LL-L: "Place names" LOWLANDS-L, 16.APR.2001 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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  L O W L A N D S - L * 16.APR.2001 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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  A=Afrikaans, Ap=Appalachean, D=Dutch, E=English, F=Frisian, L=Limburgish
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From: Roger Thijs [roger.thijs at euro-support.be]
Subject: PLace names

I would appreciate to have some advice from the members of the list,
regarding inventorizing place names.

I have a web page "under construction" at url:
http://www.euro-support.be/langbel/limdorp.htm

It refers to place names in Belgian Limburg.

1. I take the municipalities as they were "before 1940", since in this
country one started merging municipalities after the war, and the
dialect variation is virtually allways along the borders of the "old"
municipalities.

2. A mister Callaert did a tour for collecting the names of the
municipalties as used in the municipalities. Though I got the
information through an ugly map in a newspaper, I still use this as
reference.

I did not do any effort to "transform" into AGL, so-called standard
Limburgish, developped very recently by a few people on the basis of the
dialects of the Sittard area. This very new "esperanto" is not known in
Belgian Limburg. So I use the versions as spoken in the village itself.
Do other people think one should rather transform into some kind of (not
yet really existing) koiné?

3. I let the ugly newspaper maps be preceded by a map with the names in
Dutch as in 1938.

4. I started listing the municipalities in a table below the maps, and
investigated for complementary data. Since I have several hundreds of
municipalities to investigate, for my first round I only managed to get
a few dozen done this weekend:
- some municipalities in the very North,
- the six Voer municipalities (an enclave at the South East)

This gives me problems though: I prefere not to have them listed
alphabetically, but grouped around the new municipality, they merged
into. The result is e mess, but semantically more correct I think. This
allows me to background color alternatively yellow and white for
grouping what belongs to a "new" municipality.

5. On the left I give the name in the local Limburgish dialect;
on the right I give:
- the name in Dutch
- some old occurences in old Dutch (to extent later; I have no space for
including the "source")
- the name in French, when the municpality has a French name (virtually
only in the South)
- the historical "belonging", both politically and judiciary of the
municipality.

For the old occurences I have a problem. Most references give an
etymological explication of the names, but they often contradict
eachother. On a page of this kind I have to limit the space, so I cannot
start including the full "etymological variety" found in publications.
Though I think etymology is interesting. Any advice?

Please remark:
- as well old names as dialect names preserve often the old germanic ie,
where Dutch has ee.
- in the period 1100-1200 a low-germanisation is occuring: Eich is
becoming Eik, etc.

As soon as in the WLD the detailed classification of municipalties as to
their "belonging to a dialect-sub-variety" will be published, I will add
the proper class to each municipality.

You will see how many names on the maps still have to be dealt with. I'm
sure it will cost me several week-ends before it will be all finished.

Thanks for all advice.

Regards,

Roger

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