Re: USAGE: Name adaptation (fuit: GSF revisited)

>Matahaniya ang Benct Philip Jonsson <conlang@...>:
> Indeed. To translate rather than transliterate names is a
> sometimes occiurring symptom of the artlanger disease.
This discussion on translation and transliteration reminds me of the
way the Catholic Church translates the names of see cities into
Latin.  (I'm only familiar with the U.S. dioceses.)  The most common
way is to add the adjectival suffix "-(i)ensis" (feminine
after "dioecesis") to the name of the city: Marquettensis,
Greensburgensis, Eriensis, Stocktoniensis.  When "-ensis" and when "-
iensis"?  Initially I thought "iensis" after "n," but there was no
consistency: Richmondiensis, Tucsonensis.

Cities in -town/-ton are often treated this way: Alanopolitana
(Allentown), Carolopolitana (Charleston), Indianopolitana,
Ludovicopolitana.  But then there is Youngstowniensis.  An
interesting example is Siopolitana (Sioux City).  There is only one
in "-polis," Dodgepolis.

Three in "-ville" are "transliterated": Bellevillensis,
Nashvillensis, and Brownsvillensis.  But then there is
Evansvicensis, Norvicensis (Norwich), and Steubenvicensis.

Then there are the more or less literal translations:
Rubribaculensis (Baton Rouge), Xylopolitana (Boise), Riverormensis
(Fall River) & Siouxormensis (Sioux Falls), Insulae Grandis, Sinus
Viridis, Petriculana (Little Rock) and many more.

There are 11 see cities named after saints: Sancti Josephi, S.
Augustini, S. Clodoaldi, S. Ludovici, S. Petri in Florida, S.
Antonii, S. Didaci, S. Francisci, S. Josephi in California, Sanctae
Fidei, and S. Rosae.  These would be translated "Diocese of St.
Joseph, etc."

The "new" cities are Novae Aureliae and Novae Ulmae, but Neo-
Eboracensis.  This latter reminds us of that other English city
Roffensis (Rochester).

When the city has the same name as another a distinction must be
made: Angelorum in California, Memphitana in Tennesia,
Kansanopolitana in Kansas (as opposed to Kansanopolitana-S. Josephi
[MO]), Arausicanae in California (Orange, France?), Petropolitana
in Insula Longa (there's another Rockville Center?), S. Petri in
Florida (St. Petersburg, Russia), Sreveportuensis in Louisiana,
Campifontis in Illinois (The other is in MA), Victoriensis in Texas,
Venetiae in Florida.  The most interesting is Toletana in America.
Why not Venetiae in America?

Only one is left unchanged: Dioecesis Las Cruces.

There must be a committee in the Vatican!

Charlie

Reply