the issue of the proper meanings and uses of the terms. In the same time, the question of defining an appropriate
anthroponomastic term for the specific class of proper names that are given to groups of speakers of any particular language (names such as:
Anglophones / speakers of English, or
Francophones / speakers of French), remained opened and focused on several available solutions that would combine classical terms for speakers or speaking (based on
Latin verb
loquor, loqui, locutus) with standard suffix
-onym, thus producing the term
loquonym. Such issues, related to proper formation and use of
onomastic terms, have gained importance in scholarly circles, since international surveys among experts revealed the existence of several challenging issues related to the process of terminological standardization within the field. ==See also==