Unverstandene Lausitzer Ortsnamen

Abstract

Misunderstood Lusatian Place Names

The author of this article suggests new explanations for 17 Upper Lusatian and 2 Lower Lusatian place names, which have caused particularly severe difficulties for previous research or in which essential aspects have been given insufficient consideration. This analysis summarizes what could be responsible for a lack of understanding in previous toponomastic research. Amongst the following causes are mentioned: insufficient consideration given to possible stronger contractions in their development, the possibility of false back-formations and false composition/decomposition, the failure to take Account of morphological features of Sorbian name forms, but in particular also the discernible prejudice that New Sorbian name forms were of little relevance in the reconstruction of Old Sorbian forms or that the New Sorbian name forms could not be explained as deriving from an internal Sorbian process but only from German influence.