India, as is already well known, is a complex universe. The 1.2 billion people who inhabit an area 1/3rd the area of the US speak over 1000 native tongues. There are 2 official languages in use by the federal government for administration - English and Hindi. The Indian Union gives special status to 22 scheduled languages which are considered the major regional languages, each with many millions of native speakers. These 22 languages are what can be practically considered the major languages of India that will cover over 95% of the population.
To take complexity to the next level, there are 9 writing systems that are exclusively found only in India and are in active use for their respective languages. While most scheduled languages have their dedicated writing system, other languages have adopted a writing system like the case of Konkani which is popularly written in 5 different scripts depending on the location of the speaker.
The first written documentation of names of places started with the Survey of India by the British 200 years ago and were done so in English and not in the native language of the inhabitants. To standardize the Romanization of Indic names, a system called Hunterian Transliteration was officially adopted by the Government in 1870 after which previously incorrect anglicized names were updated, but this process is still not complete.
According to the Survey of India, the name of a place is recorded by the field surveyor by getting the name written by the village headman or a literate person in the native language. After being verified by the revenue officer, these names are transliterated and compared with previous Roman spellings. The survey officer then decides the updated spellings for the next version of the map. This result is that new and outdated signboards ensure inconsistent spellings are in common use in rural areas where English is not a common language (source).
While the Hunterian system allowed a simplified mapping of the complex indic languages to the roman alphabet without diactrical marks, this comes at a cost of inaccurately representing the actual pronounciation of the name. Different phonetic consonants are mapped to a single consonant, the same letters may have different sounds associated with them.
Common inconsistencies
- g gh
- t th
- s sh
- ia iya
- a ah
- ai iy
- ant anth antha
- ch chh
- u oo
- kye ke
- an ana ane
- ur oor ore uru aur
- alli alle ala
- em am
- cudd kad
- as as
- sil sel
- cutt cut kat kata
- ck k
- ut ath
- luck lakh
- now nau
- eilly eli
Survey of India https://surveyofindia.gov.in/documents/soichapter-vi.pdf
- Spelling of name.- Name as picked up by the surveyors on the ground, scrutinized by the camp officers and finally passed by Officer in charge of the field survey operations should be correctly transliterated to Devanagari and then to Roman according to the approved system as given in App. B. Also the lists of names in local script must invariable be obtained from the district authorities concerned and carefully compared against those picked up by the surveyor. Normally the two lists should agree except for minor variations. Preference, however, should be given to the spelling as picked up by the surveyor after he has consulted local authorities. In doubtful cases, O.C. Party may exercises his own discretion based on his own knowledge of names in the area. The general principal laid down by the Govt. of India for transliteration of names is given in the succeeding para for compliance. For Imperial Gazetteer / the Gazetteer of India names see para 205.
Where it is established that the Roman spelling of names which appear on the existing maps are incorrect, the newly transliterated Roman spelling, obtained by following the above system of transliteration should be accepted as correct and entered as office-copy corrections for incorporation on the relevant maps when taken up for reissue. Immediately on entering the corrections in office copies, steps should be taken to inform the Railway and Posts and Telegraphs, etc., authorities, of the changed spellings. Roman spellings of names appearing in the Constitution of India should, however, be adhered to unless changed by the Government of India in the past and future. 203. General principles laid down by the Government for transliteration of names.- After obtaining the views of State Governments during 1953, Govt. of India decided that the following principles and procedures should be adopted for determining the correct spelling of geographical names :- (a) Authority to determine the spelling of any name in the script used as the official language of the Centre will vest in the Central Government. (b) All Ministries of the Central Govt. and Subordinate Offices will observe the spelling approved by the Central Government. © The Survey of India will be the only authority for the transliteration of names from one script to another according to the system approved by the Central Government. In the event of disagreement between the Survey of India and a State Government, the decision of the Government of India will be final. (ii) Where a State Government uses a script (other than the Devanagari script) which differs from that used by the Central Government, or where a local script of the State differs from the script used by the central Government, the State Government will be the authority for deciding the spelling of geographical names of places or features in the State in local script. Survey of India will be responsible for transliterating these names into Devanagari or Roman script in accordance with the approved system of transliteration and in consultation, where necessary, with the State Government and other appropriate authorities. (iii)State government will have full authority, where they adopt Hindi in the Devanagari script as the official language or even where Hindi is only a Local language of the State Government, to give names to places and natural features within their areas hitherto unnamed. Such names will be Communicated to the Survey of India in the Devanagari script for Transliteration to the Roman script. Should it be necessary to alter the Existing spelling in Devanagari script of a name in use by the Survey of India, the State Government will ask the Survey of India to adopt the new Spelling. If the Survey of India is unable to agree, the State Government may refer the matter to the Central Government for a decision. This Procedure will apply also to changes in the spelling of names that appear in The Gazetteer of India. 204. Change in names, -- the Government of India decided The policy regarding changes to place names in 1953. According to the Government of India‘s orders if an existing name of a village, town, etc., is sought to be changed to a new name by the local inhabitants / authorities, prior approval of the Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs, is required to be obtained through the Government of the state in which the place is situated. The State Government have to keep in view the following broad principles when putting up proposals, for changes in place names, to the Government of India: - (d) Unless there is some very special reason, it is not desirable to change a Name which people have got used to. (e) Names of villages, etc., having an historical connection would not be changed as far as possible.
(f) A change should not be made merely on grounds of local patriotism or for linguistic reasons, e.g., villages, etc., should not be renamed after national leaders merely to show respect to them or for satisfying local sentiment in the matter of language, etc. The Home Ministry generally consults the Surveyor General before passing final orders on the State Government‘s proposal. In the event of the proposal being approved by the Government of India, the State Government is required to submit the new name written in local script to the regional Director of the Survey of India who supplies the spelling of the name in English/ Hindi after transliterating according to the approved system of transliteration. The change is then notified by the State Government in a Gazette and is brought into use by all the Government department and the public. 205. Names in the imperial Gazetteer and the Gazetteer of India.- The Gazetteer of India is being published in four volumes to replace the Imperial Gazetteers. The Gazetteer of India, if published, otherwise the imperial Gazetteers will be the primary authority for the spelling of names and the spelling of names as given therein should normally be followed. It frequently happens, however, that an Imperial Gazetteer / the Gazetteer of India spelling is incorrect and consequently a change might be required. Most of the changes would pertain to minor variations in pronunciation and, therefore, should be accepted in consultation with the state Government concerned. In such cases, the names picked up by the surveyors on the ground and correctly transliterated according to the approved system should be entered on the fair original and D.M.P. informed of the change for obtaining S.G.‘s approval and taking appropriate action for correction of the Imperial Gazetteer / the Gazetteer of India. If the changes are such that they cannot be accepted for any reasons (see Para 203) or which come within the purview of Para 204 or last sentence of second sub-Para of Para 202, the State Government should be asked to refer the matter to the Central Government for a decision. In these cases, the names as appearing in the Imperial Gazetteer / the Gazetteer of India should be entered on the fair original till the change is approved by the Central Government. All change of spelling in the Imperial Gazetteer / the Gazetteer of India should be mentioned in the History Sheet. Cases, which remain sub judice, should also be mentioned in the History Sheet. No.1 Drawing Office maintains a list of all changes in the spellings given in the Gazetteer.
- Minor spelling lists. —For names which are not to be found in the Imperial Gazetteer/ the Gazetteer of India, the District Gazetteers and minor Spelling lists as available may be consulted as a guide; such lists should be maintained in the Drawing Office of the regional Director concerned.
- Special lists of names.- If the respective State Governments have Published a comprehensive list of villages in each taluk / district, such list may be consulted. But for Roman names of the villages, the transliterated version of SOI will only be used.
- Burmese and Shan names --- The authority for the transliteration of Burmese and Shan names is contained in ―Tables for the transliteration of Burmese into English‖ and ―Tables for the transliteration of Shan names into English‖
- Doubtful cases – In doubtful cases, a reference should be made to the Local authorities, but as these officials are not necessarily bound by the same Spelling rules as are in force in the department; it may not always be possible to accept their suggestions.
- Accents --- Accents must be used in the spelling of names on maps. Accents will not, however, be entered on a final ―a‖ ―i‖ or ‖u‖ even though used in the Imperial Gazetteer or other authorized lists. Accents will be drawn at a distance above each letter approximately one-fourth the height of a capital letter of the type concerned.
- Horizontal accent to be used. —In many cases, the minor lists agree, except in the accents used, with the Imperial Gazetteer: in the latter, the horizontal accent (-) has replaced the acute ( ̳) and grave ( *) accents, and this practice is to be followed in the spelling of all Indian names on maps
- Accents in Burmese, Tibetan and Andamanese names--- In the case of Burmese, Tibetan (see Para 5 of Appendix B) and Andamanese names the circumflex (A) and the modification (..) may be employed where their use is supported by good authority, or appears requisite in order to indicate the correct pronunciation.
- Names ending in‖ pur‖—In case of village names ending in ― pur‖, no accent should be used on the ‖u‖ of that termination, except in area outside Indian where its use is authorized by Gazetteers and other authorities mentioned in Appendix B.
- Full stop--- Full stops after abbreviations, initials, etc., are never to be used on the body of a sheet, but should be used when appropriate in the borders or margins. The decimal point may, however, be used, in the body of
(a) Common place termination --- As regards common place termination such as ̳gaon‘ ̳nala‘, ̳darrah, ̳talao‘ etc.‘ which differ in form in different places, it will be found that, in most cases, the Imperial or District Gazetteers, or accepted spelling lists contain instances of the spelling required, or clues thereto; where, however, no examples occur, the commonly accepted local rendering must be transliterated according to the rules. the sheet to express selected Survey Of India bench-mark heights to the tenth of a metre (See Para 64 b (i). 209.Spaces between initials --- when initials are used in combination with a name (or number), the space between the name and the nearest initial should be slightly wider than the space between the initials, so that they do not appear as part of the name. (See Para 229) Hyphens--- Hyphens will not be used in compound names either in India 216 or in Transfrontier countries, except in the following cases; - (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) Where necessary to ensure correct pronunciation, e.g., Maz-ham. Pa-ngam. In the case of single letters, as the Persian ―i‖or‖o‖e.g.., Ab-I-Panja, Mandab- o-Mandarab. When a compound name is typed in two lines, a hyphen may at discretion be inserted at the end of the first line. In Burmese, Shan, Chinese, Indo- Chinese and Thai names, for which there are special rules Compound names --- The component words of compound names should 217. stand apart except in rare cases such as Nizamuddin. The initial letters of these component words will be in upper case and of the connecting particles in lower case. 219 (generally the name of a natural feature), e.g., khwar, Darra, etc., (for stream beds), Ghundi, Ghar, etc., (for hills), is a component part of a name and the local inhabitants generally couple the descriptive word with the name, the latter, when entered on a sheet, should include the descriptive word. The usual practice is to separate the two words when the name is applied to the natural feature for which the descriptive word Descriptive vernacular names----- When a descriptive vernacular name
is given, and to combine them in one word when the name applies to a village or other feature: e.g. (Malai‘ is the Tamil word for ̳ hill‘) Chenni Malai .. .. Name of hill Chennimalai .. ..Name of village.
Is there any open-source library for Hunterian Transliteration?