Place names

Arab toponymy in Spain. L’Homme et la Terre.

Examples of toponyms.

Hispanic Roman provinces under Octavian Augustus (also called Augustus or Caesar Augustus), who was the first Roman emperor; example of introducing names of places.

The toponymy or geographical onomastics is a discipline of onomastics that consists of the registration, cataloging and etymological study of the proper names of a place. The term « toponymy» derives etymologically from the Greek τόπος (tópos, 'place') and ὄνομα (ónoma, 'name').

In addition to onomastics, other sciences use the concept of place names with specific meanings: in anatomy the term place name is used to refer to the name of a region of the body, as long as it is different from the name of an organ; in biology the term toponymy is synonymous with the biological name; In ethnology the term place name refers to a name derived from a place or region.

History

In the Spanish language, the RAE did not register this name until the end of the 19th century. In Arabic, the first occurrence of the term "toponomist" dates from around the middle of the XIX century. It is known that the first toponymists were storytellers and poets who dedicated themselves, in the development of their activities, to explaining the origin of certain places in order to decide their name. In some cases the names of certain places were already legends themselves.

Features

Place names sometimes have their origin in surnames or proper names of people, but usually their origin is in some physical or material aspect of the place they designate. For example, Ocotlán means 'where the pines abound' but it has also been interpreted as 'place of pine trees or ocotes', while Purroy, whose origin is in the Latin PODIUM RUBEUM 'reddish elevated place, reddish pueyo';, has precisely its motivation in that the designated town is located on a hillock whose lands and rocks have the aforementioned chromatic quality. Place names can be classified according to their way of referring to the place into three types:

1. Toponyms that describe or enumerate any physical characteristic of the place, which is especially outstanding or relevant.
2. Toponyms that have their origin in person names (anthroponyms) or derivatives of them.
3. Toponyms of unknown origin, usually from ancient common names which, over time, random or linguistic evolution of the territories, have ceased to be understood.

Toponymy studies generally require a certain degree of knowledge in dialectology, phonetics, history, lexicology and morphology, of one or more languages of the area where the place name is to be studied. Although in fact the study of place names is essentially one more etymological study, but with added difficulties, since phonetic changes do not operate with the same regularity in place names as in the rest of the general lexicon.

Popular toponymy

One of the attractions of toponymy for fans is the popular belief of the towns that there is a connection, sometimes mystical, between the name of each place with what this name means. This belief is not surprising, since many place names, as mentioned above, have their origin in some physical feature of the designated place that caught the attention of the speakers.

The attempt made by place names is to bring the original meaning of a place closer to its denomination or name; their conclusions often compete with popular etymologies, since some of these etymologies are false or may sound more poetic or attractive to tourists. Thus, there is an example in the name of the river "Mississippi", which was used with the meaning of 'father of the waters' (although it can simply mean 'big river'), the state name "Idaho" was named to mean 'gem of the mountains' (although it may simply be a made-up name), and the Russian city name "Vladivostok" for "ruler of the east" (although this was often used as "lord of the east").

Transcription of place names

There is a substantial controversy regarding the relevance of translating or using the original form of place names. Currently, there is a tendency to accept that the most widespread in each language be translated and to respect the name in the original language as much as possible. However, the UN recommends that no more exonyms be created for new place names and that, to the extent possible, traditional exonyms be limited to localities of relevant importance.^{[citation required ]}

Types of place names

Street plaque in Aguilafuente (rural location in the province of Segovia). Its name is "Calle Camino Carrasendero", which is a curious coincidence in a single odonimo (i.e., viario toponym) of four generic odonimos: "calle", "camino", "carra-" (prefix very common in the Spanish field) The origin of the quasi-prefix "carra" does not seem to be established, beyond its meaning of "direction", "hacia". Gargallo identifies it as a "toponymic relic", and proposes its origin in an ancient preposition originated in turn in the expression "face a": and "sendero"

Depending on the origin of the place words originated by various reasons such as the shape of the land, the stone, the plants, the animals, the gods and goddesses, the colors, the waters, the men and women, the crops, social life, heroes, roads, etc. The place names usually derive from terms that have to do with the shape or physical appearance of the landscape where the referent of the place names is located:

• Hydronimia refers to hydrogens (names that are designated water masses, usually rivers - watercourses).

• Limnonimia, limnoms (names of lakes or other stagnant water masses).
• Talasonymy, talasonyms (names of seas or oceans).

• Lithonymy, to the lithonyms (names of the rock formations).
• Oronymy, oronyms (name of mountains and other accidents of relief).

Anthroponymy, although considered apart from place names, is a source of place names. Among the anthroponyms that give rise to place names, a distinction can be made between:

• We epothem or terms of objects or places from an anthroponymous.
• We make, in relation to the name of the saints, a source of some modern toponyms.
• Theonyms, referring to the names of gods in polytheistic cultures.

A few place names derive from the name of human groups or names of ethnic groups, so the study of this type of onomastics is often useful in onomastics. The following classes of names refer to groups of people:

• Ethnics is the study of names that apply to ethnic groups. Among them we must differentiate between:
  • Self-employed or condoned are the names that the various human groups give themselves. The meaning expressed by the authonyms is based on quite different characteristics of the exonyms.
  • Exonyms are the names given to certain human groups, by other neighbouring ethnic groups, to a certain human group. Often the usual name of the most minority or less powerful ethnic groups are exonyms taken from some more powerful neighbouring group or with greater commercial or cultural connection with groups using the exonymous.

On the other hand, demonyms are names of human groups sometimes turned into ethnonyms that historically derive from some type of place name.

Crononymy is the toponymy of areas of spatial entity greater than that of localities (regions, regions, countries, continents). "If all place names express a reality or a social project, that quality is more present in coronyms. Or, more accurately, it becomes more relevant in them".

Fitotoponyms refer to plants, as is the case of "Moral" (Moral de la Reina, for example), where trees with that name or "Zarzuela" where brambles abound (Zarzuela de Jadraque, for example).

Tautoponyms

Tautoponyms are place names that repeat the name of the geographical feature or any other origin that the terms that designate that place have. Examples of this are the Sahara Desert, Valle de Arán or Barco de Valdeorras. In the latter, both Barco, as well as Val, as well as orra , each refer to the passage of a narrow valley.

Long place names

• The longest place in the world is the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon. Its traditional name is Krung Thep, which is written (in Thai) ─ "that which is intended to be used in the same way as before" or "the same way as before" or "the same thing" - the phrase "participation" in the margins of the opposition.... Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit.
• Another very famous long toponym is that of the Welsh town of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (abbreviated, "Llanfair PG") which translated from Welsh to Spanish means 'Iglesia de Santa Maria in the white hazelnut hollow near a fast whirlwind and the church of St.

Famous toponymists

• Joan Coromines
• John Mcneil Dodgson
• Eilert Ekwall
• Margaret Gelling
• Gillian Fellows Jensen
• Hans Krahe
• Robert L. Ramsay
• George R. Stewart
• Isaac Taylor
• William J. Watson

Toponyms of countries and regions

• Toponymy of Spain
  • Toponymy of Andalusia
  • Toponymy of Asturias
  • Toponymy of Catalonia
  • Toponymy of Extremadura
  • Toponymy of Galicia
  • Toponymy of León
  • Toponymy of Murcia
  • Toponymy of the Valencian Community
  • Toponymy of La Rioja
  • Toponymy of the Basque Country
  • Topinimia de Navarra
  • Toponymy of Castilla y León
  • Topinimia de Cantabria
  • Toponymy of Madrid
  • Toponymy of Ceuta
  • Toponymy of Melilla
  • Toponymy of the Balearic Islands
  • Toponymy of the Canary Islands
  • Toponymy of Castilla-La Mancha
• Toponymy of Cyprus
• Indigenous Toponymy of Argentina
• Toponymy of the Falkland Islands
• Toponymy of Mexico
  • Maya Toponymy
• Toponymy of Saint Vincent de Tagua Tagua.
• Slavic Toponymy in Germany