Namenkundliche Informationen

Literarische Tiernamengebung diachron

2026-06-05T12:36:01+02:00

In the present article, the names of cats and dogs that appear in E.T.A. Hoffmann’s novel Lebensansichten des Katers Murr (1819, 1821) and in Volker Reiche’s comic strip Strizz (2002–2006) are analyzed. Both authors chose their literary zoonyms carefully so as to reflect the real name-giving practice for cats and dogs of their times. Hoffmann’s cats mostly bear cat names with an initial M- (Murr, Muzius, Miesmies, Mina). This characteristic feature, however, is no longer found among Reiche’s cats with names such as Herr Paul, Wolle, Peter, and Inga. Hoffmann’s dog names are fashionable names (Ponto), literary names (Hector, Achilles, Skaramuz, Minona) as well as the names of well-known persons (Tyras, Kartusch). In contrast, Reiche’s literary dogs do not bear classical names or poetonyms anymore, but rather common family names like Müller or rare anthroponyms like Tassilo, the latter of which was the name of a Bavarian duke of the 8th century. The names of Müller's friends, Bello and Fido, usually regarded as stereotypical dog names, are no longer the most popular names for dogs. In sum, over the last 200 years, differences between literary proper names for cats and dogs have disappeared. Now anthroponyms dominate in both realms.

Kirstin Casemir (6. Mai 1968 – 4. Mai 2026)

2026-06-04T12:01:45+02:00

Anthroponyme als Bestandteile französischer Kolonialtoponyme

2025-10-15T13:26:05+02:00

This study examines colonial place-naming practices in the French colonial empire at the beginning of the twentieth century. The primary focus is on toponyms that contain anthroponymic elements such as Cap Saint-Jacques or Fort Gustave. Previous research has shown that all European colonial powers had used this naming pattern. The analysis is based on a colonial atlas from the early twentieth century, allowing for a comprehensive geographical overview. The article addresses questions as to the geographical entities named, regional differences, and the individuals who played a role in the naming of colonized spaces.

Zum Ortsnamen Boderitz (Lkr. Altenburger Land)

2026-04-23T15:57:33+02:00

This article proposes a new etymology for the place name Boderitz. The traditional account views the name as deriving from OSorb. *Podbreźe, onymised from OSorb. *pod(e)brez’e (< Early Common Slav. *podъ-berz-ьje) ‘the place near/below the birch grove’. However, this etymology seems unlikely since Slavic *-z- does not yield German /ʦ/. This article shows that the place name is more probably derived from Common Slav. *po-dъbr-ica > ‘Proto-Sorb.’/OUSorb. *po-debr-ica ‘the place near the ravine/valley’.

Diatopische Varietäten lettischer Rufnamen im 17. Jahrhundert anhand der Protokolle der schwedischen Revision von 1638

2026-03-16T16:42:09+01:00

The article analyses more than 12,000 given names of Latvian peasants recorded in the Swedish revision of 1638 in Vidzeme (Swedish Livonia). The revision was carried out by ten commissionsmaking it possible to compare the given names recorded within each commission’s respective area of activity. These areas vary in size and do not directly correspond to the later administrative divisions of Vidzeme or to Latvian dialects; however, they allow for observations within such provisional categories as Northern Livonia, Eastern Livonia, Southern Livonia, Western Livonia and Riga, and Central Livonia. The article examines regionally distributed given names such as <Brencis>, <Bērents>, <Ivans>, and <Jāks> as well as regionally differing forms of the widespread name <Pēteris>, attempting to identify the reasons for their distribution. Preliminary conclusions are of a general nature, yet they allow for the identification of four possible reasons for regional differences in given names: the influence of the onomasticon of foreign languages in the borderlands, the influence of Latvian dialects, the idiosyncratic spelling of the clerks, and the real, yet currently unexplained, regional concentration of specific individual names. A more precise interpretation of the data would be possible by analyzing the distribution of given names across individual manor estates or groups of estates. This would likely reveal more compact areas of distribution that do not coincide with the areas of activity of the revision commissions. It is possible that many existing dialect features of Latvian given names are not reflected in the source material as German spelling conventions significantly dominates their recording.