Linguistic and Social Practices in Naming Places: The Case of Economic Institutions

In Algeria, the languages employed in the naming of places vary depending on the nature of the location, its geographic setting, or the linguistic identity of the targeted demographic. National languages—Arabic and Amazigh—are frequently used, alongside foreign languages such as French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, and in-creasingly English as a global lingua franca. In some instances, a single place may bear a compound name composed of multiple languages. This study seeks to explore the onomastic practices surrounding naming con-ventions, focusing specifically on the naming of private-sector economic institutions. Drawing on a database of private enterprise names in Algiers, the analysis focuses on the languages used in these names, the orthographic forms they take, and how such naming is interpreted through local social interactions. The paper investigates the relationship between the economic institution as a commercial phenomenon and the sociocultural dynam-ics embedded in naming practices. It considers the spatiotemporal continuity of transmitted identity in its cul-tural, historical, and linguistic dimensions—dimensions that are closely tied to place and environment. The aim is to reveal the significance of linguistic plurality in naming, and to underscore the referential value of these names. Algiers was selected as a research site due to the richness and linguistic diversity of its naming practices, which offer insights into the sociological interpretations of commercial names. This work also attempts to un-cover the patterns that shape Algeria‘s auditory landscape through naming processes, and to examine the struc-turing elements of the Algerian imaginary as they appear in the public circulation of economic institution names across different historical strata experienced by the Algerian urban space. Accordingly, the central re-search problem is framed by the following questions: What are the social and cultural dimensions inherent in the language of economic institution names in Algiers? And how is linguistic plurality linked to local spatial contexts and affiliations?