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The Spelling of African Place-Names on Maps

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2009

Extract

In the past African place-names were recorded by Europeans who often had little or no knowledge of the African languages concerned, or of phonetics, and who therefore used the nearest “ home ” spelling. This “ home ” spelling depended largely on the nationality of the map-maker concerned, and the result was blocks of English, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese spellings, of varying degrees of accuracy, in the various “ spheres of interest”. In addition, where explorers‘ lines cut across each other, identical places would be furnished with names with conflicting spellings. Further, many mapmakers were led astray by their informants,’ who, as like as not, supplied them with the name of the place in the trade language rather than in the local vernacular.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1948

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References

page 824 note 1 Compare “Rejaf” (Stanley, Casati), “Regaf” (Junker), “Reggaf” (Slatin), “Regiaf” (Baker), or the following spellings of a well-known river in (mod.) F.E.A.: “ Warn ”, “ Wahm ”, “ Uam ”, “ Ouahm ”, “ Ouam ”, “ Ouham ”, “ Ouahme ”.

page 824 note 2 Dr. Guthrie gives the amusing instance of the Mfinu place-names Emwa and Esio being recorded “ Kimwakasa ” and “ Kiseke ” on Belgian maps, because those were the names given to the places by the Kongo porters.

page 824 note 3 Even in the latest maps of the Sudan, “ Jebel Sakit ” and “ Jebel Maaref ” are to be found.

page 824 note 4 Published by Thomas Astley, London, 1745–7. I am greatly indebted to Mr. M. Aurousseau for these historical notes.

page 825 note 1 Spain 1876, France 1886, Germany 1888, Belgium 1892, U.S.A. 1891, with the setting up of a permanent Board on geographical names. In this connection it is of interest to note that the Deuxiès de Toponymie et d′anthroponymie in July, 1947, in Paris passed a resolution urging the French Government to create an Institut de Toponymie et d′nthroponymie on the model of the P.C.G.N. of Great Britain, the B.G.N. of U.S.A., and the Institutes of Belgium and the Scandinavian countries.

page 825 note 2 A better example is to be found in the various recordings of the “ Chaga ” tribe of Kilimanjaro who up till now have been written as: “ Tschaga ” or “ Djaga ” (in German), “ Tchaga ” (in French), “ Tjagga ” (in Dutch), “ Ciaga ” (in Italian), and “ Czaga ” (in Polish).

page 825 note 3 It is of interest to note at this juncture that Arabic script in Swahili, which was never properly codified, is fast dying out. Whether such a script could ever be satisfactorily codified to cope with a five-vowel language like Swahili need not be discussed here.

page 826 note 1 These letters have two values in African languages according to the area concerned. In South Africa they are used to represent clicks. Elsewhere they are equated with English “ ch ”, Scotch “ ch ” (Arabic ), and Arabic (Amharic Φ) respectively.

page 827 note 1 Local maps and sign-posts should certainly have them.

page 827 note 2 Thus: “ Karagach ” (for Karagaç), as well as Çatalca, Çorum, Çankiri (consonants spelt correctly).

page 828 note 1 “ Erdjias ” (for Ereiyas) must be regarded as cartographical backsliding

page 828 note 2 Nobody has attempted to write it “ Than ”, after R.G.S. II precepts, nor has anyone written “ Ngawk ”, R.G.S. II for nck, though “ Ngork ” has been found. Compare “ Orlu ” and “ Awga ” on Nigerian maps.

page 828 note 3 That this is a vain hope can be learned by listening to the normal unenlightened pronunciation of names like “ Uganda ”, “ Nyanja ” “ Nyasaland ”, “ Matabeleland ”, and many others.

page 829 note 1 In this way it is hoped that international discussion on this topic will be promoted, and that the various national geographical committees will come eventually to the point of mutual consultation.

page 830 note 1 The R.G.S. II suggestion that n should be represented by ng and ņg by ngg would lead to utter confasion in the areas concerned, where already ņ is represented by ņ (or ‘ng or ng’) and ng by ng. The English reader must reconcile himself to not being able to distinguish between “ Bongo ” (Bongo) and “ Binga ” (Biija) on English maps.

page 830 note 2 This means, of course, that on English maps there will be no distinction between these sounds and e, o, b, d, k, s, a, etc. The maps will necessarily have to forfeit phonetic precision.