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 of Suriname's cities.
Kawemhakan comes from the Wayana language and means 'high riverbank'. Locals still refer to the place as Anapaike, the name of the last granman or chief of the Maroon nation.
Witagron comes from the local tongue and means 'land of my forefathers'.
Brokopondo Reservoir is a misnomer, named as such for the dam stands close to the village of Brokopondo. Correctly this is the Professor Doctor Ingenieur W. J. von Blommenstein Meer and named after the Dutch engineer who desiged it.
Sipaliwini is the name of a district, a village and, originally, a river. The river's name comes from the thornback ray, known as the sirari in the local tongue.
Friendship took this simplistic name from the plantation established here before the town developed.
Lelydorp is named after the Dutch governor of Suriname in 1905, Cornelius Lely.
Onverwacht is the Dutch word for 'unexpected', and your guess as to what they had not expected to discover is as good as mine.
Paramaribo is named from the tribe who, in turn, take their name from the Tupi-Guarani words para 'large river' and maribo 'inhabitants'.
Tepu takes its name from the Tiriyo language and means 'high'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Showing posts with label governor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label governor. Show all posts
Sunday, 19 April 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 December 2019
Saint Lucia 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 St Lucian cities.
Anse La Raye is simply the French for 'Bay of Rays', the rays being the flat fish found here.
Bocage can be traced to the Old Norman boscage. itself a combination of Old French bosc and a later suffix -age and describes 'the place of the wood'.
Castries has been known as such since 1785, when it was renamed after the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies, the splendidly named Charles Eugene Gabriel de la Croix, marquis de Castries. (1727 - 1801).
Canaries is also known locally as Kanawe, this coming from the Amerindian to describe 'cooking pots'.
Choiseul had earlier been known as Anse Citron, literally 'lemon handle'. The present name has never been understood.
Gros Islet translates from the French as 'large island'.
Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie, French governor of Saint Lucia from 1784 to 1789. Earlier it had been known as L'islet a Caret, said to refer to the Loggerhead turtles in the area, itself known to science as Carretta caretta.
Micoud is another named after a former French governor of Saint Lucia, Baron de Micoud held the role in the 18th century.
Mon Repos is, as anyone with a mastery of schoolboy (or schoolgirl) French knows, a phrase meaning 'my rest' and thus simply describing someone's home.
Ravine Poissin, like the previous name, is easily translated as 'the valley of the fish'.
Rodney Bay is named from the British era, specifically after Admiral George Brydges Rodney, who built a fort at Pigeon Island.
Roseau is named for the local flora, for it simply means 'reeds'.
Soicis is another named during the era of French control and is an unusual name as it means 'troubles'. Just why this was chosen is unclear.
Vieux Fort is another of French origin, this simply translates as 'old fort'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
Anse La Raye is simply the French for 'Bay of Rays', the rays being the flat fish found here.
Bocage can be traced to the Old Norman boscage. itself a combination of Old French bosc and a later suffix -age and describes 'the place of the wood'.
Castries has been known as such since 1785, when it was renamed after the French Minister of the Navy and Colonies, the splendidly named Charles Eugene Gabriel de la Croix, marquis de Castries. (1727 - 1801).
Canaries is also known locally as Kanawe, this coming from the Amerindian to describe 'cooking pots'.
Choiseul had earlier been known as Anse Citron, literally 'lemon handle'. The present name has never been understood.
Gros Islet translates from the French as 'large island'.
Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie, French governor of Saint Lucia from 1784 to 1789. Earlier it had been known as L'islet a Caret, said to refer to the Loggerhead turtles in the area, itself known to science as Carretta caretta.
Micoud is another named after a former French governor of Saint Lucia, Baron de Micoud held the role in the 18th century.
Mon Repos is, as anyone with a mastery of schoolboy (or schoolgirl) French knows, a phrase meaning 'my rest' and thus simply describing someone's home.
Ravine Poissin, like the previous name, is easily translated as 'the valley of the fish'.
Rodney Bay is named from the British era, specifically after Admiral George Brydges Rodney, who built a fort at Pigeon Island.
Roseau is named for the local flora, for it simply means 'reeds'.
Soicis is another named during the era of French control and is an unusual name as it means 'troubles'. Just why this was chosen is unclear.
Vieux Fort is another of French origin, this simply translates as 'old fort'.
Note the spellings of the places are English as the piece is written in English.
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