Colonial toponyms result from a process through which colonizers exert hegemonic control over Indigenous toponyms. While previous research has documented numerous cases of distorted toponyms, little is known about the mechanisms of distortion and their discursive impact. This study addresses this gap by examining the linguistic alterations and the communicative misuses of mistransliterated toponyms. Drawing on critical toponomies, this qualitative study examines the Tunisian town Tataouine as a case study. French colonial authorities transliterated Fam tiṭṭawin into Foum-Tatahouine in conformity with their linguistic conventions. The distorted toponym has since been used pejoratively in French and commodified to boost the commercial value of meteorite fragments and tourism-related products. Thus, mistransliteration functions as a disruptive process through which Indigenous peoples lose their original toponyms and become disconnected from their cultural narratives and spatial identities. By revealing the role of mistransliteration in stigmatization and degradation, this study aligns with critical scholarship that advocates reclaiming Indigenous toponyms as an act of symbolic resistance against colonial and neocolonial toponymic hegemony.
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