Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics.pdf

A-Z 835onomasticsScientific investigation of the origin (development, age, etymology), the meaning, andthe geographic distribution of names ( proper noun). Onomastic subdisciplinesinclude anthroponymy (the study of personal names), hydronymy (the study of namesof bodies of water), and toponymy (the study of geographic place-names), among others.Because placenames and personal names are among the oldest and most transparentlinguistic forms, they are an important source of hypotheses about the history oflanguage, dialect geography and language families. More recently, sociolinguistics(name-giving and use in society), psycholinguistics (psycho-onomastics and thephysiognomy of names), pragmalinguistics, and text linguistics have taken an activeinterest in onomastics. Onomastics also offers new insights into historical processes (preandearly history, folklore, among others) as well as geography and natural history.ReferencesBecker, D.W. 1964. Indian place names in New Jersey. Cedar Grove, NJ.Eichler, E. et al. (eds). 1995. Name studies. An international handbook of onomastics. Berlin andNew York.Green, E. and R.M.Green. 1971. Place-names and dialects in Massachusetts: some complementarypatterns. Names 19. 240–51.Grubbs, S. 1971. The opposite of white: names for Black Americans. In P.Maranda and E.Köngäs(eds), Structural analysis of oral tradition. Philadelphia, PA. 25–32.Gudde, E.G. 1969. California place names: the origin and etymology of current geographicalnames. Berkeley, CA.McArthur, L.L. 1986. Another approach to place-name classification. Names 34:2.238–41.Metcalf, A. 1985. Introduction: special issue on names in dialect. Names 33:4.213–25.Ramsay, R.L. 1952. Our storehouse of Missouri place names. Columbia, MO.Read, A.W. 1970. The prospects in a national place-name survey for the United States. Names 18.201–7.Reaney, P.H. and R.M.Wilson. 1991. A dictionary of English surnames. London.Rich, J.S. 1981. Landscapes and the imagination: the interplay of folk etymology and place names.SFQ 45. 155–62.Shirk, G.H. 1965. Oklahoma place names. Norman, OK.Stewart, G.R. 1967. Names on the land: a historical account of place naming in the United States,3rd edn. Boston, MA.Upham, W. 1969. Minnesota geographical names: their origin and significance. St Paul, MN.Utley, F.L. 1969. A survey of American place-names. Onoma 14. 196–204.Vogel, V.J. 1986. The influence of historical events upon place names. In E.Callary (ed.), From Ozto the onion patch. Dekalb, IL. 47–58.Woolf, H.B. 1939. The Old Germanic principles of name-giving. Baltimore, MD.