Ever wanted to know more about the names of England’s cities, towns, and villages? The Institute for Names Studies at the University of Nottingham has made available a newly updated website providing information on the history and meaning of over 10,000 place names in England.
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Conference: One-Name Studies – Home and Away, Birmingham, England, April 3, 2016
On the 3rd of April 2016, the Guild of One-Name Studies, an onomastic organization devoted to the intensive investigation of single surnames, will be holding a conference at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England.
The Guild of One-Name Studies commemorates World War I
To commemorate WWI, the Guild of One-Name Studies, in cooperation with the Imperial War Museum, will be holding a series of digital events designed to document the lives of the millions of soldiers and civilians who lost their lives.
About Names: Cinderella: Her real name, like her shoe, is lost
Dr. Cleveland Evans writes about names for the Omaha World-Herald. This week’s column explores Cinderella.
Call for Papers – Special Session of ANS about Texas Names, Austin, January 5-8, 2017
The 2017 annual meeting of ANS will be January 5-8 in Austin, TX. In recognition of this occasion there will be a special session devoted to Texas names.
Abstracts on any aspect of Texas names are welcome:
- place names in Texas
- personal names in Texas
- regional or ethnic names in Texas
- changes of names
- pronunciation of Texas names
- street names in Texas
- ranch names
- Texas brands
- folk etymology in Texas names
- fanciful stories attached to Texas names
- names of Texas radio and TV stations
- Texas highway names
- names of Texas politicians
- Texas formal vs. colloquial names
- Texas names in media
- names of Texas newspapers
- New England names in Texas
… the list goes on.
You need not live in Texas nor be a native or even a naturalized Texan to participate. Texans, former Texans, closet Texans, Texas wannabees, Texans from all parts of the world are welcome.
If you are interested in presenting a paper at this special session, please send an email to Edward Callary [callary1@hotmail.com] no later than April 30 expressing your interest and a general idea of your topic.
Motorola Brand Changed to Moto
In an effort to breathe new life into one of its problem-children, Lenovo executives have decided to sacrifice the brand name Motorola and replace it with the sleeker, shorter name Moto. According to the company, the decision to doff the 83-year-old brand name was not easy. However, executives are convinced that the new brand name will attract new customers and bring back some old ones.
Quebecois and/or French-Canadian Literature Call for Papers
Onomastic researchers working within the areas of Quebecois and/or French-Canadian Literature are invited to send in article proposals to the Literary Encyclopedia. The purpose of the Encyclopedia is to provide a global understanding of world cultures and literatures in a responsive digital format.
Winners in Naming the Exoplanets
There are planets that orbit our sun (e.g. Mercury, Saturn, and or beloved Earth) and there are planets that orbit around a star that is not our sun. These celestial bodies are called “exoplanets.”
This past spring, registered clubs and non-profit organizations were invited to suggest names for several exoplanets and stars. Among the winning bids came from the Kamagari Astronomical Observatory in Japan. This organization received the honor of bestowing the planet Ain b (epsilon Tauri b) the name Amateru, a common appellation for shrines devoted to the Shinto Sun goddess, Amaterasu. Learn about these onomastics winners.
Don’t name your dog Bella
Chances are if you think you have found the perfect name for your dog, there are at least 10 thousand other dog-owners who have made the same discovery. Pet names, like baby names, follow strong national and generational trends.
Whereas pooches in the past carried names like Rex, King, and Lady, today the most popular names for dogs in English-speaking countries are Max, Charlie, Lucy, and Bella. In fact, according to dog experts, the name Bella has become so popular, that it has become a real problem.
In a January 2016 interview for Animal Life, Toni Perling, founder and CEO of DoggieNames.com explains that the increasing number of Bellas has caused serious chaos, ranging from “grooming mishaps” to “medication mixups”.
Reminder: Proposal Deadline approaches for ANS Panel at the Modern Language Association Conference
ANS Panel at the Modern Language Association Conference
January 5-8th, 2017 in Philadelphia, PA
The American Name Society invites proposals for a panel under the theme of “Names and Multilingualism.” Multilingual and multicultural communities have been developed since the ancient world. The linguistic and cultural contacts within these communities have attracted the interest of a broad range of disciplines, where in some cases different strands have emerged. Personal as well as place names (i.e. anthroponymy and toponymy, respectively) mirror the interactions and the subsequent changes in those communities, thus modern scholarship often emphasizes their significance.
We encourage submissions pertaining to this topic from diverse perspectives, drawing evidence from literature, material culture, oral tradition, etc. of any period or area. Papers may deal with any aspect of naming, e.g., personal names, place names, corporate or trade names, name theory, etc. Submissions for interdisciplinary approaches are most welcome.
Proposal submission process:
- Proposals should include a title and abstract up to 350 words.
- Proposals should be sent via email attachment (PDF format) to Andreas Gavrielatos [a.gavrielatos@ed.ac.uk] with “MLA proposal” in the subject line. Please, include the Title, Name of Speaker, Affiliation and email address in the body of the email and NOT in the abstract.
- Proposals must be received by 5pm GMT on 16 March 2016. Proposers will be notified of results soon thereafter, following blind review of proposals.
- Panelists must be members of both MLA and ANS in order to present.
- For questions, please contact Andreas Gavrielatos at the email address above.
More information about ANS and MLA conferences in available on the Conferences page of this website.