OT: Place names

All these US place names have a different feel entirely to what I'm used to.
Offhand, close to me in the South West [of England] we have such joys as

Fonthill Bishop
Toller Porcorum
Gasper
Zeals
Compton Pauncefoot
Shitterton
Chipping Sodbury
Piddletrenthide

Somewhere, there's a Nempnett Thrubwell, and my best friend lives a mile or
two from Helions Bumpstead (Essex). One of my first pseudo-conlanging
efforts was the following faux-Dorset placename [inspired by Llanfair PG]:

Upper East Okeford Fitzwarrenfortunicanonibredestepletonewborough-
trentstockabiportlikingoholwellbournesunwelliburymouth
St Geoffreymelcombeintrinseca

... which was made from bits of Dorset village names, and has stuck in the
brain for nearly 20 years. Even before that I spent hours as a child drawing
detailed roadmaps of imaginary places, so I guess concartography came first.
Probably something to do with dissatisfaction with the real world, if I
asked a shrink, so I won't.

And I just have to mention my other two favourite placenames anywhere:

Col du Pfaffenschlick [a wonderfully Alsatian name for a mountain pass
which, in the Jameldic universe, is in Zuraaland], and Å [in the Lofoten
Islands in Norway. Hope to go to Å soon].

It's all inspiration for creative linguistics.

James

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james@zolid.com  James Campbell  Zeugma--Our Life Is Design  www.zolid.com
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