Antecedent Generics: How Capes, Lakes, Mounts, and Points Are Named in the Antipodes. (2nd July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tent, Jan
• Is Part Of: Names. Volume 64:Number 3(2016:Sep.)
• Page Start: 148
• Page End: 157
• Publication Date: 2016-07-02
• Subjects: placename generics -- placename specifics -- Australia -- New Zealand -- cape -- lake -- mount -- point; Onomastics -- Periodicals; Names -- Periodicals; 929.9705
• DOI: 10.1080/00277738.2016.1197646
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0027-7738

Abstract

Abstract : Toponymic literature often mentions that the names of geographic features generally have the structure: specific + generic. While this is often the case, there are a set of geographic features that regularly do not follow this sequence. These are capes, lakes, mountains, and points. Their order of elements is often the reverse: generic + specific. By using toponyms from the Gazetteer of Australia and the New Zealand Gazetteer, this article shows there is indeed a distinct and suggestive pattern to the names that these features bear, explores this phenomenon and attempts to discover reasons for this trend.