Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Chad and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
N'Djamena may be the capital and by far the largest city but was only founded on May 29th 1900. Initially known as Fort Lamy, as suggested by the French commander Emile Gentil to honour his colleague Amedee-Francois Lamy who was killed at the Battle of Kousseri just days earlier.In April 1973 President Francois Tombalbaye officially changed the name to N'Djamena, this from the nearby village of Nigamina, an Arabic name meaning 'place of rest'.
Sarh took its name from the Sara people. Native to this southern part of Chad, they get their name from the Arabic Sa-Ra meaning 'sons of Ra', the ancient Egyptian sun god.
Am Timan is named from the Arabic for 'mother of twins', although just why it is known as such is a mystery.
Kanem is a reminder of the Kanem Empire of the Kanembu people, a once nomadic people of northeast Africa who eventually settled in this part of Chad.
Baguirmi is a department of Chad, taking its name from the kingdom of Bagirmi and the Bagirmi people whose name has never been explained.
Dar Tama gets its name from the indigenous Tama people and their Nilo-Saharan language.
Tibetsi is the name given to the mountain range and is the etymological version of the old chicken and egg question for the name means 'the place where the mountain people live'. This is the Toubou, a group who derive their name from Old Tebu for 'the rock people' which further confuses the question as to which came first - unlike the chicken and egg poser, where clearly the egg came first as eggs are also laid by reptiles, amphibians, dinosaurs (the chicken''s ancestor), fish, insects, and marine invertebrates for billions of years before the chicken.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 27 December 2015
Sunday, 20 December 2015
Central African Republic Place Names Explained
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time the Central African Republic and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the capital.
Bangui is named for being on the bank of the Ubangi River, itself the local Bobangi word for 'rapids' and marking the northern limit of navigable water.
Carnot was named to honour the French president Sadi Carnot following his assassination in June 1894. Following a speech at Lyon, an Italian anarchist by the name of Sante Geronimo Caserio, stabbed and killed a man who had just hinted would not be standing for re-election. Caserio himself was executed six weeks later.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Bangui is named for being on the bank of the Ubangi River, itself the local Bobangi word for 'rapids' and marking the northern limit of navigable water.
Carnot was named to honour the French president Sadi Carnot following his assassination in June 1894. Following a speech at Lyon, an Italian anarchist by the name of Sante Geronimo Caserio, stabbed and killed a man who had just hinted would not be standing for re-election. Caserio himself was executed six weeks later.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 13 December 2015
Zambia and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Zambia and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names.
Lusaka was named after the village, itself named after its headsman, which is traditionally held to have stood at the foot of Manda Hill. The hill name comes from the Nyanja tongue and means 'graveyard'.
Kabwe had previously been known as Broken Hill, a name transferred here by European and Australian miners who saw similarities between this site and one at Broken Hill in New South Wales. The present name of Kabwe is an abbreviation of kabwe-ka mukuba referring to either the 'ore' or perhaps 'smelting' operation.
Mufulira is named as 'the place of abundance' and refers to the copper mine employing at least 10,000 workers and 300,000 tonnes of copper.
Livingstone is clearly an English name, this recalling the famous British explorer and missionary David Livingstone, the first European to explore this part of Africa.
Chipata takes its name from the Ngoni word chimpata meaning literally 'large space', that the shallow valley between the hills in which Chipata lies.
Chililabombwe is a town in the Copperbelt Province and one delightfully named as 'the place of the croaking frog'.
Kanyembo takes its name from the traditional ruler, Chief Kanyembo.
Kazembe is the name found on every map and official record (albeit sometimes as Kasembe), and follows the tradition of naming the village or settlement after its chief or headsman. Yet the correct name for the place is Mwansabombwe or 'where Mwansa works', this being the name used by the Luba and Chibemba people who live here.
Makeni has never been explained which is probably why the idea it comes from the surname McKenny has been suggested.
Mansa is another taking its name from the chief, although during the days of the British Empire this was known as Fort Rosebery.
Mazubuka is from the Tonga word twazabuka. and means 'to cross the river'. With no record of either a permanent or contemporary crossing here, it is thought to refer to the migration ofs the Tonga people across the Magoye river.
Monze is named after Chief Monze, the spiritual leader of the Tonga people.
Shiwa Ngandu bases its name of the nearby Lake Ishiba Ng'andu which, in the Memba language, means 'lake of the royal crocodile'.
Zambezi is a village named, not unsurprisingly, from the fourth-longest river in Africa. Vasco de Gama was the first known European to observe the river, doing so in 1648 when he recorded this as the Rio dos Bons Sinais or 'river of good omens' and which today is the name given to a small river feeding into the northern part of the delta. By the 16th century the name is found as Cuama and is still recorded as such locally, especially when speaking of the delta when it is labelled as 'the rivers of the Cuama'. The first recording of the modern name comes from 1552, when another Portuguese explorer notes the local Monomatapa name as Zembere and in 1597 this is seen as Zambeze and both were said to have been named after a people inhabiting the shores of the river somewhere upstream. Now, on a river extending a hairsbreadth under 1,600 miles, to know the location of these people is unlikely but there is a little evidence, in the name of the M'biza people, to suggest they were a Bantu people found around what is now central-eastern Zambia. In the mid-19th century the idea of the name coming from the Bantu term mbeze pointed to this referring to 'the river of fish'. A not unexpected simplistic meaning supported by David Livingstone's notes telling of how he had heard a number of Lozi people names for the river - Luambeji, Luambesi, Ambezi, Ojimbesi, Zambesii and Leeambye - all said to refer to 'the large river' or even 'the river par exellence'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Lusaka was named after the village, itself named after its headsman, which is traditionally held to have stood at the foot of Manda Hill. The hill name comes from the Nyanja tongue and means 'graveyard'.
Kabwe had previously been known as Broken Hill, a name transferred here by European and Australian miners who saw similarities between this site and one at Broken Hill in New South Wales. The present name of Kabwe is an abbreviation of kabwe-ka mukuba referring to either the 'ore' or perhaps 'smelting' operation.
Mufulira is named as 'the place of abundance' and refers to the copper mine employing at least 10,000 workers and 300,000 tonnes of copper.
Livingstone is clearly an English name, this recalling the famous British explorer and missionary David Livingstone, the first European to explore this part of Africa.
Chipata takes its name from the Ngoni word chimpata meaning literally 'large space', that the shallow valley between the hills in which Chipata lies.
Chililabombwe is a town in the Copperbelt Province and one delightfully named as 'the place of the croaking frog'.
Kanyembo takes its name from the traditional ruler, Chief Kanyembo.
Kazembe is the name found on every map and official record (albeit sometimes as Kasembe), and follows the tradition of naming the village or settlement after its chief or headsman. Yet the correct name for the place is Mwansabombwe or 'where Mwansa works', this being the name used by the Luba and Chibemba people who live here.
Makeni has never been explained which is probably why the idea it comes from the surname McKenny has been suggested.
Mansa is another taking its name from the chief, although during the days of the British Empire this was known as Fort Rosebery.
Mazubuka is from the Tonga word twazabuka. and means 'to cross the river'. With no record of either a permanent or contemporary crossing here, it is thought to refer to the migration ofs the Tonga people across the Magoye river.
Monze is named after Chief Monze, the spiritual leader of the Tonga people.
Shiwa Ngandu bases its name of the nearby Lake Ishiba Ng'andu which, in the Memba language, means 'lake of the royal crocodile'.
Zambezi is a village named, not unsurprisingly, from the fourth-longest river in Africa. Vasco de Gama was the first known European to observe the river, doing so in 1648 when he recorded this as the Rio dos Bons Sinais or 'river of good omens' and which today is the name given to a small river feeding into the northern part of the delta. By the 16th century the name is found as Cuama and is still recorded as such locally, especially when speaking of the delta when it is labelled as 'the rivers of the Cuama'. The first recording of the modern name comes from 1552, when another Portuguese explorer notes the local Monomatapa name as Zembere and in 1597 this is seen as Zambeze and both were said to have been named after a people inhabiting the shores of the river somewhere upstream. Now, on a river extending a hairsbreadth under 1,600 miles, to know the location of these people is unlikely but there is a little evidence, in the name of the M'biza people, to suggest they were a Bantu people found around what is now central-eastern Zambia. In the mid-19th century the idea of the name coming from the Bantu term mbeze pointed to this referring to 'the river of fish'. A not unexpected simplistic meaning supported by David Livingstone's notes telling of how he had heard a number of Lozi people names for the river - Luambeji, Luambesi, Ambezi, Ojimbesi, Zambesii and Leeambye - all said to refer to 'the large river' or even 'the river par exellence'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 6 December 2015
Canada and its Place Names
Having blogged samples of my books on English place names and also examined the etymologies of the nations of the world and their respective capitals I thought it time to cast my net a little wider. This time Canada and a look at some of its largest settlements and most interesting names and starting with the largest.
Toronto had originally been a water channel between lakes Simcoe and Couchiching known as Taronto. In time this came to be used for the newly built fort, itself originally known as Fort York after Prince Frederick, Duke of York. The original name of Toronto was restored in 1834, a Mohawk word tkaronto meaning 'where there are trees standing in the water' and still an apt description of this place today.
Montreal is named after Mount Royal, the three-peaked hill on which the city stands. There is no agreement as to whether this is derived from the French mont Real or from an Italian Monte Real, either having the same meaning.
Vancouver took the name of George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792.
Calgary borrowed its name from Calgary on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. As with so many names around this part of Britain it is derived from Old Scandinavian, where kald gart or 'cold garden'. Rather than taking this literally, we should understand this as 'exposed' rather than cold and 'agricultural land' as opposed to garden.
Edmonton was named after Edmonton in London, the home town of both John Peter Pruden and Hudson's Bay Company deputy governor Sir James Winter Lake. Whilst hardly applicable here, the name of Edmonton is derived from Old English and describes the tun of 'farmstead of a man called Eadhelm'.
Ottawa is from the Ottawa River, itself the Algonquin word Odawa meaning 'to trade'.
Quebec is one of the oldest cities on the North American continent, it from the Algonquin kebec meaning 'where the river narrows'.
Winnipeg is another name of local origins. Here, taken from that of Lake Winnipeg, it describes 'the muddy or brackish water'.
Hamilton is named after George Hamilton, founder of the city on land he purchased as Barton Township from James Durand in January 1815.
Kitchener was originally known by the highly appropriate name of Sandhills, for obvious reasons. By 1833 the number of German immigrants gave this a name of Berlin, then in 1916 to Kitchener after Field Marshal the 1st Earl Kitchener.
London is clearly transferred from the United Kingdom's capital. The problem here is the name of London has never been defined, with the earliest record of Londinium simply a Litinicised version of whatever had gone before. It has always been, and will doubtless likely remain, a mystery.
Victoria springs no surprises being named after Queen Victoria, formerly the longest reigning monarch in British history.
Halifax is another transferred from its counterpart in the United Kingdom. Here the original name meant 'the nook of land where coarse grass grows', but came here as a title from the 2nd Earl of Halifax.
Oshawa comes from the Ojibwa word aazhaway simply mewaning 'crossing point'.
Windsor is another transferred from the United Kingdom. Today the name of the ruling royal house and also a famous castle, its rather ignominious beginnings were down to Windsor's location on the Thames. Goods brought by river had to come up a steep and slippery bank. Ingenuity came to the rescue in the form of winding gear which made use of the slippery slope to bring the goods up on a sled.
Saskatoon is derived from the Cree tongue where misaskwatominik refers to this as 'the place of the saskatoon berry'. This local fruit is a sweet berry described as violet in colour.
Regina was, like Victoria, named for Queen Victoria. Here this was the suggestion of her daughter, Princess Louise, as her husband was then Governor General of Canada. Previously the place had the far better name of Wascana, the Cree word for 'buffalo bones'.
Barrie was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie, who was then in charge of Canada's naval forces.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Toronto had originally been a water channel between lakes Simcoe and Couchiching known as Taronto. In time this came to be used for the newly built fort, itself originally known as Fort York after Prince Frederick, Duke of York. The original name of Toronto was restored in 1834, a Mohawk word tkaronto meaning 'where there are trees standing in the water' and still an apt description of this place today.
Montreal is named after Mount Royal, the three-peaked hill on which the city stands. There is no agreement as to whether this is derived from the French mont Real or from an Italian Monte Real, either having the same meaning.
Vancouver took the name of George Vancouver, who explored the inner harbour of Burrard Inlet in 1792.
Calgary borrowed its name from Calgary on the Isle of Mull in Scotland. As with so many names around this part of Britain it is derived from Old Scandinavian, where kald gart or 'cold garden'. Rather than taking this literally, we should understand this as 'exposed' rather than cold and 'agricultural land' as opposed to garden.
Edmonton was named after Edmonton in London, the home town of both John Peter Pruden and Hudson's Bay Company deputy governor Sir James Winter Lake. Whilst hardly applicable here, the name of Edmonton is derived from Old English and describes the tun of 'farmstead of a man called Eadhelm'.
Ottawa is from the Ottawa River, itself the Algonquin word Odawa meaning 'to trade'.
Quebec is one of the oldest cities on the North American continent, it from the Algonquin kebec meaning 'where the river narrows'.
Winnipeg is another name of local origins. Here, taken from that of Lake Winnipeg, it describes 'the muddy or brackish water'.
Hamilton is named after George Hamilton, founder of the city on land he purchased as Barton Township from James Durand in January 1815.
Kitchener was originally known by the highly appropriate name of Sandhills, for obvious reasons. By 1833 the number of German immigrants gave this a name of Berlin, then in 1916 to Kitchener after Field Marshal the 1st Earl Kitchener.
London is clearly transferred from the United Kingdom's capital. The problem here is the name of London has never been defined, with the earliest record of Londinium simply a Litinicised version of whatever had gone before. It has always been, and will doubtless likely remain, a mystery.
Victoria springs no surprises being named after Queen Victoria, formerly the longest reigning monarch in British history.
Halifax is another transferred from its counterpart in the United Kingdom. Here the original name meant 'the nook of land where coarse grass grows', but came here as a title from the 2nd Earl of Halifax.
Oshawa comes from the Ojibwa word aazhaway simply mewaning 'crossing point'.
Windsor is another transferred from the United Kingdom. Today the name of the ruling royal house and also a famous castle, its rather ignominious beginnings were down to Windsor's location on the Thames. Goods brought by river had to come up a steep and slippery bank. Ingenuity came to the rescue in the form of winding gear which made use of the slippery slope to bring the goods up on a sled.
Saskatoon is derived from the Cree tongue where misaskwatominik refers to this as 'the place of the saskatoon berry'. This local fruit is a sweet berry described as violet in colour.
Regina was, like Victoria, named for Queen Victoria. Here this was the suggestion of her daughter, Princess Louise, as her husband was then Governor General of Canada. Previously the place had the far better name of Wascana, the Cree word for 'buffalo bones'.
Barrie was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie, who was then in charge of Canada's naval forces.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
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