| Titre | Toponymie rurale et mémoire narrative (Vallée d'Aoste) | |
|---|---|---|
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Revue |
Rives méditerranéennes Titre à cette date : Rives nord-méditerranéennes |
| Numéro | no 11, 2002/2 Récit et toponymie | |
| Page | 2 | |
| Résumé anglais |
In 1987, a large-scale, systematic investigation was launched across the Aoste valley in Italy which brought to light more than 60 000 toponyms in 74 vicinities. The present article underlines the major findings of this research, only part of which having as yet been processed (28 000 toponyms in 25 vicinities). While toponyms do not automatically have a tale to tell, the vast scope of the study does reveal a fair number of toponymic narratives. In a number of cases, the narrative emerges from overlapping consonants in the toponym and frequently used words in the local tongue or dialect. More frequently, there is no apparent link, and the stories linked to the place-names seem to derive from the impact of fantastic tales or historic accounts, as well as from the principal daily concerns in a rural community. In this way, the devil, fairies, the Wandering Jew, the Saracens, Gargantua and Napoleon emerge as the outstanding figures in narrative memory inscribed in the landscape. On the other hand, in terms of daily life, this memory is marked by dramatic events, epidemics, natural catastrophes or by colossal feats such as extensive irrigation works. Source : Éditeur (via OpenEdition Journals) |
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| Article en ligne | http://journals.openedition.org/rives/116 |
