List of Historic Welsh Place Names now over 660,000 Records

 

The List of Historic Welsh Place Names received the Cynefin Project data from the National Library of Wales just before Christmas 2018, and since then, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales has been going through them and cleansing the data in order to upload them to the List. This meant going through over 900,000 records, and pulling out each one that wasn’t actually a name, like ‘field’ or ‘house and garden’. This work is now completed, and the Commission is happy to announce they have an additional 515,902 names to add to the list.

ICOS has got a new website

The International Council of Onomastic Sciences has announced the launch of their newly redesigned website.

The new design will allow to find any information more quickly and easily. They are also continuing to update the website with useful information and news regarding onomastics, various events and projects. Besides that, ICOS set up modules for online membership registrations where the ICOS membership fee can be paid.

 

The ICOS is the international organisation for all scholars who have a special interest in the study of names (place-names, personal names, and proper names of all other kinds). The aim of the Council is the advancement, representation and co-ordination of name research on an international level and in an interdisciplinary context.

More than 800 Māori place names officially recognised

The New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa has made 824 Māori place names official. About 300 of them now officially include macrons, such as Taupō, Whakatāne, Whangārei, and Ōpōtiki.

The correct spelling of the names were a collaborative effort between the board and Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu to officially recognise their traditional tūturu names from their online cultural heritage atlas, Kā Huru Manu. The full list is available on the New Zealand Geographic Board website.

Many Māori place names have important stories behind them, so ensuring the correct spelling will help keep those stories alive. For example, as part of these changes New Zealand’s longest place name, Taumatawhakatangihangakōauauotamateapōkaiwhenuakitānatahu, has had macrons added. The name tells the story of the hill where Tamatea played his flute to his loved one.

 

Stunning USA map swaps place names for most Wikipedia-ed residents

 

This is a People Map of the US, where city names are replaced by their most Wikipedia’ed resident: people born in, lived in, or connected to a place.

Data for this story were collected and processed using the Wikipedia API. The period of collection was from July, 2015–May, 2019, from English Wikipedia. Person/city associations were based on the thousands of “People from X city” pages on Wikipedia. The top person from each city was determined by using median pageviews (with a minimum of 1 year of traffic). We chose to include multiple occurrences for a single person because there is both no way to determine which is more accurate and people can “be from” multiple places.

Gaelic Place Names

Here’s a selection of gaelic derived place names – from Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba (AÀA) ~ Gaelic Place-Names of Scotland the national advisory partnership for Gaelic place-names in Scotland.

Reproduced here with thanks to Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba and Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

For more on these names consult www.gaelicplacenames.org

Logainm – new series exploring the place names of Ireland

Logainm is a new studio-based 26 part series celebrating and exploring the place names of Ireland. Much of Ireland’s history is locked up in its place names. They are a unique aspect of our shared culture and heritage. There are millions of place names all over the island, from the field behind your house, to the four provinces of Ireland. Each of them has its own story to unfold, each has a distinctive sense of place.

The presenter, renowned musician and singer, Breanndán Ó Beaglaoich is joined each week by a panel of guests who bring their expertise to bear on a lively discussion of Irish place names.

 

Lycian and Pisidian Place Names Databank

Toponyms of Pisidia and Lycia, or TPL is a searchable online database containing the metadata of Pisidian and Lycian place names attested in the Greco-Roman period (8th century BC, 3rd century BC). Pisidia and Lycia represent a region of ancient Asia Minor corresponding roughly to the modern-day province of Antalya in Turkey.

 

This project aims to give access to the references of Pisidian place names in literary sources and to provide a georeferenced map of places of Pisidia and ancient Lycia. This project results from Lauriane Locatelli‘s thesis “The toponymy and ethnonymy of ancient Pisidia” and Simone Podestà‘s thesis “Storia e storiografia della Licia”.

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) Online

The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is often described as the American version of the world-famous classic, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Since 1965, the DARE has provided, linguists, lexicographers, and onomasticians detailed information about regional variations in the use of American English words, phrases, and pronunciations. Initially, the plethora of linguistic information offered by the DARE was only available in book form. However, today, word-lovers can find use the resource online. The digital edition features audio, interactive maps, and insights into the DARE Survey.

Animal Naming: International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature

Ever wonder who or what is responsible for making sure that every living creature has an official scientific name?  Just one of the scholarly societies that helps to shoulder this momentous task is the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature or ICZN. The ICZN is responsible for ensuring that the system of names used for the animal kingdom is internationally uniform and accepted.  Founded in 1895, the ICZN currently is made up of 27 members from 18 different countries around the world.  Given the millions different recognized animal species that walk, crawl, hop, slither, swim, glide, pounce, or wiggle about on, over, or below the Earth’s surface today, the commission certainly has its work cut out for it.  Interested in learning more about the types of names that can be proposed, the animals waiting for a new or revised moniker, or the buying and selling of scientific names?  The answers to those questions and many, many more, can be found here.

Persuasive Cartography: The PJ Mode Collection

Contrary to popular belief, maps do not offer a neutral, objective view of the world but reflect the sociocultural perspectives, personal political opinions, religious beliefs, and underlying commercial objectives of the people who create them.  In cooperation with Cornell University, map specialist PJ Mode has assembled a fascinating collection of more than 800 examples of persuasive cartography. Visitors to this historical e-collection will be surprised and quite likely shocked by the power of cartography to affect public opinion. Browse the collection or learn more here.

“Every map has a Who, What, Where and When about it. But these maps had another element: Why? Since they were primarily “about” something other than geography, understanding the map required finding the reasoning behind it. Each time I acquired one of these maps, I tried to solve that puzzle. As the internet developed, it became easier to come across these “curiosities” – and easier to research their raison d’etre.”

-PJ Mode