Saturday, April 5, 2014

Scots place names explained by Glasgow Uni experts

Scots place names explained by Glasgow Uni experts - The Scotsman



Clackmannan Tower, named after the ancient province of Manau, according to Glasgow Uni research. Picture: TSPL



RESEARCHERS at the University of Glasgow have developed a new online learning tool to help the nation’s school pupils to learn the stories of the names of their communities.

Scotland’s Place Names is designed to teach late primary and early secondary pupils the history, etymology and linguistics behind the names of locations across Scotland.

The project draws on the work of the University’s Scottish Toponymy in Transition (STIT) project into Scotland’s place names.
Dr Simon Taylor, Chief Researcher of the STIT Project, said: “Scotland is a country where many different languages have been spoken over the last 1,500 years, and its place-names reflect this rich and varied history.
“We are pleased to be working with Education Scotland on such a unique project and we hope that it will encourage young people to learn more about the different languages and peoples that have created the modern namescape, and to appreciate the rich cultural legacy embodied in their place-names.”
Scotland’s Place Names was developed by the University of Glasgow alongside Education Scotland, and sits alongside the ‘Studying Scotland’ series of teaching aids which focuses on the changing face of Scottish national identity.
The STIT Project is producing detailed works on Clackmannanshire, Kinross-shire, and Menteith and the Trossachs. A previous project at the University of Glasgow completed a five-volume series entitled The Place-Names of Fife.

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