Toponyms in your conlang

[finlay]

You can use this thread to display the toponyms of your conlang. This could be either ones that are borrowed from real-life cities, or you could show us toponyms from your conworld.

Izambri, go nuts.

[Jipí]

This. Currently it only contains translated names of European countries and their capitals (I advertised it here before), but I've begun working on the Americas recently. Still wondering if I should also do the US and Canadian states or provinces, respectively.

[prettydragoon]

The toponyms of Rireinutire mainly refer to places in the Rireinu system. Galactic toponyms are usually formed with adapting the native toponym to Rireinutire phonology, with the addition of a descriptor, e.g. -ere 'star', -rato 'land', -mivi 'city', -ruvo 'mountain', -misi 'sea' as required.

Celestial bodies (from the primary out)
Ano 'sun' The primary of Rireinu system.
Amiere 'morning star' Too hot for organic life.
Rireinu 'flowering farmlands' The homeworld of Rireinukave.
Usa 'moon' The satellite of Rireinu.
Minaere 'star of motion' The other planet that supports life.
Peko, Kohu The satellites of Minaere.
Reiere 'star of fire' Too cold for organic life.
Makoere 'star of metal' Gas giant.
Hotaere 'star of silence' Gas giant.
Sosuere 'star of sky' Gas giant.
Misiere 'star of ocean' Gas giant.
Hasaere 'star of time' Icy lump of rock.

Geographical features on Rireinu
Isomisi Southern Ocean, around Isosañe.
Isosañe Southland, the south polar continent.
Nosomisi Eastern Ocean, also Sañemisi or Island Ocean; east of Ruñosañe and west of Rasosañe.
Puyomisi Northern Ocean, the north polar ocean.
Rasomisi Western Ocean, west of Ruñosañe and east of Rasosañe.
Rasosañe Westland, the second continent.
Ruñosañe Mainland, the largest landmass on Rireinu.

Provinces
Uteyete 'great valley' A prehistoric inland sea, now an immense valley.
Usamivi Usa, the moon. Named after the capital and first settlement.
Kanatima Home to Opo Valley, site of important fossil discoveries.
Kareruvo An island province, gambler's paradise.
Ñoro 'northeast'
Puripupu Notable for Rotakoro Bay, full of limestone karsts and isles of fantastic shapes.
Minaere The planet Minaere.
Sumiapa Named after a burrowing lagomorph endemic to the region, or possibly vice versa.
Vanasova Home of tañoyora.
Haru The capital region.

Cities and towns
Usamivi 'moon city' The capital of Usa, administratively Usamivi Province.
Oposova Notable for the discoveries of fossils from the evolution of the species, and the museum built to house them.
Tenokai A mining centre 4km down on the ocean floor.
Piñapamu According to legend, the city where Maya and Reye, the founder twins of Haru, came from.
Matusima An industrial centre.
Sayoñi City where the Rules of War were codified.
Susa Capital of a former large empire (or several consecutive empires, depending on your definition).
Soti At the mouth of Remu River, the port of Haru.
Raiuke 'rice paddy' Not a real place; the proverbial home of ignorant rustics.
Rosepeña The only settlement on Hasaere (pop. 573).
Yatipaya Another industrial centre.
Yuturire 'red-ochre flower' The capital of Minaere.
Vanasova An ancient city, home of tañoyora martial art.
Vetevemo Capital of Sumiapa Province.
Haru The capital of Rireinu, founded on the banks of Remu River.

[HandsomeRob]

http://steampulp.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Settlements

[Soap]

@prettydragoon: I love those. I take it the language is all CV?

from the Poswob Empire, going west to east:

Potypobbem "alliance"
Nanampumba "rocks in the hillside"
Wapfom "dry riverbed"

Pavapaby "pava (a weed) fields"
Šuramby Libylos Pumbae "shrine of the Ghosts of Comfort"

Sambvašet "sunflower valley"

Pafel Šumwumbub "bracelet of thorns"

Lypelpyp "scorpion"
Rabio "camp of raby"

Bompowop "camp at the source of a river"

Bompotam "lake at the source of a river"
Blibwaba "apple orchard"

Noppiampos "eagle nest mountain"
Wempy "high (place)"
Vuwamptam "basin lake"

Vurtaere "rainbow"

Pilabbiem "where we all made peace"

Sorem "honey"

Teftumbies "(place) of arrows"

Brabas "windy"

Babampevum "crossed canes"

Blop "reservoir"
Sambvawagže Bravo "wagže daisy path"
Teftum Tumbly Tublwa "arrow, bow, (and) quiver"
Tatwatampus "frog pond dam"

Bababubi "anchor"
Pampapam "(fishing) dock"
Musi "spring field"

Pamborpa "swords in fields"
Lunila "Luni's temple"
Wapeblo Pisuba "clocktower island"

Turub "smoke beach"
Pipapunsu "abductor's birthplace"
Wabula Pipem "broken pier"

Pallupubom "mermaid diplomacy pier"

Blorpambla "great challenge"
Popapa "rabbit field"
Napparora "circle lake"
Pisamopom "red deer"

Paba "city" (the capital city of the Pabap empire)
Panama "port"
Winnar "gray"

Sapurblap/Satwumbabe "bloom hill"

Pworše "drowning tube"
Pabbubompit "dark valley"
Pobwompom "high view"

Sarapom "with Sara's help"
Kunamae "I can see the stars"
Pambavom" student city"
Pilifala "scholar city"
Pušumbiom "vision blocked by mountains"
Bubupem "coconut beach"
Anapubi "lava trails"
Pubia "mermaids surfacing"
Sapstambum "snakes"

Nidžaspwava "purple flower garden"
Veppevum "cross"
Pubbabumba Šep "duck bay"
Noppiob Panwem "battlefield with eagles"

Marvop "spill"
Pipop "two rivers"

Ipiweb "pine tree point"
Lalapapel "sleepy grove"
Pavovbipop "beaver wood"

Pipi "portland"

Waebub "observatory"

Tuppipae "house of birds"
Tempam "beaver lake"

Paefwam Barium "anchors in the dark"

Wabbubo "tower"

[prettydragoon]

@prettydragoon: I love those. I take it the language is all CV?

Thank you! Yes, all CV, except for one exception. (You can have word-final /ʔ/.)

from the Poswob Empire, going west to east:

Nice! Are the etymologies all from Poswa, or are there some names from other languages too?

Rireinu is lousy with non-Rireinutire toponyms. As an example, the name of the legendary mother city of Haru, Piñapamu. In Rireinutire, it looks like it should mean 'long white'. What kind of a name for a city is that?

[rr]

Rireinu is lousy with non-Rireinutire toponyms. As an example, the name of the legendary mother city of Haru, Piñapamu. In Rireinutire, it looks like it should mean 'long white'. What kind of a name for a city is that?

There are some existing names that could use a little work. I speak enough Spanish to know what cities in my area with Spanish names mean. Translations include "hidden, secret", "crate, drawer", "view, sight" and "the dam". I don't think "long white" is much worse. "long white" might actually make sense if perhaps it was on top of a mountain range, as there might be a "long white" strip of snow.

Kutoren has "interesting" toponyms (usually compound words) that include Ntanpece "same fish", Acunler "here to learn", and Dhisi "with me". You can have any name you want, but the name should have some meaning. I usually tend to create toponyms that may sound strange to the English ear, but have some relation to the location. Rosadure "from us(exclusive)" was the first Kutorenian settlement in the "new world".

Sometimes I create toponyms that I think are original, but already exist. I just Google searched "Kutoren". It's a city in Turkey. Should I leave these names the way they are or change them?

[clawgrip]

Some Himmaswa place names:

Gohjmot - heavy knife
Twaajuk - being distant the middle
Snoohsgeu - bird sits / sitting bird
Glakgar - old island
Sarptinwou - place where waiting is equal
Huapang - gate encloses / enclosing gate
Piangfau - being large the hill
Gwalum - river east
Mettuin - remove and rise
Aynggong - water surroundings
Yiahyeu - eels are common
Faalgong - be more than the surroundings
Ngtoohjuañ - fork south
- Poodeumgwaat - leaning giant horsetail
Glakkach - long island
Jgahgar - old snake
Gluattaiy - being high the sand
Demfau - being humid the hill
Heuopgwa - flowing swamp river
Maliam - eye sun
Tiangtngong - the Reed (River) is protected
Faufchaung - flat hill
- Daumngaiyk - temple ocean
Taanggeuut - open up and blow

The weirdly reversed places names e.g. being large the hill is a result of the capital city Piangfau, having been named very early on in the history of this language. I totally revamped the language, eliminating adjectives and making them into verbs that follow the noun they modify. As such, Piangfau didn't make any sense, but since the name was so established in my mind, I couldn't bring myself to reverse it to Faupiang, so instead I just made a couple other place names with a similar strange reversal, so at least there is a pattern.

[prettydragoon]

You can have any name you want, but the name should have some meaning. I usually tend to create toponyms that may sound strange to the English ear, but have some relation to the location. Rosadure "from us(exclusive)" was the first Kutorenian settlement in the "new world".

Yes, there should be meaning behind the original form of the name. Depending on how old the name is, it might be transparent, or it might have become totally opaque by the time you write about.

Sometimes I create toponyms that I think are original, but already exist. I just Google searched "Kutoren". It's a city in Turkey. Should I leave these names the way they are or change them?

If you are otherwise happy with the sound and meaning of a name, I say keep it. There's any number of coincidental homonyms or near-homonyms across language borders.

The weirdly reversed places names e.g. being large the hill is a result of the capital city Piangfau, having been named very early on in the history of this language. I totally revamped the language, eliminating adjectives and making them into verbs that follow the noun they modify. As such, Piangfau didn't make any sense, but since the name was so established in my mind, I couldn't bring myself to reverse it to Faupiang, so instead I just made a couple other place names with a similar strange reversal, so at least there is a pattern.

Fiendishly clever! I like that.

[gach]

You can have any name you want, but the name should have some meaning. I usually tend to create toponyms that may sound strange to the English ear, but have some relation to the location. Rosadure "from us(exclusive)" was the first Kutorenian settlement in the "new world".

Yes, there should be meaning behind the original form of the name. Depending on how old the name is, it might be transparent, or it might have become totally opaque by the time you write about.

Bear in mind that names are also often borrowed or contain borrowed elements within them. Especially the names of significant waterways seem to have a higher tendency to retain their names for ages despite the people living around them going through language shifts. Such names end up meaning absolutely nothing in the current languages even when you try to analyse them historically. A good example is the Lake Inari which has a name that can't be connected with any known language.

This isn't a reason to come up with loads of random names lacking a meaning, though. A place should important enough to justify not being renamed or having its name translated ever once in a while. Few other possible things come to mind apart from the biggest waterways which also function as major ways of transportation, or in other words are both large and culturally central.

[Matrix]

You can have any name you want, but the name should have some meaning. I usually tend to create toponyms that may sound strange to the English ear, but have some relation to the location. Rosadure "from us(exclusive)" was the first Kutorenian settlement in the "new world".

Yes, there should be meaning behind the original form of the name. Depending on how old the name is, it might be transparent, or it might have become totally opaque by the time you write about.

Bear in mind that names are also often borrowed or contain borrowed elements within them. Especially the names of significant waterways seem to have a higher tendency to retain their names for ages despite the people living around them going through language shifts. Such names end up meaning absolutely nothing in the current languages even when you try to analyse them historically. A good example is the Lake Inari which has a name that can't be connected with any known language.

This isn't a reason to come up with loads of random names lacking a meaning, though. A place should important enough to justify not being renamed or having its name translated ever once in a while. Few other possible things come to mind apart from the biggest waterways which also function as major ways of transportation, or in other words are both large and culturally central.

If i recall correctly, there's a river somewhere that has a name that analyzes as something like "river river river", because each successive language just called the river by the word the previous people used, plus their own word for river, and the first language just called it the river.

[gach]

If i recall correctly, there's a river somewhere that has a name that analyzes as something like "river river river", because each successive language just called the river by the word the previous people used, plus their own word for river, and the first language just called it the river.

These happen quite a bit and I'm guessing that many of the lost etymologies of the substrate elements in toponyms also come from something as bland as "river" or "lake". Here's some conversational discussion on the topic as well as some further examples.

I have straight away some arguments against that list, though. Many of the non English names are on the list just because, when referred to in English, they get an additional "lake" etc. appended to them. When the native names don't have this sort of reduplication on their own, it's a bit suspect to keep them on the list. Also Kymijoki is best described as controversial. Its first element kymi has been used to refer to large rivers in general only in the areas surrounding this river and most likely derives from the name of the river itself. Occasionally you see it used with the general meaning by people from other parts of the country, but this use is at best secondary.

I once saw a ridiculous modern example of loaning/translating place names by appending descriptive elements from the target language into them in a German tourist map of Helsinki. In the middle of the central peninsula of the city there's bay called Töölönlahti which is named after the adjacent district and translates as "Töölö bay". The map had been translated into German via English and this name had accreted extra elements on both translation turning out as Töölönlahti bay Bucht.

[finlay]

I have a habit of referring to Japanese rivers by just appending "river", so I say things like "Tamagawa river" (kawa or gawa means river as it is). I should technically say Tama river. Same with lakes. I've been known to say "Tamako lake" when actually I should say "Tama lake" or (actually again) Tama reservoir.

[clawgrip]

I have a habit of referring to Japanese rivers by just appending "river", so I say things like "Tamagawa river" (kawa or gawa means river as it is). I should technically say Tama river. Same with lakes. I've been known to say "Tamako lake" when actually I should say "Tama lake" or (actually again) Tama reservoir.

I have the same feeling with temples. Sensō Temple, Tōdai Temple, Hōryū Temple, Tō Temple...these just sound weird to me without the -ji appended. Not so much with shrines though, for some odd reason. Itsukushima Shrine, Meiji Shrine, etc.

[finlay]

Perhaps it's because the temple names are all Sinitic compounds? So it feels strange when you break it up? Whereas the shrine names are Japonic and you're actually just swapping the words for shrine in English and Japanese?

Well, maybe, but I have also said "Hasedera temple" and as I mentioned "Tamagawa river" – but then those are also obviously compounds because we've applied the intervocalic voicing. So maybe it's all to do with where the word boundary is in Japanese, which isn't as intuitive as in English.

(Also Sensoji is really "Asakusa temple", isn't it? :p)

eta:
you might also consider those shrines that are not named 神社/jinja or 神宮/jingu but just 宮 (gu/miya) – which in both the Japonic and Sinitic form tends to be a suffix.

[clawgrip]

I've never heard anyone refer to it as Asakusa Temple. The kanji are of course the same, but the only name I've ever heard is Sensō-ji.

That's true about -gu though. Tōshō Shrine for example sounds pretty weird.

[Qwynegold]

Ensala

Huh, I thought this was a real town in Sweden. But I did some googling it seems like it isn't, but there's a fictional town of Ensala. It means something like "juniper hall".

[Soap]

from the Poswob Empire, going west to east:

Nice! Are the etymologies all from Poswa, or are there some names from other languages too?

Rireinu is lousy with non-Rireinutire toponyms. As an example, the name of the legendary mother city of Haru, Piñapamu. In Rireinutire, it looks like it should mean 'long white'. What kind of a name for a city is that?

Almost all of them are from Poswa, except some in the middle are from Pabappa and one name (Soren) is from an unnamed aboriginal language.