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International Congress of Celtic Studies, Glasgow, July 13-17 2015

5156859128_62b1bca836_mRegistration closes today for the 15th International Congress of Celtic Studies, taking place from the 13th to the 17th of July 2015 at the University of Glasgow. Among the many outstanding presentations to be given are several papers on onomastics.

 

 

Three examples include:

  • Timothy Bridgeman (Binghamton University), “Names and Naming Conventions of Celtic Peoples in Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia”
  • M. Joseph Wolf (University of Glasgow), “Exploring Manx Saint Dedications and Place-Names in the Wider Irish Sea Context”
  • Ken George (Cornish Language Board), “Assibilation and palatalization in Cornish: the evidence of place-names’

Click here for more on the congress and registration.

Funded PhD at the University of Glasgow: ‘Protocols for the use of name evidence in lexicography: comparative analysis of onomastic and non-onomastic data for historical and contemporary Scots’

17101840068_4796d8a18f_mSubmit your application for a funded PhD on the use of name evidence in lexicography, based at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.

The studentship is offered under the AHRC Collaborative Doctoral Award program with Scottish Language Dictionaries (Edinburgh) and will be co-supervised by Professor Carole Hough, Dr Wendy Anderson (University of Glasgow), and Dr Alison Grant (Scottish Language Dictionaries).

The studentship is funded for three years, beginning in October 2015. The deadline for applications is Monday, 29 June 2015. Interviews will be held on Thursday, 23 July 2015.

Click here for more information and to apply.

“My Treasure” is the most popular pet name among German couples

8460805431_fb29465f5a_mIn a representative nationwide study conducted in Germany, researchers have identified the top ten pet names which couples use to call one another behind closed doors:

 

 

“My Treasure” takes the top spot, with about 35% of Germans using a variation such as:

  • Treasure (Schatz)
  • Little Treasure (Schatzi/Schatzlein/Schätzle)
  • Big Treasure (Riesenschatz)
  • Cuddly Treasure (Schnuckelschatz)

 

Animal names account for second through fifth place. In order, these zoonymic names of affection are:

  • Mouse (Maus)
  • Hare (Hase)
  • Bear (Bär)
  • Sparrow (Spatz)

 

In tenth place is the now internationally recognized onomastic evergreen Liebling.

Here is a list of other favorite German nicknames for your sweetheart.

Online Workshop: Methodology for Terminology Work, Sept. 2-3 2015

8166397343_5f2f62c0a2_mFrom the 2nd of September to the 3rd of November 2015, the University of Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain will be holding an online lexicography and language documentation workshop on “Methodology for Terminology Work”.

The focus of the workshop is on carrying out terminological projects based on the Communicative Theory of Terminology (CTT). All the phases of carrying out terminographic work will be presented, from project conceptualization to database construction and management. The minimum level of education required for participation is a MA.

Click here for more information.

Onomastics and Terminology 4: Personal Names and Public Administration, Budapest, July 17 2015

8130435985_d99d647d2c_mOn July 17th, 2015, the fourth annual interdisciplinary workshop entitled “Onomastics and Terminology 4: Personal Names and Public Administration” will be held in Budapest, Hungary. Dedicated to Hungarian-related legal issues of personal names, the workshop is being co-sponsored by the Terminology Council of the Hungarian Language, and the Society of Hungarian Linguistics, among others.

Topics include the basics of the Law on Personal Names, regulations governing Christian name choice and family name changes, the use of personal names in minority communities. Talks will be given by academic scholars and executives of public administration.

The language of the workshop is Hungarian. Click here for the conference program in Hungarian.

 

U.S. Olympic Committee willing to revise record to show Caitlyn Jenner as winner of 1976 Olympic decathlon

8206733386_8ce998bfaf_mIn the 1976 Summer Olympic Games, US athlete Bruce Jenner captured international headlines after winning the gold medal for the decathlon. Now, almost 40 years later, the Olympian has made world-wide news again by telling the story of a personal transgender transformation.

In honor of this journey, Jenner has adopted the new female first name, Caitlyn. According to Patrick Sandusky, spokesperson for the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the organization would consider substituting the name Bruce with Caitlyn on all official records, if a formal request by the athlete is made.

See this article for additional information.

 

Isis is removed from the list of hurricane names

4989555315_b0512756e4_mThe UN’s World Meteorological Association (WMO) has announced that the name Isis has been officially removed from its list of hurricane names in 2016. This decision marks the first time that a name has been banned for its association with a terrorist organization.

According to the WMO, in the minds of most people today, the name Isis is no longer primarily associated with the magical goddess of ancient Egypt; instead it is now associated with the group accused of committing atrocities in Iraq and Syria. In this context, the name “ISIS” is an English acronym for the full phrase “Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham”.

Clare Nullis, UN spokeswoman from Geneva, Switzerland explained that the WHO Hurricane Committee will be replacing the stigmatized moniker with the name “Ivette”.

For additional information, see this article and this article.

New Zealand Geographic Board’s World War I Place Naming Project

15421234291_ff6532aff5_mThe New Zealand Geographic Board has just announced a special World War I Place Naming Project.

The goal of the project is to highlight national toponyms connected to the First World War and to publicize the histories of the people and events which served as their namesakes. To mark the centenary of the war, the project will feature the 30 prominent WWI toponyms, and will officially inaugurate 16 others.

The general public is invited to participate in this special naming project by nominating places and spaces in New Zealand for onomastic recognition. Nominations can be sent to tww1placenames[@]linz.govt.nz