Editing Endonym and exonym (section)

=== In preference of exonyms ===
{{unreferenced section|date=July 2020}}
In some situations, the use of exonyms can be preferred. For instance, in [[multilingualism|multilingual]] cities such as [[Brussels]], which is known for its linguistic tensions between Dutch- and French-speakers, a neutral name may be preferred so as to not offend anyone. Thus, an exonym such as Brussels in English could be used instead of favoring either one of the local names ([[Dutch language|Dutch]]/[[Flemish dialects|Flemish]]: {{lang|nl|Brussel}}; [[French language|French]]: {{lang|fr|Bruxelles}}).

Other difficulties with endonyms have to do with pronunciation, spelling, and [[part of speech|word category]]. The endonym may include sounds and spellings that are highly unfamiliar to speakers of other languages, making appropriate usage difficult if not impossible for an outsider. Over the years, the endonym may have undergone [[phonetics|phonetic]] changes, either in the original language or the borrowing language, thus changing an endonym into an exonym, as in the case of ''Paris'', where the ''s'' was formerly pronounced in French. Another example is the endonym for the German city of [[Cologne]], where the [[Latin]] original of {{lang|la|Colonia}} has evolved into {{lang|de|Köln}} in German, while the Italian and Spanish exonym {{lang|it|Colonia}} or the Portuguese {{lang|pt|Colónia}} closely reflects the Latin original.

In some cases, no [[standard language|standardised spelling]] is available, either because the language itself is unwritten (even unanalysed) or because there are competing non-standard spellings. Use of a misspelled endonym is perhaps more problematic than the respectful use of an existing exonym.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} Finally, an endonym may be a [[plural]] noun and may not naturally extend itself to [[adjective phrase|adjectival]] usage in another language like English, which has the propensity to use the adjectives for describing culture and language.{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}}