User:Senra/Ely toponymy: Difference between revisions
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=== The place-name Ely === |
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Place-holder examples for referencing style: |
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* Simple footnote attributed to Skeet{{sfn|Skeet|1901|pp= 51–2}} |
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The name of Ely has always been recognized as difficult by place-name scholars, and the origin and meaning of the name are still disputed. The earliest record of the name is in the Latin text of Bede’s ''[[Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum]]'', where [[Bede]] wrote{{sfn|Giles|1843|loc=chap. XIX}} ''Elge''. This apparently not a Latin name, and subsequent Latin texts nearly all used forms ''Elia'', ''Eli'', or ''Heli'' with inorganic ''H-''. In [[Old English]] charters, and in the [[Anglo-Saxon chronicle]], the spelling is usually ''Elig''.{{cn}} |
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* Footnotes with included notes{{#tag:ref|Bailey thinks this{{sfn|Bailey|1999|pp=63–76}} and Skeet thinks that{{sfn|Skeet|1901|pp= 51–2}}|group=lower-roman}} |
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* Notes Bailey,{{sfn|Bailey|1999|pp=63–76}} Ekwall,{{sfn|Ekwall|1960|p=166}} Mills,{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=178}} Reaney,{{sfn|Reaney|1943|pp=213–4}} Skeet{{sfn|Skeet|1901|pp= 51–2}} and Watts{{sfn|Watts|2004|p=215}} |
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Skeat{{sfn|Skeet|1901|pp= 51–2}} derived the name Ely from what he called "O[ld] Northumbrian" ''ēlġē'', meaning "district of eels". This uses a hypothetical word ''*ġē'', which is not recorded in isolation but thought by some to be related to the modern German word Gau, meaning ‘district’. The theory is that the name then developed a vowel to become ''ēliġē'', and was afterwards re-interpreted to mean "eel island". This essentially is the explanation accepted by Reaney,{{sfn|Reaney|1943|pp=213–4}} Ekwall,{{sfn|Ekwall|1960|p=166}} Mills{{sfn|Mills|2003|p=178}} and Watts.{{sfn|Watts|2004|p=215}} |
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But difficulties remain. Bailey, in his discussion of ''ġē'' names,{{sfn|Bailey|1999|pp=63–76}} has pointed out that Ely would be anomalous if really from ''ēlġē'' "eel district", being remote from the areas where possible examples of ''ġē'' names occur, and moreover, there is no parallel for the use of a fish-name in compounds with ''ġē''. More seriously, the usual English spelling remains ''Elig'', even in the dative case-form used after many prepositions, where ''Elige'' would be expected if the second element were ''īġ'' "island". This is in conflict with all the other island names which surround Ely.{{cn}} Thus, the [[etymology]] is still considered uncertain by some [[toponymy|toponymists]]. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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;Footnotes |
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{{reflist|group=lower-roman}} |
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;Notes |
;Notes |
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* {{citation|last=Bailey|first=Keith|title=Some observations on ġē, gau, and go|year=1999|volume=31|journal= Journal of the English Place-Name Society|pages=63–76}} |
* {{citation|last=Bailey|first=Keith|title=Some observations on ġē, gau, and go|year=1999|volume=31|journal= Journal of the English Place-Name Society|pages=63–76}} |
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* {{citation|last=Ekwall|first=Eilert|title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names|edition=4th|year=1960|publisher=[[Oxford University Press|OUP]]|location=Oxford|page=166}} |
* {{citation|last=Ekwall|first=Eilert|title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names|edition=4th|year=1960|publisher=[[Oxford University Press|OUP]]|location=Oxford|page=166}} |
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* {{citation|last=Giles|first=J A|title=The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, in the original Latin, collated with the Manuscripts, and various printed editions, and accompanied by a new English translation of the Historical Works, and a Life of the Author|year=1843|vol=vol. 3 part 2|publisher=Whittaker|location=London|url=http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1914&Itemid=99999999|accessdate=10 January 2012|chapter=chapter XIX}} |
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* {{Citation| last = Mills | first = A D | authorlink = | title = A dictionary of British place-names | publisher = [[Oxford University Press|OUP]]|location=Oxford|year = 2003|page=178}} |
* {{Citation| last = Mills | first = A D | authorlink = | title = A dictionary of British place-names | publisher = [[Oxford University Press|OUP]]|location=Oxford|year = 2003|page=178}} |
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* {{citation|last=Reaney|first=P H|title=The place-names of Cambridgeshire and the isle of Ely|year=1943|vol=vol. XIX|publisher=English Place-name Society|location=Cambridge|page=51–2}} |
* {{citation|last=Reaney|first=P H|title=The place-names of Cambridgeshire and the isle of Ely|year=1943|vol=vol. XIX|publisher=English Place-name Society|location=Cambridge|page=51–2}} |
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Revision as of 13:59, 12 January 2012
The place-name Ely
The name of Ely has always been recognized as difficult by place-name scholars, and the origin and meaning of the name are still disputed. The earliest record of the name is in the Latin text of Bede’s Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum, where Bede wrote[1] Elge. This apparently not a Latin name, and subsequent Latin texts nearly all used forms Elia, Eli, or Heli with inorganic H-. In Old English charters, and in the Anglo-Saxon chronicle, the spelling is usually Elig.[citation needed]
Skeat[2] derived the name Ely from what he called "O[ld] Northumbrian" ēlġē, meaning "district of eels". This uses a hypothetical word *ġē, which is not recorded in isolation but thought by some to be related to the modern German word Gau, meaning ‘district’. The theory is that the name then developed a vowel to become ēliġē, and was afterwards re-interpreted to mean "eel island". This essentially is the explanation accepted by Reaney,[3] Ekwall,[4] Mills[5] and Watts.[6]
But difficulties remain. Bailey, in his discussion of ġē names,[7] has pointed out that Ely would be anomalous if really from ēlġē "eel district", being remote from the areas where possible examples of ġē names occur, and moreover, there is no parallel for the use of a fish-name in compounds with ġē. More seriously, the usual English spelling remains Elig, even in the dative case-form used after many prepositions, where Elige would be expected if the second element were īġ "island". This is in conflict with all the other island names which surround Ely.[citation needed] Thus, the etymology is still considered uncertain by some toponymists.
References
- Notes
- ^ Giles 1843, chap. XIX.
- ^ Skeet 1901, pp. 51–2.
- ^ Reaney 1943, pp. 213–4.
- ^ Ekwall 1960, p. 166.
- ^ Mills 2003, p. 178.
- ^ Watts 2004, p. 215.
- ^ Bailey 1999, pp. 63–76.
Biliography
- Bailey, Keith (1999), "Some observations on ġē, gau, and go", Journal of the English Place-Name Society, 31: 63–76
- Ekwall, Eilert (1960), The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4th ed.), Oxford: OUP, p. 166
- Giles, J A (1843), "chapter XIX", The Complete Works of Venerable Bede, in the original Latin, collated with the Manuscripts, and various printed editions, and accompanied by a new English translation of the Historical Works, and a Life of the Author, London: Whittaker, retrieved 10 January 2012
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help) - Mills, A D (2003), A dictionary of British place-names, Oxford: OUP, p. 178
- Reaney, P H (1943), The place-names of Cambridgeshire and the isle of Ely, Cambridge: English Place-name Society, p. 51–2
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|vol=ignored (|volume=suggested) (help) - Skeet, W (1901), The place-names of Cambridgeshire, Cambridge: Cambridge Antiquarian Society, pp. 51–2
- Watts, V (2004), The Cambridge dictionary of English place-names, Cambridge: CUP, p. 215