Glebe Report

23 Glebe Report February 6,1998 BOOKS
Rayburn delights in naming Canada's places
DICTIONARY OF
CANADIAN PLACE-NAMES
By Alan Rayburn
Oxford University Press
461 pages, $34.95 (cloth)
Toponymy - what's in a name,
specifically of a country, city,
town, village, lake, river, park,
mountain, cape channel, or bay...
the list goes on as Nepean author,
Alan Rayburn, catalogues the
nomenclature of the regions of
our native land with the diligence
of a doctor naming the organs of
the body. Toponymy as opposed
to anatomy; the subtle distinction
is an ongoing preoccupation for
Rayburn as this is his fifth book
of naming places.
Oxford dictionaries are many
and varied but I was surprised to
find this treasure among them. In
this current volume we have over
6,200 names from our toponymic
tapestry. Names derived from
Cree, Inuit, French, Gaelic, Spanish,
Mrkmac, German and other
languages reflect Canada's diverse
multicultural heritage.
Many places are named after
By
Sharon
Abron
Drache
people who played a role in loca
history or more celebrated foreign
lands.
Rayburn tells readers that
considering Canada's rich and
varied toponymy there have been
relatively few place-name books
written about the country as a
whole, but he does cite a few including
The Macmillan Book of
Canadian Place-Names published
in the mid-1970s, providing brief
details on the background and
significance of more than 2,500
place-names and also listing extensive
bibliography of toponymic
sources.
"There is a youthful vigour in
Canada's toponymic character,"
claims Rayburn, who is already
looking to the future in his stud-
ies. "On April 1, 1999, the misnamed
Northwest Territories (a
single territory since 1905) will
be divided in two. The new territory
of Nunavut extending from
the border of Manitoba to Cape
Columbia at the north end of
Ellesmere Island will have a
larger land area than any o f
Canada's provinces."
Did you know that Alberta has
had more toponymic studies published
about its places than any
other province? I confess I didn't.
Or did you know that
Belleville publishers Nick and
Helma Mika produced a threevolume
comprehensive review of
Places of Ontario (1977-83)? I
did. Or perhaps most interesting,
were you aware that Jacques
Cartier, in his report of his voyage
to Canada in 1535, appended a
list of words, noting that Kanata
(as opposed to Canada) meant
town, interpreted as a cluster of
dwellings. I didn't.
Rayburn claims that "kanata"
encountered by Cartier eventually
evolved into the name of our
country. However, Kanata didn't
officially come into being until
1978 within the region of Ottawa-
Carleton.
I missed the Glebe in Rayburn's
study, but refer readers to the
signpost at the corner of Second
and Bank to learn the placename's
toponymy. Perhaps Rayburn
will include the Glebe in his
next book, since this current volume
does include Nepean.
Alan Rayburn served as Executive
Secretary of the Canadian
Permanent Committee on Geographic
Names from 1973 to
1987. His work is also well
known to readers of Canadian Geographic
for which he wrote 75
columns, 62 of them being collected.
Raised near Orangeville,
Ontario (named after Orange
Lawrence, 1796-1861, who was
the first postmaster), Rayburn
currently lives in Nepean (named
after Evan Nepean, 1751-1822,
British under-secretary for the
home office).
Here's to learning about
Canadian place-names and to a
Glebe entry in Mr. Rayburn's next
volume.
Medi@Lab+
Convert your rare LPs to
CD. At the MediaLab we
can remove clicks, pops,
scratches and hiss from
your old LPs. Your favourite
music is reborn in stunning
digital quality. Bring us
your LPs now!
Computer Networking
Internet Consulting Centre
Imaging and CD-ROM Burning
779 Bank Street, Ottawa K1S 3V5
Tel: 567-5610 Fax: 567-3268
www.medialabplus.com
medialab@medialabplus.com
HEART
AND STROKE
FOUNDATION
Cf ONTARIO
February is
Heart and Stroke
Month
Please give.
Imprcrvingyour odds against Canada's #1 killer.
March 2, 1998
is the RRSP Deadline!
--) ri GLEBE,
k_13.111110prarik
CLINIC
ou are seeking relief
pain and increased
Yof comfort. You not only
want to feel better, you want
to feel great. That is our goal
for you.
As a chiropractor, my
specialty addresses
your pain and
symptoms, gently and
effectively without
drugs or surgery.
In fact, many
people turn to Glebe
Chiropractic to reach,
Dr. Ken D. Brou,gh
Clinic Director
and maintain optimal health
and wellness through our
chiropractic, massage and
nutritional services.
now for an appointment
23779!
Fifth Avenue Court 99 Fiftii Avenue, Suite 7
Whatever your
needs, call toda.y
for a consultation.
If we can help,
we'll get started
immediately.
If yours is not a
chiropractic case, we
will be glad to direct
you to the appropriate
healthcare professional.
FREE PARKING
Looking for Tax Savings?
Take More Interest in Your Spouse
Why? Because a spousal RRSP program frOm the Blue Chip
Thinkers at Midland Walwyn can save you taxes and
potentially generate more growth for the future.
The primary benefit of spousal RRSPs is income splitting in
retirement. If, during your retirement years, you will be in a higher
tax bracket than your spouse, you can achieve significant tax
savings through a spousal RRSP.
Spousal RRSP contributions
more value for your family.
Bill Congdon, Financial Advisor
783-7337
MIDLAND
WALWYN
www.midwal.ca
If you're not getting Blue Chip Thinking,
just what kind of thinking are you getting?