The Cailleach in Place-Names and Place-Lore

2020

The article deals with the culture and heritage of ancient Celts by analyzing the toponyms of Celtic origin in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, as well as in the places where the Irish diaspora is present. In accordance with the set goal, the article considers the cultural component in the meaning of linguistic units and the classifi cation of toponyms and their use in diff erent parts of the island. By the example of the analysis of the meaning of Celtic toponyms functioning in modern Ireland and Northern Ireland, it is shown that Celtic national heritage has not been lost. The study of toponyms allows us to penetrate into the worldview of the ancient people whose culture infl uenced and shaped the descendants of Celts. Key words: Celtic languages, place name, toponymy, Ireland, the Irish language, semantics.

Вопросы Ономастики, 2018

Review of the book: Lloyd, S. (2017). The Arthurian Place Names of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. xii + 242 p. The article reviews Scott Lloyd's survey of Arthurian place names in Wales, and the background to this material in the literature and scholarship of the modern and medieval periods. The reviewer presents an overview of Lloyd's scope and methodology, situating it within the context of current trends in the wider fi eld of Celtic studies. Lloyd's survey shows that Arthurian toponymics is a modern as much as a medieval problem. The mutual infl uence between the map-makers on one hand, and the scholars and storytellers on the other, is best regarded as a dynamic work-in-progress, rather than a passive snapshot of timeless folk tradition. Lloyd's most signifi cant discovery is the relative fl uidity of Arthurian toponymics, with many of the place names in question fi rst appearing on the cartographic or literary record no earlier than the 19 th century. The case of the common Welsh place name Arthur's Quoits or Coetan Arthur is considered, and Lloyd's implication of a 17 th century origin for this form is critically discussed. Attention is drawn to the alternating currents of scepticism and reconstructionism that have defi ned Arthurian scholarship and literature from the Tudor period onwards. The author then offers some concluding thoughts on Arthur's "ontological ambiguity," and the powerful stimulus this seems to have exerted on topographical and historiographical speculation, both modern and medieval. K e y w o r d s: Celtic languages, Welsh place names, historical toponymics, Arthurian historiography, ethnotoponymy, topographic legend.

2020

2011

When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given.

Names in Multi-Lingual, Multi-Cultural and Multi-Ethnic Contact: Proceedings of the 23rd International Congress of Onomastic Sciences August 17-22, 2008, York University, Toronto, Canada, 2009

This paper examines the issues involved in establishing the chronology of elements referring to landscape features. Much work has been done on the Irish topographical lexicon in recent decades, notably by Prof. Liam Mac Mathúna, whose approach is rooted in word-field studies. His research has focussed on common nouns occurring in Old Irish and Middle Irish texts. This paper takes a complementary approach by asking what further light the evidence of place-names can shed on the topographical lexicon. It attempts to establish the outlines of a (largely relative) chronology, using the element sliabh as an example. It then goes on to consider some strategies which can help to refine this dating, using the elements rinn and ros from the word-field ‘promontory’. In particular, the analysis of suffixes and tautological names are discussed as resources which can help to construct a relative chronology.

Looking at evidence for language change and dialects in Cumbric place-names in England and in Scotland.

2018

Bulletin of the Ulster Place-Name Society 4, 1982, 29-38

2007

As with much concerning the sub-Roman period of British history, the incursions and colonization by the Irish of parts of Wales during the fifth to sixth century are not clearly understood, due to the paucity of contemporary documentation. This article focuses principally on the place-name evidence that has been adduced to uphold various contentions as to the nature and spread of early medieval colonization. Some attention is first given to traditional Welsh views of the Irish in the modern period which will aid us in understanding the connotations of Gwyddel (‘Irishman’) in Welsh toponymy. The linguistic similarity of both Irish and Welsh demand that we consider the important concept of ‘phonological coequivalence’ between languages in sustained contact before we tackle the place-name evidence proper. The main place-name elements discussed are cnwc and meudr, to which is added a briefer discussion of other reputed Irish influences on Welsh toponymy.