Onomastics
Encyclopedia
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper name
s of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek
: "ὀνομαστικός" (onomastikos), "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" (onomatologia), from "ὄνομα" (ónoma) "name". Toponymy or toponomastics
, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of onomastics. Anthroponomastics is the study of personal names.
Proper name
"A proper name [is] a word that answers the purpose of showing what thing it is that we are talking about" writes John Stuart Mill in A System of Logic , "but not of telling anything about it"...
s of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: "ὀνομαστικός" (onomastikos), "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" (onomatologia), from "ὄνομα" (ónoma) "name". Toponymy or toponomastics
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of onomastics. Anthroponomastics is the study of personal names.
See also
- American Name SocietyAmerican Name SocietyThe American Name Society, founded in 1951, is a learned society founded "to promote onomastics, the study of names and naming practices, both in the United States and abroad [and] to investigate cultural insights, settlement history, and linguistic characteristics revealed in names." Its...
- AnthroponymyAnthroponymyAnthroponomastics , a branch of onomastics, is the study of anthroponyms Anthroponomastics (or anthroponymy), a branch of onomastics, is the study of anthroponyms Anthroponomastics (or anthroponymy), a branch of onomastics, is the study of anthroponyms (Anthroponomastics (or anthroponymy), a branch...
- English Place-Name SocietyEnglish Place-Name SocietyThe English Place-Name Society is a learned society concerned with toponomastics and the toponymy of England, in other words, the study of place-names ....
- EtymologyEtymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
, the study of word origins - Extinction of surnames
- George R. StewartGeorge R. StewartGeorge Rippey Stewart was an American toponymist, a novelist, and a professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley...
, "the man who humanized onomastics" (http://www.wtsn.binghamton.edu/onoma/Default.htm#Stewart) - Guild of One-Name StudiesGuild of One-Name StudiesThe Guild of One-Name Studies is a UK-based charitable organisation founded in 1979 for one-name studies.-History:The Guild developed as an off-shoot of the Federation of Family History Societies. The FFHS was founded on 8th June 1974. By 1977 one-third of the members of the FFHS were one-name...
- Hydronyms
- International Council of Onomastic SciencesInternational Council of Onomastic SciencesThe International Council of Onomastic Sciences is an international academic organization of scholars with a special interest in onomastics, the scientific study of names The International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS) is an international academic organization of scholars with a special...
- Jaroslav RudnyckyjJaroslav RudnyckyjJaroslav Bohdan Rudnyckyj, OC was a Ukrainian Canadian linguist, lexicographer with a specialty in etymology and onomastics, folklorist, bibliographer, travel writer, and publicist. He was one of the pioneers of Slavic Studies in Canada and one of the founding fathers of Canadian "Multiculturalism"...
, a Ukrainian Canadian linguist and lexicographer with a specialty in etymology and onomastics - Kazimierz RymutKazimierz RymutKazimierz Rymut . Professor doctor hab., onomist, historian of languages, editor....
, linguist and lexicographer with a specialty in etymology and onomastics (the study of proper PolishPolesthumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
names). - naming conventionNaming conventionA naming convention is a convention for naming things. The intent is to allow useful information to be deduced from the names based on regularities. For instance, in Manhattan, streets are numbered, with East-West streets being called "Streets" and North-South streets called "Avenues".-Use...
- -onym-onymThe suffix onym, in English and other languages, means "word, name," and words ending in onym refer to a specified kind of name or word, most of which are classical compounds. For example, an acronym is a word formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts...
, listing the technical kinds of names - Society for Name Studies in Britain and IrelandSociety for Name Studies in Britain and IrelandThe Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland is a learned society for members with interests in proper names, including place names, personal names and surnames relating to the British Isles....
- ToponymyToponymyToponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
- Mononymous personsMononymous personsA mononymous person is an individual who is known and addressed by a mononym, or "single name". In some cases, that name has been selected by the individual, who may have originally been given a polynym...
External links
- Lexicon of Greek Personal Names, a Major Research Project of the British Academy, Oxford, contains over 35,000 published Greek names.