Abstract
I propose a program for cross‐cultural research seeking semantic universals in place–name systems. Over 1000 place‐names in the Sahaptin Indian language of northwestern North America are analyzed for syntactic, semantic, and distributional regularities. Comparisons are drawn with Dena'ina Athabaskan, Yurok, and local English place‐name systems. Binomial place‐names are rare in Sahaptin, though common in other languages. Sahaptin place‐names very frequently are descriptive of biological and topographic features of sites. Many Sahaptin place‐names describe features of land and water as if in motion. Place‐names are sacred in origin; thus no places are named for persons. Quantitative analysis of the spatial distribution of place‐names unexpectedly reveals a striking correlation between place‐name density and population density which holds for a sample of 14 languages. This appears due to a tendency for an individual's repertoire of place‐names to be limited to approximately 500.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
