Place names start as:
- Natural feature ( ... hill)
- Function ( ... farm)
- Person or character (Jeb's ... )
- Existing name (River Exe ... )
- Additional modifiers (Red ... )
- Mix and match (Jeb's Red Hill Farm on the Exe)
Name evolution:
- People say it in an easier way
- Accidentally change parts into other place name sounds
- Language evolves but place name doesn't
- Another language comes in (sound changes, translation, replacement)
- Extra modifiers to distinguish similar names
- Backformation. Something gets renamed after something that was named after it
Natural Toponymy:
- Start based on description of land
- Originally based on language of the region
- Change over time
- Significant places often have endo & exonyms
- Non-natural names can be whatever (often follow natural rules though)
Making Up Place Names:
- Connotations are powerful af
- Certain names fit certain places based on words that they sound like
- Direct words as place names should convey important information
- Bruh I love J.H.R. Tolkien (he's the granddaddy of world building), but "Mt. Doom" sucks.
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