GEOGRAPHICAL PROBLEMS OF ONOMASTICS IN THE SELECTED EXAMPLE OF THE KAMNI[KE-SAVINJSKE ALPS GEOGRAFSKI PROBLEMI IMENOSLOVJA NA IZBRANEM PRIMERU KAMNI[KO-SAVINJSKIH ALP Borut Per{olja The Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps (viewed from the north) are part of Slovenia's alpine world (photography Borut Per{olja). Kamni{ko-Savinjske Alpe (pogled s severa) so del slovenskega Alpskega sveta (fotografija Borut Per{olja). Geografski zbornik XXXVIII Black Cyan Magenta Yellow 159 SYNCOMP Geografski zbornik, XXXVIII (1998) Abstract UDC: 910.1:001.4 81’373.21 Geographical Problems of Onomastics in the Selected Example of the Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps KEY WORDS: geographical names, onomastics, geography, Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps, Slovenia A database of geographical names in the Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps region was assembled for Slovenia's Evidenca zemljepisnih imen (Record of Geographical Names). The database includes informa- tion on the inscription, type, location, and historical development of geographical names. The work revealed the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of geographical names. We tried in partic- ular to draw attention to the important role and the tasks of geographers in this type of research. Izvle~ek UDK: 910.1:001.4 81’373.21 Geografski problemi imenoslovja na izbranem primeru Kamni{ko-Savinjskih Alp KLJU^NE BESEDE: zemljepisna imena, imenoslovje, geografija, Kamni{ko-Savinjske Alpe, Slovenija Za obmo~je Kamni{ko-Savinjskih Alp smo izdelali Evidenco zemljepisnih imen. Ta obsega podatke o za- pisu in tipu zemljepisnega imena, legi ter razvoju zemljepisnega imena skozi ~as. Ob izdelavi se je poka- zala pomembnost interdisciplinarnega pristopa k prou~evanju zemljepisnih imen. [e posebej smo sku- {ali opozoriti na vlogo in pomen ter naloge geografov pri tovrstnih raziskavah. Address – Naslov Borut Per{olja Geografski in{titut Antona Melika ZRC SAZU Gosposka 13 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia Phone – telefon: +386 (0)61 125 60 68 Fax – faks: +386 (0)61 125 77 93 E-mail – e-po{ta: [email protected] 160 Geografski zbornik XXXVIII Samo Black 160 SYNCOMP Borut Per{olja, Geographical Problems of Onomastics in the Selected Example of the Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps Contents – Vsebina 1. Introduction 163 1.1. Geography and Geographical Names 164 1.2. Cartography and Geographical Names 165 1.3. Linguistics 167 2. Presentation of the Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps 167 3. The Purpose and Scope of the Project 169 4. Methodology of the project 170 5. Results and Conclusions 178 6. Sources 184 6.1. Bibliography 184 6.2. Maps 185 6.2.1. Older Maps 185 6.2.2. Recent Maps 185 7. Summary in Slovene – Povzetek 186 161 Geografski zbornik XXXVIII Samo Black 161 SYNCOMP Borut Per{olja, Geographical Problems of Onomastics in the Selected Example of the Kamni{ke-Savinjske Alps 1. Introduction Geographical names play an important role in a life of an individual and society in general. For a better perception of the landscape, easier movement, and common understanding, man had to develop an effective system of orientation. Within this system occur geographical names that most frequently arose from »defining a place after a name and a name after a place« (Tuma, 1925). The need to provide names was propelled by human activity, whether settlement, land use, or exploration. By providing names, man conceptualized the landscape and brought it closer to himself; it became his living space. A native of a place chose names for most of the things that surrounded him—perhaps a shepherd or farmer who was »a precise, very astute observer of nature, gifted with a subtle sense for expressing in words the various forms and variegations of the surface blanket of our world« (Badjura, 1953). Geographical names emerge all the time, but there are many geographical names—particularly the names of waters, mountains, and locations—that are very old and have been preserved for a long time. Because of their very widespread use and unbroken presence for centuries or even millennia, geographical names are anchored in our consciousness as an equal component part of a landscape. With long-term use, some geographical names have lost their original objective meaning and their subjective and word-forming iden- tity. If, however, they have preserved these qualities, they can be one of the foundations of modern geo- graphical science since they carry information about the state and use of a place at the time of their for- mation and because of their role as faithful companions to the process of transformation from the orig- inal appearance of the landscape to today's cultural landscape. Such preserved names still in use today have the status of historical and cultural monuments and are an important part of the national cultural heritage. It is not difficult to imagine that every name was once a word with a universally accepted meaning. Today, geographical names are the part of the proper-name terminology that comprises half of an individu- al's vocabulary (Bezlaj, 1967). From the linguistic point of view, geographical names have a great num- ber of properties and forms: orthographic, phonetic, accentual, morphological, word-forming, and syn- tactical. Their widespread everyday use in spoken or written form and in numerous means of private and public communication dictates thoughtful treatment by linguists and concern for correct usage by every individual. Maps are among the most recognized means for conveying geographical names. By inscribing a geo- graphical name on a map, we present geographical and linguistic characteristics in one place. When showing an objective view of a landscape and the geographical names in it, maps carry even greater weight and responsibility. Due to technical limitations and other reasons, maps do not contain all the geographical names that occur in a landscape. Numerous geographical names have been preserved in various written and other sources, but there are other names that live only in the oral tradition. Such names—especially the names of small landscape elements—can only be collected through field- work. The study of geographical names has many dimensions, from the purely practical considerations that appear in fieldwork such as orientation and the everyday use and pronunciation of names to the scientific and professional level where problems arise involving the accurate and uniform transcription of names, their exact locations, and the search for the original meanings of names. Geographical names are the result of the development of landscape and the development of the language. It is possible to achieve a consistent and correct use of geographical names by collecting, researching, and standardizing their use. All these procedures require the cooperation of various professions (lin- guists, historians, cartographers, geodesists, and geographers), and an interdisciplinary approach is both a precondition and the only possibility for dealing with geographical names qualitatively and success- fully. 163 Geografski zbornik XXXVIII Samo Black 163 SYNCOMP Geografski zbornik, XXXVIII (1998) 1.1. Geography and Geographical Names Geography is the science that deals with research of the earth's surface. Geographical names are a com- ponent part of the landscape. The research efforts of geographers are directed at determining their dis- tribution and location, accurate and systematic identification according to geographical elements, and classification into types of geographical names. Geographical names pertain to a specifically determined geographical element of the landscape that they thus determine and explain in more detail. The site of a geographical name denotes both a location in a coordinate system and information about altitude. Geographical names are therefore an important means for more accurate orientation since in the field they facilitate the determining of location and the iden- tification individual geographical features and their recognition in a series of features of the same type. Along with this basic task of facilitating orientation in the landscape, names gradually became the means for conveying other varied information about it. Here it is possible to speak of etymological messages, most frequently with geographical and historical themes (for example, the place name Ponikva points to a karstic geomorphological form or hydrological feature, the place name Predmeja points to a location close to a border), or names that provoke associations (for example, Ljubljana as the capital city of Slovenia). More than in the latter, however, the geographer is interested in the link between a geographical name and the landscape, with those features that in many cases gave the object or place its name. Due to the time dimension, such research can tell us much about the former appearance and land use of a certain part of the landscape and about its development. In some places, this connection is quite clear, but in most cases it is somewhat obscure. Contemporary research therefore runs in the opposite direction since we derive the features of the landscape from the geographical name. An example of such research is the typ- ification of geographical names or their classification according to geographical content. We need pre- cise definitions and criteria for systematic distinction and classification. In this type of professional work, we constantly encounter questions of terminology. The solution of such problems is the foundation of every profession, for with the unclear and loose definition of terms comes chaos and misunderstanding in the professional language. Knowledge of geographical names, especially those with universal mean- ings, can contribute greatly to achieving order and clarity in geographical terminology. Despite its universality, geography also has a national character in every country. The nationality of geog- raphy gives it an important role in preserving values that are linked to national existence in a certain space and respect for the cultural and linguistic characteristics of minorities. Here belongs also concern for the correct use of geographical names in all media that present a landscape. In practical terms, this means that we geographers must deal with geographical names with special care and prudence.