The Toponymy of Place Names in Tarutung, North Tapanuli North Sumatra: An Ecolinguistics Study

This study examines toponymy or place naming in Tarutung region, North Sumatra, by analysing the origin meaning, linguistic realisation, and naming rationale of 20 selected place names. Using an ecolinguistic approach and systemic functional linguistic (SFL) analysis, this study reveals that place naming in Tarutung is strongly influenced by the interaction between humans and their surrounding natural, social, cultural and economic environments. The main findings show that the dominant factors in place naming are topography, history, and socio-cultural values. The logical function ‘Expansion’ (α + β) also dominates the formation of place name meanings, reflecting the community's tendency to combine geographical, social, and cultural elements in creating new complex and dynamic meanings. Linguistic analyses reveal that place names in Tarutung are laden with ideational (external reality), interpersonal (social relations), and textual (context and information) meanings. New findings reveal the significance of the names of village founders becoming clan names in the Toba Batak community, as well as the influence of spiritual beliefs and values in place naming. This research enriches the understanding of the reciprocal relationship between language, people and the natural environment, as well as the role of place naming in reflecting and shaping community identity and perception.