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 I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest South Korean cities.
Seoul is derived from Korean and simply means 'capital city', coming from the ancient word Seorabeol. This originally referred to Gyeongju, the capital of Silla, known by the Chinese as Geumseong meaning 'gold castle or city'.
Busan is from Sino-Korean and means 'cauldron mountain', likely the former name of Mount Hwangryeong. The same mountain is also thought to have given a name to the ancient state of Geochilsan-guk or 'rough mountain land'.
Daegu is a Korean name which translates as 'large hill'.
Daejeon was originally known as Hanbat, a Korean term meaning 'large field'. The present name has the same meaning, this from Hanja, the Korean name for Chinese characters - hence the written form.
Gwangju is from the Korean tongue where gwang means 'light' and ju 'province'.
Jeonju is similar to Gwangju in coming from jeon ju 'perfect region'.
Geoje is Korean for 'great rescue' - and before you ask, I have no idea.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 29 March 2020
Sunday, 22 March 2020
South Africa 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 I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest South African cities.
Johannesburg is clearly 'the burg of a man named Johannes', however just which Johannes is a controversial question as there are several contenders including Christiaan Johannes Joubert, Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, Johannes Meyer, and Johannes Rissik. Perhaps Joubert, who had a park named after him, and Rissik, who had a street named after him, are the leading contenders.
Cape Town is of obvious derivation for it is a town on the capr of Africa. Of some interest is the origin of 'cape', initially used to refer to the cloak with a hood, which shares its origin with 'cap' and is ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word kaput which means 'head'.
Durban was named for Benjamin D'Urban (1777-1849), a British general and colonial administrator who served as governor of what was then known as Cape Colony. The Zulu name is eThekwini from itheku meaning 'bay' or perhaps 'lagoon'.
Pretoria was named for Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (1798-1853), leader of the Boers in their creation of the South African Republic.
Port Elizabeth was named for Elizabeth Frances (nee Markham), wife of Eufane Shaw Donkin, acting Governor of Cape Colony.
Vereeniging's name is derived from the Dutch meaning 'association' or perhaps 'union'.
Soshanguve is a modern name and an acronym of SOtho, SHAngaan, NGUni and VEnda. These combine to show the many ethnic groups integrating here.
East London was originally known as Port Rex, a reference to colonial days, but later renamed after the British capital. Click and scroll down to see what I've previously said aboutLondon 
Bloemfontein is Dutch for 'fountain of flowers' or 'blooming fountain'.
Pietermaritzburg's name, like Johannesburg, is disputed. Some maintain it comes from a combination of Piet Retief, a former Voortrekker leader, and Gert Maritz, also a Voortrekker leader and wagon builder. Others point out it could also refer to the Piet alone, as his full name was Pieter Maurits Retief, and thus Piet Maurits Burg would also work.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Johannesburg is clearly 'the burg of a man named Johannes', however just which Johannes is a controversial question as there are several contenders including Christiaan Johannes Joubert, Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, Johannes Meyer, and Johannes Rissik. Perhaps Joubert, who had a park named after him, and Rissik, who had a street named after him, are the leading contenders.
Cape Town is of obvious derivation for it is a town on the capr of Africa. Of some interest is the origin of 'cape', initially used to refer to the cloak with a hood, which shares its origin with 'cap' and is ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European word kaput which means 'head'.
Durban was named for Benjamin D'Urban (1777-1849), a British general and colonial administrator who served as governor of what was then known as Cape Colony. The Zulu name is eThekwini from itheku meaning 'bay' or perhaps 'lagoon'.
Pretoria was named for Andries Wilhelmus Jacobus Pretorius (1798-1853), leader of the Boers in their creation of the South African Republic.
Port Elizabeth was named for Elizabeth Frances (nee Markham), wife of Eufane Shaw Donkin, acting Governor of Cape Colony.
Vereeniging's name is derived from the Dutch meaning 'association' or perhaps 'union'.
Soshanguve is a modern name and an acronym of SOtho, SHAngaan, NGUni and VEnda. These combine to show the many ethnic groups integrating here.
East London was originally known as Port Rex, a reference to colonial days, but later renamed after the British capital. Click and scroll down to see what I've previously said about
Bloemfontein is Dutch for 'fountain of flowers' or 'blooming fountain'.
Pietermaritzburg's name, like Johannesburg, is disputed. Some maintain it comes from a combination of Piet Retief, a former Voortrekker leader, and Gert Maritz, also a Voortrekker leader and wagon builder. Others point out it could also refer to the Piet alone, as his full name was Pieter Maurits Retief, and thus Piet Maurits Burg would also work.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Sunday, 15 March 2020
Somalia 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 I cast my net a little wider. As English place names share some links to other tongues it would be interesting to see if any of the elements contributing to our place names could be found elsewhere. Continuing an alphabetical tour of the world and a look at the largest Somalian cities.
Bur Salah, formerly known as Burar, is named after Saalax Jaamac, owner of a water pool in the town's centre.
Burtinle is named after the hill which largely surrounds it. This hill, known as Buurta Ninle, has a name meaning 'hairy hill' and named for the desert scrub growing here.
Damala comes from the Somali word meaning 'acacia woodland'.
Galinsoor combines two Somali words: gelin is 'half of the day' and therefore either morning or afternoon, or day or night, depending on context. However, here the addition of the element soor or 'hosting', enables us to see this was known as a stopover, where travellers would be accommodated for the night.
Hargeisa is thought to be derived from its use as a watering stop for nomadic herders en route to Harar. If indeed harar as-sagir is the origin and meaning as 'little Harar', itself named for its early occupation by the Harari people - the calling it Gey or 'the city' and which also gave them their alternative name of Geyusu 'people of the city'.
Hingalol comes from the Somali tongue where hin 'densely', combines with Galol, the local name for the acacia tree'.
Laag is a Germanic name, probably from loga meaning 'field'.
Luuq is from the Somali language and means 'alley', a reference to the location almost surrounded by a river and just the 'alley' as a land bridge.
Mogadishu is the capital city, probably taking its name from the Somali Muuq Disho 'sight killer'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Bur Salah, formerly known as Burar, is named after Saalax Jaamac, owner of a water pool in the town's centre.
Burtinle is named after the hill which largely surrounds it. This hill, known as Buurta Ninle, has a name meaning 'hairy hill' and named for the desert scrub growing here.
Damala comes from the Somali word meaning 'acacia woodland'.
Galinsoor combines two Somali words: gelin is 'half of the day' and therefore either morning or afternoon, or day or night, depending on context. However, here the addition of the element soor or 'hosting', enables us to see this was known as a stopover, where travellers would be accommodated for the night.
Hargeisa is thought to be derived from its use as a watering stop for nomadic herders en route to Harar. If indeed harar as-sagir is the origin and meaning as 'little Harar', itself named for its early occupation by the Harari people - the calling it Gey or 'the city' and which also gave them their alternative name of Geyusu 'people of the city'.
Hingalol comes from the Somali tongue where hin 'densely', combines with Galol, the local name for the acacia tree'.
Laag is a Germanic name, probably from loga meaning 'field'.
Luuq is from the Somali language and means 'alley', a reference to the location almost surrounded by a river and just the 'alley' as a land bridge.
Mogadishu is the capital city, probably taking its name from the Somali Muuq Disho 'sight killer'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
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