Journal of Onomastics

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

2025-04-22T10:48:44+02:00

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
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Flurnamenvarianten in den Heppenheimer Markbeschreibungen
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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 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 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 regio-
nal 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.

The Historical Place Name Book of Thuringia

2024-11-18T16:17:06+01:00

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.

Common surname areas: Austria and the Czech Republic

2025-04-22T12:05:03+02:00

Over many centuries, family name areas developed across borders between the Archduchy of Austria and the Kingdom of Bohemia. While historical events destroyed any trace of some of these areas, other can, at least to some extent, still be detected. Some of these areas were destroyed by historical events, while others are still extant or can be traced in remnants. These are illustrated and interpreted using distribution maps from KdeJsme and Geogen Austria. Three types of areas are shown:
(1) small-scale areas that extend across both sides of the national border (examples Putschögl/Pučegl, Jungbauer)
(2) areas that extend from south to north across the state border (examples Binder/ Pinter, Draxler/Traxler)
(3) areas that extend from north to south across the state border (example Doležal).

On the place name Artern

2024-08-05T22:26:59+02:00

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’.

Notes on the problem of explanations of the place name (component) Büttel/-büttel

2025-04-22T13:52:41+02:00

This article examines the explanations for the place name (component) -büttel/Büttel presented to date and concludes that it is still not possible to derive the name (component) without contradiction or without the assumption of analogical processes. The older derivations are presented at the current level of historical (comparative) linguistics and the traditional possibilities of linkage are retraced, but even the knowledge gained in the last two decades or so does not help to solve the problem. At least some ambiguities surrounding -büttel/Büttel can be clarified.

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

2025-04-22T14:09:41+02:00

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.]

Naming Practices in Dominican Bateyes: Toponymy from Below

2025-04-22T14:19:57+02:00

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 Swiss surname portal familiennamen.ch

2025-04-22T11:52:10+02:00

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.

Linguistic research – Historic paths research – Settlement research

2025-04-22T12:24:31+02:00

Using an interdisciplinary approach, this article aims to clarify a number of settlement names that have thus far been fraught with contradictions in the scholarly literature. These are oikonyms of Slavic origin in SW Saxony. Today they are place names of settlements that were established during the period of German rule towards the end of the 12th century. However, the linguistic formsof these oikonyms, which always have the same structure [anthroponym + possessive suffix], point to Slavic formations from the 9th/10th century. A person was named as the individual owner of an estate, a settlement, i. e. probably a farmstead. A comparison with several other onyms of this type in the region shows that they are all located along the early medieval old paths in the former mountain forest. It is now considered for the first time that these could have been early rest and protection stations along the semitae Bohemicae from the Slavic old settlement areas to Bohemia. The distances of 20 to 25 km, which was a day’s journey at that time, are consistent with this view. In the 12th century, German villages were established
very close to each other. The Slavic oikonyms were transferred to these as already known onyms. Hence, for the first time, individual Slavic settlements can be identified in the Erzgebirge from the period before German rule began in 929 AD.

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

2025-04-22T12:29:14+02:00

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’).

Poetonomastic mastery: James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Pioneers

2025-04-22T12:34:48+02:00

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.

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

2024-11-11T12:14:34+01:00

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'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.

Agricultural Production in Luxembourg in the light of its Micro-Toponymy

2025-04-22T12:39:50+02:00

This analysis offers insights into Luxembourg toponymy and its relevance for the study of rural agricultural history, with a focus on the themes of alcoholic by-products. There are three elements relating to the production of alcoholic beverages, which are represented by the evidence found in place names in Luxembourg. The most prominent is viticulture, which is still an important part of the agricultural economy of the Grand Duchy to this day. However, there is also evidence of beer production, albeit to a much lesser extent. Even evidence of distillation products is even rarer, with only a few specific (and rather modern) examples that provide primary evidence for a distillation industry, while other data is only usable through secondary interpretation. The fact that of these three parts of the agricultural production of alcoholic beverages, only the toponymic evidence for viticulture is so strongly represented seems to be related to the nature of wine production, which requires considerably more land specifically dedicated to the cultivation of the raw materials. In the case of beer and distillates, the raw materials could also be used for other agricultural activities.

Möhritz, Pferdinand, Tango and Mr. Wuff – Onomastic study on the names of cuddly toys

2025-04-22T12:45:45+02:00

The names of cuddly toys, considered unofficial names, have not been sufficiently researched onomastically so far. The results of the present study reduce this research gap. Formal, semantic and functional aspects are presented using a corpus of 262 cuddly toy names given by 3- to 10-year-old children. Formally, it is shown that single words are primarily chosen from possible morphological- syntactic forms. In terms of word formation, these are less complex; explicit derivatives with the suffix -i dominate. More than half of the single words have an onymic base, with fictionyms and anthroponyms being particularly prominent. On the one hand, children seem to be taken with the characteristics of fictional characters from books, films, etc. On the other hand, anthroponymic bases indicate that children regard their cuddly toys as living beings. From a semantic point of view, the names that children have created themselves, i.e. not adopted, are examined. It becomes clear that selected naming motifs are important to children. From a functional point of view, it can be concluded that, in addition to their identification
function, cuddly toy names have a pronounced individualization function. Ultimately, cuddly toy names represent components in the linguistic development of children, which requires a broader sociolinguistic consideration.

Palatalisation of CA north of the Brenner Pass?

2025-04-22T14:40:45+02:00

Ludwig Staub (1854) introduced the assumption that the Western Romance palatalization of CA is also attested in some Germanized toponyms north of the Brenner Pass. Karl Finsterwalder initially took up this idea, and his successors have since then retained it. The assumption is based on double etymologies, especially the explanation of some toponyms coming from Latin caverna. Similarly, the name of the mountain meadow Schifernei, together with Tschifernelle in the Silvretta, is explained like this, but there is also a mountain farm, Tschübernäll, in the canton of Schwyz, and a Romance expression tschifernällä in the German dialect of the canton of Uri for a board used in a game. This expression is a more probable explanation for Tschübernäll and Tschifernella, and possibly also for Schifernei, albeit with another suffix. It is likely ultimately derived from medieval Latin civeria for a means of transporting goods, especially a basket carried on one’s shoulders. Schiferoi, down in the lower Inn valley, may also be derived from this expression. Falschwern (Gschnitztal) for a steep ravine is almost certainly a *val cibāria like Val Tschafera in Grisons. Five toponyms in the neighbouring Stubai valley are no more reliable as evidence for a palatalized CA. The farm name Tschafalles is better explained through Latin iugālis instead of caballus (Steub 1854), Tschafatten perhaps by Ladin ciavāt, Gschnals certainly by Latin vicinālis. Kuh- and Stiergschwätz is probably an entirely German nickname. The farm name Tschafernack and the valley Tschaforn in South Tyrol also have nothing to do with caverna: The first has counterparts in Germany, especially a vineyard estate, ze Shavernakken, already being attested around 1200. The second, 1343 Schufaren, is better explained by Latin iugārius.