Perspective of the research on microtoponyms Sorbian Lausitz

Zschieschang, Christian

doi:https://doi.org/10.17651/ONOMAST.65.1.3

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Title: Perspective of the research on microtoponyms Sorbian Lausitz

Abstract:

When it comes to investigating minor place names, there is a broad range of methods available, reflect- ing the heterogeneous nature of this class of proper names. Probably the most suitable approach is to examine microtoponyms from the angle of an individual settlement within its boundaries, since it is home to a specific communication community. Seen from this perspective, it becomes appar- ent that instead of merely a set of individual names, microtoponyms represent a tangle of relations between these names as well as of concepts and analogies, etc.To obtain an extensive picture of this tangle, as many sources as possible need to be considered. When presenting minor place names as part of Sorbian cultural heritage, a specific situation applies: the high number of different regional and local collections. Many of them have been published: some cover large parts of Lusatia, while others are confined to individual settlements; some of them are ono - mastic studies with extensive analyses, others are merely uncommented lists of names. Furthermore, there are several handwritten collections in the archives comprising thousands of names. Substantial parts of the study areas overlap. Although one might expect the same names to be found in these different collections, there are in fact remarkable divergencies, as demonstrated here by an example.All in all, Lusatia offers diverse material for research on minor place names. Moreover, the fact that many people are still interested in these names presents a good opportunity for citizen science, which could and should play an important role in future research.