SR - Juliana says...(more names stuff)
Jodi McMaster
jmcmaste at accd.edu
Thu Aug 20 10:41:33 PDT 1998
I sent some of the dialogue on Spanish names to Juliana de Luna, a
Spanish names expert who comments on the S. Gabriel list. Here are her
commnets--with my notes only left in as necessary for clarity:
>
> Do you have access to a copy of Diez Melcon (_Apellidos
> Castillano-Leonenses Siglos IX-XIII Ambos Inclusive_)? It has a long list of place names.
>
(I'm gonna see if I can get my hands on it, guys.)
> >
> I think that "Nueva Cibola" or "New Cibola" ought to be passable, and >is certainly following Spanish New World practice (Nueva Me'xico - >which is even a New World placename recycled -, Nueva Espan~a)
> > "Fortaleza" is
> > "fortress"--that would seem to be in the same class as "castle."
>
> The dropping of "Tierra de" would certainly fit in with Spanish naming
> practices. The period derivation (that is what *they* said it meant) >for Castille/Castiella was "Land of Castles". Other common bases for >place names:
> Villa (probably not for a principality)
> Montes de
> Aguas (normally for a spring) (Calientes, Buenas, etc.) - yes > the adj. is usually feminine, at least in the ones I can think > of
> Torres (probably better than Forteleza; I can think of several
> placenames on Torres, none on Forteleza)
> Castello
>
>>> serpents, eagles (later two fit well with the Aztlan theme i >>> broached earlier and link through various historic periods to the >>> past ....)
>
> '-tlan' is a Nahua root meaning 'place of.' If you guys are > interested, I'll drag out my 16th c. Nahua stuff and give it a shot.
>
>
>
> > Southern Hills: Las Colinas del Sur
> > Scottish Highlands are "Las Tierras Altas del Norte de Escocia."
> > Assuming
> > the same terms were used medievally for Scotland so that it serves as
> > a
> > model, "Las Tierras Altas del Sur Ansteorra" would work, "Tierras
> > Altas" for short.
>
> I like 'Tierras Altas'. You might also suggest 'Torres Altos' (high
> towers).
>
> > **If** "Leon" does prove animal names are okay in Spanish, then
> > "bison"--"Bisonte"
> > "serpents"--"Sierpes" o "Culebras"
> > "eagles"--"A'guilas"
>
> 'Sierpes' has been used as a placename in Costa Rica (though I think > it refers to the winding motion of the river there rather than to > literal serpents). I'm sure that 'A'guila' has been used somewhere, > but I don't know where...Check the use of 'bisonte' for periodicity; I'm not sure it's not later.
>
> Were I you, I'd be cautious about recycling the name Ansteorra in your
> principality name. Right now it seems a good idea, but in 10 years, you
> may really regret it. Eventually you will want to feel independent of
> your kingdom, and then you'll have to argue about a *new* name.
>
> Juliana
>
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