Beard Shaver’s Bush. Place Names in the Cape

Book title: Beard Shaver’s Bush. Place Names in the Cape
Authors: Peter Slingsby; Ed Coombe
Publisher: Baardskeerder cc
ISBN 062024965X / ISBN 0-620-24965-X
Cape Town, South Africa 2000
Softcover, 15x21 cm, 138 pages, bw-sketches

Desription:

In 1999 an overseas visitor, John Beazley of Uttoxeter, England, complained to Ed that he could not find any information about the origins, meanings or pronunciation of all the peculiar South African names he encountered here. We found that the last book on Cape place names had been published in 1926 and so Beard Shaver’s Bush was born. The name was meant to be a joke, a quite incorrect translation of the real name Baardskeerdersbos. But we’ve been quite amazed at how many emails we’ve received that say something like “By the way, the proper name is ‘Baardskeerdersbos’.” Sad, hey. Beard Shaver’s Bush – Place Names in the Cape by Ed Coombe and Peter Slingsby lists the origins, meanings and pronunciation (of non-English names) of nearly 2000 Western Cape place names.Arranged in regions and categories, the book is comprehensively indexed and has very few mistakes. We say that because so many origins of place names are very controversial.

Content: Beard Shaver’s Bush. Place Names in the Cape

Foreword
Introduction
How to use the book
The Languages
San and Khoi
Afrikaans, Dutch
Malay
Xhosa
How Names Arise
Quick Guide: common prefixes and suffixes
Cape Peninsula: City of Cape Town
South Peninsula Municipality
Blaauwberg Municipality
Tygerberg and Oostenberg
Winelands and Helderberg
Breede River Valley
Overberg
Garden Route
West Coast, Swartland and Olifants River Valley
Karoo
Some Roadsign Words
Shops & Institutions
Car Registration Plates
Some Statistics
South African National Anthem
Index
Published Sources Consulted
The Authors
Map of the Regions