On the place name Artern

The Thuringian place name Artern has so far found two explanations, one (pre-)Proto-Germanic and one German. The comparison of the two etymologies, which seem to have existed side-by-side for decades without the proponents of either suggestion really having taken notice of the other one, shows that the (pre)-Germanic solution firstly does not make sense per se, and secondly, even if it did, it appears unnecessary for methodological reasons since a consistent explanation exists at a more recent linguistic level, namely an inner-German one. The name goes back to the dative plural (in locative use) of Old High German *artā̆rum, -un, -on ‘(among) the plowmen, farmers, settlers’ to the hapax legomenon Old High German artā̆ri ‘plowman, farmer, settler’.The Thuringian place name Artern has so far found two explanations, one (pre-)Proto-Germanic and one German. The comparison of the two etymologies, which seem to have existed side-by-side for decades without the proponents of either suggestion really having taken notice of the other one, shows that the (pre)-Germanic solution firstly does not make sense per se, and secondly, even if it did, it appears unnecessary for methodological reasons since a consistent explanation exists at a more recent linguistic level, namely an inner-German one. The name goes back to the dative plural (in locative use) of Old High German *artā̆rum, -un, -on ‘(among) the plowmen, farmers, settlers’ to the hapax legomenon Old High German artā̆ri ‘plowman, farmer, settler’

Poetonomastic mastery: James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Pioneers

James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Pioneers, published in 1823, is the first of his Leatherstocking series. The plot takes place in the frontier village of Templeton in New York state in 1793. In this “descriptive tale”, Cooper depicts in detail the different social layers that could be found in a new settlement during the closing years of the eighteenth century: the founder and “king” of the village with his family and friends, the other, less cultivated settlers and domestic servants, one Afro-American slave and, last but not least, marginalized people like Natty Bumppo, the Leather-stocking, and the Mohican Chingachgook alias John Mohegan or Indian John. It is the aim of this paper to show that Cooper not only succeeded in bestowing fitting names to his characters, but also in showing how people use their names, either friendly and respectfully or jokingly and mockingly, not shying away from disfiguring them

Naming Practices in Dominican Bateyes: Toponymy from Below

This study discusses toponomastic naming practices and the negotiation of place-identities in the Global South, in the example of so-called bateyes in the Dominican Republic, i.e. settlements with a historical connection to sugar cane production and transnational migration. Departing from multinymity as an empirical fact, we analyse the social dynamics of place-making through naming. In this context, we demonstrate that the speech act of naming bears significance for the perception of the material world and how societies imbue it with social relevance and value. Moreover, we demonstrate that the distinction between clas­sificatory nouns and names is more gradual than absolute. Having uncovered a wide range of relations between names (and classificatory nouns), we propose a model inspired by usage-based, cognitive linguistics to describe structural and semantic properties of names, as stored in a linguistic repertoire

The linguistic-historical significance of the field name variants in the Heppenheim Mark descriptions

Among the surviving early medieval boundary descriptions from the German-speaking area, descriptions that are preserved in two versions are relatively rare. These include the two descriptions of the Mark Heppenheim, in which the majority of the field names mentioned as boundary points are identical, even though some names have different spellings. Although interpretations of these names exist, there is no comprehensive study of the name variants. In this article, the field name variants from the Heppenheim descriptions are therefore first described linguistically with regard to their graphic, phonic, semantic and morphological characteristics, and then explained from a linguistic-historical perspective. Several possible explanations suggest themselves for the name variants, most of which can apply simultaneously: In some cases, it is purely written variation, but in most cases there are influences from more recent language stages and/or regional varieties. Latin-Romance interference is also possible, but uncertain. It is also noticeable that the first and older description contains more recent forms of the names, while the second, more recent description contains older forms.Among the surviving early medieval boundary descriptions from theGerman-speaking area, descriptions that are preserved in two versions are relativelyrare. These include the two descriptions of the Mark Heppenheim, in whichthe majority of the field names mentioned as boundary points are identical, eventhough some names have different spellings. Although interpretations of theseNamenkundliche Informationen 116 © 2024 is licensed under CC BY 4.0Flurnamenvarianten in den Heppenheimer Markbeschreibungen25names exist, there is no comprehensive study of the name variants. In this article,the field name variants from the Heppenheim descriptions are therefore first de-scribed linguistically with regard to their graphic, phonic, semantic and morpho-logical characteristics, and then explained from a linguistic-historical perspective.Several possible explanations suggest themselves for the name variants, most ofwhich can apply simultaneously: In some cases, it is purely written variation, butin most cases there are influences from more recent language stages and/or regio-nal varieties. Latin-Romance interference is also possible, but uncertain. It is alsonoticeable that the first and older description contains more recent forms of thenames, while the second, more recent description contains older forms

Socio-cognitive onomastics and mobility: Names for (groups of) people in Malacca and Macau

This article explores terms for individuals and groups, such as ethno­nyms, in a multilingual context shaped by mobility: the former Portuguese over­seas empire or Estado da Índia, particularly the harbour cities of Malacca and Macau. The focus lies on a historical analysis with a scope from the early 16th to mid-20th century. From the standpoint of Cognitive Linguistics, the analysis re­vealed a gradient transition between ethnonyms (and sometimes glottonyms) and class labels. Practices for naming a colonial Other rely on conventional lexemes applied metaphorically and metonymically to new social actors. Often, these practices are strategies of conscious distinction between one’s in-group and the out-group. Furthermore, perceptions of colonial Others encompass prejudices re­garding their language use, which affects one’s own language choice in cross-lingual interactions. The etymological analysis presented here emphasises the relevance of contextual life-worlds, as seemingly synonymous designations for people may entail disparate semantics.]This article explores terms for individuals and groups, such as ethno­nyms, in a multilingual context shaped by mobility: the former Portuguese over­seas empire or Estado da Índia, particularly the harbour cities of Malacca and Macau. The focus lies on a historical analysis with a scope from the early 16th to mid-20th century. From the standpoint of Cognitive Linguistics, the analysis re­vealed a gradient transition between ethnonyms (and sometimes glottonyms) and class labels. Practices for naming a colonial Other rely on conventional lexemes applied metaphorically and metonymically to new social actors. Often, these practices are strategies of conscious distinction between one’s in-group and the out-group. Furthermore, perceptions of colonial Others encompass prejudices re­garding their language use, which affects one’s own language choice in cross-lingual interactions. The etymological analysis presented here emphasises the relevance of contextual life-worlds, as seemingly synonymous designations for people may entail disparate semantics.

The Swiss surname portal familiennamen.ch

This article examines the possibilities for using the familiennamen.ch portal, which is hosted by the Swiss Idiotikon (the Swiss German dictionary). Based on features compiled by the dictionary editors for Swiss Radio SRF, it links various sources relevant to family name research in German-speaking Switzerland. As a dynamic portal, it can not only be used for academic research on surnames, but can also be used to answer questions from laypeople about their own surnames and provide references to non-anonymous historical sources

Names of prominent trees – case studies from the Francophone and Hispanophone language areas

This study explores a class of names which has been neglected in onomastic research so far: proper names for trees in French- and Spanish-speaking regions. The analysis is based on a corpus compiled using an online database of prominent trees, characterized by exceptional age, height, shape, or circumference. The aim is to investigate both the structural features of dendronyms and the motivations for naming. The results reveal that a significant number of these names are generic proper names such as Chêne des Sorcières (‘Witch’s Oak’). However, anthropomorphizations like El Abuelo (‘The Grandfather’) can also be observed. The naming motivations are diverse; in addition to intrinsic attributes such as the tree’s age or location, commemorative aspects can also play a central role (e. g. Chêne Napoléon ‘Napoleon Oak’)

From Mount Cook to Aoraki? A Diachronic Analysis of Mountain Names and Naming Practices in the New Zealand Alpine Journal: A Diachronic Analysis of Mountain Names and Naming Practices in the New Zealand Alpine Journal

This article investigates how mountain naming practices have changed in the New Zealand Alpine Journal (NZAJ) from the late 19th century to the pre­sent day. More specifically, the study considers how the two mountains Aoraki / Mount Cook (New Zealand) and Denali / Mount McKinley (USA) have been refer­red to in the journal and how toponymic etymologies are discussed in contribu­tions to the publication. Overall, the findings show that there is a clear tendency towards using a mountain’s indigenous name more frequently the closer the journal moves towards the present. There are, however, some differences, with an ‘indi­genous-first’ option being preferred for Aoraki / Mount Cook and the indigenous name Denali being preferred on its own for Denali / Mount McKinley. The etymo­logies of mountain names are discussed for both indigenous and colonial names in the NZAJ, but there is relatively little evidence of metalinguistic discussion about reverting back to indigenous names.This article investigates how mountain naming practices have changed in the New Zealand Alpine Journal (NZAJ) from the late 19th century to the present day. More specifically, the study considers how the two mountains Aoraki / Mount Cook (New Zealand) and Denali / Mount McKinley (USA) have been referred to in the journal and how toponymic etymologies are discussed in contributions to the publication. Overall, the findings show that there is a clear tendency to using a mountain\u27s indigenous name more frequently the closer the journal moves towards the present. There are, however, some differences, with an \u27indigenous-first\u27 option being preferred for Aoraki / Mount Cook and the indigenous name Denali being preferred on its own for Denali / Mount McKinley. The etymologies of mountain names are discussed for both indigenous and colonial names in the NZAJ, but there is relatively little evidence of metalinguistic discussion about reverting back to indigenous names

The Historical Place Name Book of Thuringia

Der Beitrag nimmt die 2023 begonnenen Arbeiten am Historischen Ortsnamenbuch von Thüringen in den Blick, schildert seine Entstehungsgeschichte und stellt die geplanten Arbeitsschritte vor.This article takes a look at the work on the Historical Place Name Book of Thuringia, which began in 2023, describes the history of its creation and presents the planned work steps

Rezension zu Dieter Greve, Flurnamenatlas für das südliche Westmecklenburg, Bd. I bis VI. Schwerin 2011

Dieter Greve, Flurnamenatlas für das südliche Westmecklenburg, Bd. I bis VI. Schwerin: Thomas Helms Verlag 2011