English, Literacy & Changing Names

From: darvall <madamx_at_ns2.mikka.net.au>
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 15:24:24 +1100


Joerg Baumgartner
>A.E. Larsen re. Eburacum:

>Only if you assume that people speak English...
And not even then "To Woomba" (Woomba reputedly being an indiginous word for swamp) has become Toowoomba in a mere 100 years + or -. In an almost exclusively english speaking area with a few remnant words thrown in.

>> The problem here is that when the name is written by the
>> educated, it's written out properly.

Or the name becomes mis-spelt for some reason. The Princess's Theatre in Melbourne (literate from the time of establishment) is now The Princess Theatre due to a storm many years gone which removed the final s. Said s was never replaced. The explorer Ludwig Liechart was literate but untidy in his writing; hence Chinchilla instead of Ghinchilla when his diaries were copied.

Or the locals want to seem more sophisticated & consistently refer to the very rural "Market street" as "Margret street" & it becomes the common usage.

All these examples are from late 19 to mid 20C Australia which has both been mostly urban & comparitivly literate since settlement.

The point being that literacy does not halt name change & has been known to expidite same. Even such a centre of learning as Nochet is unlikely to be as literate as late 19C Anglo/Oz culture & certainly is capable of the same levels of Civic Pride/pretention. So it would probably have a more fluid attitude to Names (unless names hold power, not a traditon that I've seen evidence for in Glorantha). In addition names would change for political purposes & the literate would be used to disseminate said change.

Many thanks Phillip. Hadn't even considered TCG. Gaming section of the best RPG stockist is run by Gloranthaphiles hence second hand Gloranthana rarely makes it to the shelves. So Moon Designers when can we expect it?

Yours in Hopeful Anticipation

Darvall
madamx_at_mikka.net.au
>From quiet homes & first beginnings

Out to the undicovered ends
Theres nothing worth the wear of winning But laughter & the love of friends.
Hilare Belloc


End of The Glorantha Digest V7 #254


Powered by hypermail