Name: ___________________
Vernacular and Placenames
Task:
- Watch the TED ed video on the Vernacular of Yankee. Then answer the questions
below.
1. How does a Vernacular term develop?
2. Explain the development of one other Vernacular term.
Task:
- Watch the TED ed video on the Vernacular of Yankee. Then answer the questions
below.
Where do placenames come from?
Many centuries before National Grid, latitude or longitude were invented, places were named by
the people who lived there. Once place names were accepted and used by others, places could be
related to each other in terms of their physical position, in time enabling the first maps to be
drawn. In general, places were originally named in according to landscape features (topography),
nature of settlement (habitat – city, town, village, fortifications) or the people or tribe living in
the area, often combining two or three descriptive terms in one name. These names were then
influenced and modified at various historical periods through language shift driven by socioeconomic and political changes. These sometimes introduced new linguistic influences, such as
French from the Norman Conquest.
In much of the "Old World" (approximately Africa, Asia and Europe) the names of many
places cannot easily be interpreted or understood; they do not convey any apparent meaning in
the modern language of the area. This is due to a general set of processes through which place
names evolve over time, until their obvious meaning is lost. In contrast, in the "New World"
Name: ___________________
(roughly North America, South America, and Australasia), many place names' origins are
known. Although the origin of many place names is now forgotten, it is often possible to
establish likely meanings through consideration of early forms of the name. Some general
conclusions about the nature of place names, and the way in which place names change, can be
made and are examined below. It is also possible to distinguish regional trends and differences in
the naming of places.
Place names in the United States are often taken from the European nation that first colonized the
land. Many names that have been transferred from Britain, as is the case with Barnstable,
Massachusetts and Danbury, Connecticut. Many others are of French origin, such as Detroit,
Michigan, which was established along the banks of the river they called le détroit du lac Érié,
meaning the strait of Lake Erie. Many in the former New Netherland colony are of Dutch origin,
such as Harlem, Brooklyn and Rhode Island. Many place names are taken from the languages
of native peoples. Specific (personal or animal) names and general words or phrases are used,
sometimes translated and sometimes not.
A great many names that appear to be Native American in origin were created by non-Natives
with at best a rudimentary grasp of native languages. Pasadena, California's early Anglo
residents, looking for a pleasant sounding (euphonious) name for the town, the Ojibwe word pasa-de-na, which means of the valley. Similarly,Negaunee, Michigan's name is derived from
the Ojibwe word nigani meaning foremost, in advance, leading, which was determined to be the
closest Ojibwe approximation to the English word pioneer.
Nine counties in the U.S. state of Michigan have names invented by Henry Schoolcraft, usually
adapted from parts of Native American words, but sometimes having parts from Greek, Arabic
and Latin roots.[20] (see List of counties in Michigan.) In some cases the native meanings of a
place name are wholly lost, despite guesses and theories, for example Tampa and Oregon.
Place names in the United States tend to be more easily traceable to their origins, such as towns
simply named after the founder or an important politician of the time, with no alterations except
a simple suffix, like -town. Carson City, for instance, was named for Kit Carson and Belo
Horizonte means beautiful view.
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Go to:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/wackytowns.html
http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww2.hawaii.edu%2F%7Erpet
erso%2Ftoponym.htm
http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/placenames.htm
http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/placenames2.htm
Connecticut Place Names: http://www.cslib.org/placenames.htm
Canadian Place Names (unique & unusual): http://members.shaw.ca/kcic1/places.html
http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/places.html
http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/
http://hubpages.com/education/Origin-Name-United-States-America-Greensleeves
Task: complete the attached chart on the next page.