Wednesday, May 07, 2003, 11:21 GMT
Just thought i would give a bit of information on place names in America and some of their origins.
The first colonists to America were spared the immediate task of giving names to the land since much of the eastern seaboard was already named. But as they spread out and formed new settlements they had to arrive at some system for labelling unfamiliar landmarks and new communities. The most convenient device was to transfer names from England. Thus the older states in the US abound in names that have counterparts in England: Boston, Dedham, Braintree, Greenwich, Ipswich, Sudbury and scores of others. An equally simple way was to honour members of the royal family, as with Charlestown, Jamestown, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina. Many of the names were pronounced quite differently in the seventeenth century. Charlestown, Massachusetts was "Charlton." Jamestown was "Jimston" or even "Jimson"- a pronounciation preserves in "jimson weed", a poisonous plant that is found growing there.
The colonists also borrowed names from the Indians. The native Indian languages of the eastern seaboard were forbiddingly complex and nowhere more so than with their names, yet the colonists showed an extraordinary willingness to use Indian names. The eastern states are scattered with places given Indian names: Wappaquasset, Connecticut; Pongowayhaymock, Maine; Nissequogue, New York, etc.
Connecticut is an Indian name that has been Anglicised. Its original name was "Quonectacut", then it was changed to "Quonaughticut", then "Qunnihticut", then to "Conecticot" before arriving at its modern name.
Kentucky, from the Iroquoian "kenta-ke", used to be "Kaintuck", "Caintuck", "Kentuck", and "Kentucke".
Probably the liveliest diversity of spellings belongs to Chicago, which in its early days was rendered as "Schuerkaigo", "Psceschaggo", "Shikaggo", "Tsckakko", "Ztschaggo", "Shecago", "Shakakko" and "Stkachango".
The first colonists to America were spared the immediate task of giving names to the land since much of the eastern seaboard was already named. But as they spread out and formed new settlements they had to arrive at some system for labelling unfamiliar landmarks and new communities. The most convenient device was to transfer names from England. Thus the older states in the US abound in names that have counterparts in England: Boston, Dedham, Braintree, Greenwich, Ipswich, Sudbury and scores of others. An equally simple way was to honour members of the royal family, as with Charlestown, Jamestown, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina. Many of the names were pronounced quite differently in the seventeenth century. Charlestown, Massachusetts was "Charlton." Jamestown was "Jimston" or even "Jimson"- a pronounciation preserves in "jimson weed", a poisonous plant that is found growing there.
The colonists also borrowed names from the Indians. The native Indian languages of the eastern seaboard were forbiddingly complex and nowhere more so than with their names, yet the colonists showed an extraordinary willingness to use Indian names. The eastern states are scattered with places given Indian names: Wappaquasset, Connecticut; Pongowayhaymock, Maine; Nissequogue, New York, etc.
Connecticut is an Indian name that has been Anglicised. Its original name was "Quonectacut", then it was changed to "Quonaughticut", then "Qunnihticut", then to "Conecticot" before arriving at its modern name.
Kentucky, from the Iroquoian "kenta-ke", used to be "Kaintuck", "Caintuck", "Kentuck", and "Kentucke".
Probably the liveliest diversity of spellings belongs to Chicago, which in its early days was rendered as "Schuerkaigo", "Psceschaggo", "Shikaggo", "Tsckakko", "Ztschaggo", "Shecago", "Shakakko" and "Stkachango".