Toponimy in the Aosta Valley. Protecting linguistic minority and recovering of vernacular terms

The toponymy in the Aosta Valley has undergone different phases of valorization and overlapping of terms belonging to the historical, official, and traditional linguistic heritage. Italian toponyms were almost entirely abolished after World War II with the establishment of the Autonomous Region, reintroducing the use of French, which had been prevalent before the Fascist period. However, numerous issues have arisen in the transcription of traditional toponyms, as their spelling, based on French phonetic rules, does not always correspond to the oral tradition. Within a regulatory framework where French was artificially imposed as a co-equal language in public administration and even predominant in toponymy, there is currently a rediscovery and revaluation of the Franco-Provençal dialect. This includes the introduction of a new toponymy alongside the official one, preserving the names rooted in vernacular tradition.