The Dictionary of Southern African Place Names, by Peter E. Raper, Lucie A. Möller and Theodorus du Plessis

The Dictionary of Southern African Place Names, by Peter E. Raper, Lucie A. Möller and Theodorus du Plessis. Jonathan Ball Publishers. 4th edition. Johannesburg; Cape Town, South Africa 2014. ISBN 9781868425495 / ISBN 978-1-868425-49-5

The publication of this Dictionary of Southern African Place Names was encouraged by the enthusiasm with which the first three editions were received, and necessitated by the increase in the number of provinces from four to nine, and the implementation of the South African Geographical Names Council Act, which has resulted in numerous new names being standardised. The editors of this edition are Peter E. Raper, Lucie A. Möller and Theodorus du Plessis.

Peter E. Raper  Lucie A. Möller  L. Theodorus du Plessis  

The Dictionary has been expanded, with the addition of many new entries. In this regard our appreciation is expressed to Dr BA Meiring, Mr Trueman Khubekha and Mrs Thulile Mthembu, who made the data of the South African Geographical Names Council available for inclusion in the Dictionary. Permission of the editors of the journals Acta Académica, Language Matters, Names, Nomina Africana and Onoma to use material published in these journals is acknowledged with gratitude. [...] As this is a dictionary of Southern African place names, names of major features in neighbouring countries have also been included, specifically in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Swaziland, as well as names of features on Marion Island. However, it has not been the intention to cover all southern African countries. There has been no attempt at comprehensiveness, and in cases where essential information could not be provided, the name has been omitted. The authorship of the Dictionary has been extended to include Dr Lucie A. Möller and Professor L. Theodorus du Plessis, and is a project of the Unit for Language Facilitation in association with the Department of Linguistics and Language Practice of the University of the Free State, and will be a continuing project of that University. I have pleasure in expressing my sincere gratitude to Professor du Plessis for this important initiative, which will ensure the continuation of one of the most comprehensive collections of the common heritage of the peoples of southern Africa.

Examples from the Dictionary of Southern African Place Names:

Aakaap (NC 2922 BB; 29:12:33S, 22:55:29E; -29.209167, 22.92472). Bushman name of Rietfontein, station of the London Missionary Society, established in 1801 by William Anderson (1769-1852) and Johannes Jacobus Kicherer (1775-1825). Also recorded as Aa'tkaap, Aakaap, the name is said to mean 'reed fountain'; the Afrikaans Rietfontein, 'reed fountain', is thus a translation of the indigenous name. The first component is comparable to the //Nike (S2) /a, 'reed', cognate with the Nama *ab, 'reed'; the second component is comparable to the /Nu //en (S6) *a, also !kha:, 'spring', to the Auen (Nl) *ha, 'spring', and the Auen (N2) \±n'hau, 'mountain spring'. The final consonant p of the variants Aakaap, Aa'tkaap, A'akaap is the Khoikhoi masculine singular ending.

Aalwynkop (MP 2628 DA; 26:39:08S, 28:31:58E; -26.652222, 28.53278). Hill 5 km west of Balfour and 20 km south-east of Heidelberg. The name is of Afrikaans origin and means 'aloe hillock'.

Aalwynpoort (EC 3325 BB; 33:09:27S, 25:55:40E; -33.1575, 25.92778). Railway siding between Kommadagga and Saltaire, 22 km north-west of Alicedale on the route to Cookhouse. Afrikaans for 'aloe pass', the name refers to Aloe africana, or 'Uitenhage aloes' as they are commonly known, growing in a ravine there.

Aams (Nam 2418 AC; 24:20:00S, 18:24:00E; -24.333333, 18.4). Khoikhoi name of Stampriet. It is derived either from the Nama *a, 'reed', zham, 'tramp flat, stamp', from trampling the reeds in order to reach the spring; or from *as, 'reed dance', *ham, 'stamp (on the ground)', indicating the place where the reed-dance was stamped.

Aan de Dooms (WC 3319 DA; 33;41:58S, 19:29:24E; -33.69944, 19.49). Settlement on the Nuy River, some 7 km south-east of Worcester. The name is Dutch for 'on the thorns', 'at the thorns'. Considering that the component Dooms refers to the river on which the settlement is situated, and that the river also bears the name of Nuy, it seems likely that Dooms and Nuy are synonyms, in other words Nuy means 'thorns', Dutch dooms, approximating the /Xam (SI) !kui, Wait, 'thorntree, thornbush'. [...]

This is an excerpt from the Dictionary of Southern African Place Names, by Peter E. Raper, Lucie A. Möller and Theodorus du Plessis.

Title: The Dictionary of Southern African Place Names
Authors: Peter E. Raper; Lucie A. Möller; L. Theodorus du Plessis
Genre: Local history; Linguistic
Publisher: Jonathan Ball Publishers
4th edition. Johannesburg; Cape Town, South Africa 2014
ISBN 9781868425495 / ISBN 978-1-868425-49-5
Softcover, 16 x 24 cm, 592 pages