BrE: Re-writing

So are you saying that it's ok to mess with proper nouns from other language but not AmE?

So we can freely change Torino into Turin and Roma into Rome as well as Mallorca into Majorca and Sevilla into Seville, Ciudad de Mexico into Mexico City but we can NEVER mess around with the Yankee English proper nouns including places in the US which are named in Spanish such as changing Los Angeles into The Angels and Rio Grande into Grand River?

Or is this renaming only applies to places in Europe because of history which they have been given names in English centuries ago for making it more easy to pronounce or remember? Is there any other good reason?

And can someone tell me the reason why we can't change names of places in the US be it Spanish or AmE but we can do it in other places especially in Europe?

Why are some only changed into English? Like Ciudad de Mexico is changed into Mexico City but Buenos Aires has never been called Good Airs?

Hi,

I don't really have a comprehensive statement for you of how names have come about. Obviously, a lot of it is historical convention and accident, and for sure there is a certain element of cultural arrogance and imperialism involved. I do think that names are more fixed now, harder to change. We live in an age of records and writing, and in a 'global village' where many of us are familiar with names and spelling of names for places that are far away and in foreign countries.

Best wishes, Clive

Nona The Brit wrote:

Not really as then you are changing their names. Proper noun spellings should not be messed about with.

But I was watching National Geographic and the title was : 60th Anniversary of Pearl Harbour [link]

So now why is this thing OK?

So National Geographic changes it to BrE but you say we can't mess with AmE spelling but now it's collided.

More explanations needed please. Not only in names of places also on other proper names such as title of film or song. But the main is names of places.