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4 - Toponymy and the Historical-Linguistic Reconstruction of Proto-Languages

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 March 2023

Francesco Perono Cacciafoco
Affiliation:
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China
Francesco Cavallaro
Affiliation:
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
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Summary

The aim of a toponymist is to reconstruct and analyse the most original or ancient possible root of a toponym. This requires the linguist to go back to prehistoric times. Yet, at a certain point, scholars will run out of historical sources that can be analysed. They can then postulate the existence of pre-languages that predate proto-languages (since toponymic roots belong to proto-languages). Both types of prehistoric languages are unattested, but a proto-language can be reconstructed by using historical-linguistic methods, while a pre-language cannot. This chapter focusses on the most well-researched language family in the world, Indo-European, and surveys a number of theories on the origins of the speakers of Proto-Indo-European and their relations to Pre-Indo-European civilisations. Toponyms are often ‘linguistic relics’ and, at times, can provide useful insights into pre- and proto-languages spoken in prehistoric times and the dynamics between ancient groups of speakers. This is discussed through the analyses of two case studies, and shows that a root may be reused and refunctionalised in a new proto-language and acquire new meanings and uses.

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Approaches and Perspectives in Toponymy and Toponomastics
, pp. 80 - 113
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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