"No pork on my fork"

[Laurence Horn]

>And back then I objected to the Chili nomination, countering with
>southern Indiana's Gnaw Bone (derived from the French Narbonne).
>Still the winner in my opinion since more than pronunciation is
>involved.
>
>dInIs

Well, yours certainly does win the Picketwire Memorial Award for
creativity, whipping up on Chili > Chai-lai.  I'd even toast it with
a prize-winning Gnaw Bone Pale Ale, only they don't seem to be
carried in Connecticut.  BUT (a big but):  Are we really sure this
isn't an etymythological creation story?  According to at least one
site, http://www.southernin.com/Pages/archives/march_01/names.html,
the Narbonne version is one of several on the market.  Note the
reference to "an educated guess, or perhaps legend of the
educated"--sounds a lot like etymythology to me, if Ms. Willis can be
trusted.  Y'unnastand I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

Larry
===========


Wanda Willis is a Hoosier Folklorist and Historian who contributes to
SouthernIN.com and also makes regular appearances at the Indianapolis
Public Library System.

What's in A Name?
By Wanda L. Willis

There are narratives explaining the origin for most of the unusual
names. These intriguing accounts are legends often believed and may
or may not be based in fact. If there'd been some truth in the
beginning, through years of retelling today they're more legend than
fact.

Let's begin exploring a few of these Hoosier place names. If you're
curious about your own home place please send a query to the editors
and I will try to give you an answer.

There are several legends surrounding Brown County villages. One
story about Gnaw Bone states the Hawkins family had built a store and
sawmill there. When one man asked another if he had seen Hawkins, the
latter replied, "I seed him settin' on a log above the sawmill
gnawin' a bone." An educated guess, or perhaps legend of the
educated, is that French settlers named the town for a French city,
Narbonne. Through time it became pronounced and spelled Gnaw Bone.

Peoga [pee-O-guh] (Brown) also has an interesting story. The origin
of the name is uncertain, but some villagers claim it's a Native
American word for "village." According to local legend, however, the
name comes from a holler a farmer used every morning to call his hogs.

Doc Jesse Isaacs was acting postmaster in the Jackson County
community of Surprise and is supposedly responsible for its name. As
the story goes he expressed his surprise that the village got a
railroad through it and a post office - hence, the name.
...