Everything about Toponymy totally explained
Toponymy refers to the scientific study of place-names, their origins, meanings, use and
typology. The first part of the word is derived from the
Greek topos (τόπος),
place; followed by
ōnoma (όνομα), meaning
name. It is itself a branch of
onomastics, the study of names of all kinds.
A toponym is a
name of a locality, region, or some other part of Earth's surface, including natural features (such as streams) and artificial ones (such as cities).
In
ethnology, a toponym is a name derived from a place or a region. In
anatomy, a toponym is a name of a region of the
body, as distinguished from the name of an
organ. In
biology, a toponym is a
binomial name of a plant.
Toponymists
A
toponymist is one who studies toponymy. According to the
Oxford English Dictionary, the word
toponymist first appears somewhere towards the middle of the nineteenth century. It can be argued that the first toponymists were the storytellers and poets who explained the origin of certain place names in order to elucidate their tales; sometimes place-names served as the basis for the legends themselves. The process of
folk etymology usually took over, whereby a false meaning was extracted from a name based on its structure or sounds. Thus, the toponym of
Hellespont was explained by Greek poets as being named after
Helle, daughter of
Athamas, who drowned here as she crossed it with her brother
Phrixus on a flying golden ram. The name, however, most likely is derived from an older language, such as
Pelasgian, which was unknown to those who explained its origin.
George R. Stewart theorized, in his book
Names on the Globe, that
Hellespont originally meant something like "narrow Pontus" or "entrance to Pontus," "Pontus" being an ancient name for the region around the
Black Sea, and by extension, for the sea itself.
Toponymists attempt to approximate the original meaning of a place-name, their conclusions often competing with popular or spurious etymologies that may sound more poetic or attractive to tourists. Thus, the river-name "
Mississippi" is popularly claimed to mean "Father of Waters" (though it may mean simply "Big River"), and the state name "
Idaho" was said to mean "Gem of the Mountains" (though it's merely an invented name).
Scholars have found that toponyms provide valuable insight into the historical geography of a particular region. Toponyms not only illustrate ethnic settlement patterns, but they can also help identify discrete periods of immigration.
Toponymists are sometimes used by governments in order to verify the accuracy of certain names as used by
cartographers, the media, researchers, publishers, and their duties also include the inputting of new names into databases and
topographical maps.
Noted toponymists
Further Information
Get more info on 'Toponymy'.
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