Denatured toponyms

Popular reinterpretations

One notes many deformations of toponyms by paronymous attraction:

  • the lock (FR 66): reinterpretation of the Cluses , as if some barge had been able to venture there to cross the Pyrenees.
  • the Spider : interpretation of Arénier , a priori of arena “sand”, in any case of *ar “stone”.
  • the White (FR 36): for preceltic a Oblenko .
  • the Bar-sur-Loup : originally Albarn > Aubarn
  • Bonnoeil (FR 14): nothing to see with “good eye”; Gallic Bono-ialo “grubbing of *Bonos”
  • Bordeaux (FR 33): old Burdigala , become *Burdial , reinterpreted in a male diminutive of borders “barn”, becomes Bordeu in Gascon, Bordeau in French, quickly equipped with a X royal plural; it is interpretable today by “edge of water” whereas its origin is very different.
  • Bonnœuvre (FR 44): nothing to see with a good work; Gallic Banno-briga “fortified town of Banna”.
  • Body-Nuds (FR 35): old Cornut (villa of Cornutus ).
  • Pride (FR 82): Gallic Orgo-ialo “grubbing of *Orgos”.
  • Trasponte “after the bridge” is reinterpreted in Trespuentes “three bridges” (ES Alaba).
  • the two sisters : deformation of the two sources
  • the Man , and his alternatives (most famous: the dead Man , the two men , etc): of ulmus , elm (thus the dead elm , etc)

Sometimes of beautiful stories the transformations underlie. Thus hard the Guatarram , name of a cave dug by an underground river, it is sublimated in Betharram (“beautiful branch” in Gascon) which would have saved drowning a young girl in perdition.

Other times the assimilations are less pleasant. Why continue to find " Unpleasant " the Visnaine (in Latin Vicinonia )?

There exist very many other examples of denatured toponyms and hundreds of toponyms whose name is explained by a " caption toponymique" based on a popular etymology. See on this subject the work of Jacques E. Merceron, Old the Salamander of Carcassonne. Anthology of the humor and imaginary of the place names in France , Paris, Threshold, 2006.

False Saints

Bibliography on the subject: Jacques E. Merceron, Dictionary of the imaginary saints and facetious , Paris, Threshold, 2002.

Names of deformed Saints

  • St Chély (FR 12): of Sanch Ely (St Eloy).

  • Saint-Chinian, commune of Herault: of Sanch Inhan, in Occitan (or Holy Aignan).
  • co. Olive (FR 01): of Sanctus Ellidius (St Illog).
  • Saint-Merd for Saint Medard

Ambiguous C-Ws communication

  • the Néouvielle is written with Hispanic conventions: v = B and it = - eille ; the pronunciation should be Néoubieille of the Gascon neu bielja , Oc neu vielha “old snow”.

Agglutination of the article

The phenomenon is very frequent with the names of river:

  • the Lausset for Aucet (in 1384).

  • the Leyre for the Eyre .
  • the Batch for Olt .

There exist even double agglutinations:

  • Lalacelle (Flowering ash), at the origin only That .

Extraction of the article

The phenomenon reverses occurs for:

  • the Bar (FR 06) of old a Albarn .

  • the Nive for old a *Unibar > Gascon lou Nibà (R) > lou Nibe , French the Nive .
  • Rhune for Larrune , of the Basque Larr-hun “place of moor”.

See too

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