A Cultural Linguistic Study on the Transliteration of Miao Toponyms in Xiangxi

Drawing on the theoretical framework of cultural linguistics, this study investigates the transliteration of Miao toponyms in Xiangxi into Chinese. Taking transliteration texts as the primary corpus, the research focuses on six major naming elements—animals, plants, cultural legends, surnames, climate, and production tools to analyze the cultural linguistic characteristics embedded in these transcriptions. The findings reveal that the transliteration of Miao toponyms into Chinese exhibits four salient features: continuity of linguistic form, cultural cognitive mapping, cultural meaning obscuration, and the necessity for cultural compensation. In response to these characteristics, the study proposes a cultural compensation pathway through four main strategies: implementing annotation mechanisms, enriching local gazetteer records, and compiling authoritative bilingual dictionaries. These measures aim to establish an integrated mechanism that organically links linguistic symbols with cultural cognitive systems, thereby enabling mutual reinforcement between the linguistic forms and cultural connotations of Miao toponyms. The research offers practical value for the preservation and transmission of Miao cultural heritage, while also contributing theoretical insights to the fields of cross-cultural toponym studies, ethnolinguistic semiotics, and cultural linguistics.