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Identifying Place Names in German documents: Difference between revisions
Identifying Place Names in German documents (view source)
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, 24 March 2010→ IDENTIFYING PLACES NAMES IN GERMAN DOCUMENTS
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=== | === IDENTIFYING PLACES NAMES IN GERMAN DOCUMENTS === | ||
==== Introduction ==== | ==== Introduction ==== | ||
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The reference consultant then check the gazetteers for many different spellings but could not find any of them, and he realized that such place does not exist. He wanted to get a clue and find out what was wrong with the spelling of this place name in order to help the patron with this research problem. The consultant asked the patron how the spelling of this place name was obtained and who had given the name to the patron. He was informed that the name of the place was given by word of mouth by a living relative from Germany who did not speak English too well.<br>When the patron asked this relative where his ancestor was born, the answer given was: "Weiss nicht." The answer had been given in the German language. "Weiss nicht" translated into English means "I don't know." The patron, who didn't know the German language thought that "Weiss nicht" was the place where the ancestor was born, which phonetically spelled would be recorded as "''Viceneck''." | The reference consultant then check the gazetteers for many different spellings but could not find any of them, and he realized that such place does not exist. He wanted to get a clue and find out what was wrong with the spelling of this place name in order to help the patron with this research problem. The consultant asked the patron how the spelling of this place name was obtained and who had given the name to the patron. He was informed that the name of the place was given by word of mouth by a living relative from Germany who did not speak English too well.<br>When the patron asked this relative where his ancestor was born, the answer given was: "Weiss nicht." The answer had been given in the German language. "Weiss nicht" translated into English means "I don't know." The patron, who didn't know the German language thought that "Weiss nicht" was the place where the ancestor was born, which phonetically spelled would be recorded as "''Viceneck''." | ||
==== Places by the same | ==== Places by the same name ==== | ||
Phonetic spellings of place names is only one of several difficulties in trying to determine correct spellings for places of origin for ancestors from Europe. Another difficulty is that there are sometimes several places by the same spelling in the same province or canton of a German-speaking country. More often there are places by the same spelling found in different provinces or cantons of a certain country. It is also possible that the place name could refer to a place name in a German-speaking area outside of Germany. Problems of this nature are often difficult but not uncommon. <br>The gazetteer of the 1871 Empire of Germany is titled [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=325694&disp=Meyers+Orts%2D+und+Verkehrs%2DLexikon+de%20%20&columns=*,0,0 Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs- Lexikon]. This gazetteer lists: | Phonetic spellings of place names is only one of several difficulties in trying to determine correct spellings for places of origin for ancestors from Europe. Another difficulty is that there are sometimes several places by the same spelling in the same province or canton of a German-speaking country. More often there are places by the same spelling found in different provinces or cantons of a certain country. It is also possible that the place name could refer to a place name in a German-speaking area outside of Germany. Problems of this nature are often difficult but not uncommon. <br>The gazetteer of the 1871 Empire of Germany is titled [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=325694&disp=Meyers+Orts%2D+und+Verkehrs%2DLexikon+de%20%20&columns=*,0,0 Meyers Orts- und Verkehrs- Lexikon]. This gazetteer lists: | ||
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'''Letters A and E''' | '''Letters A and E''' | ||
''' | '''Example: Ai'''chberg, Württemberg found in gazetteer as '''Ei'''chberg | ||
'''Letters B and P''' | '''Letters B and P''' | ||
''' | ''' Example: B'''ermesens, Pfalz, Bavaria was the place name given in United States records. It was identified as '''P'''irmasens in German gazetteers. | ||
'''Letters C and K''' | '''Letters C and K''' | ||
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'''The letter H''' (it can be added to a word or omitted). | '''The letter H''' (it can be added to a word or omitted). | ||
Hoen-Selchow = | Hoen-Selchow = Ho'''h'''enselchow, Pommern<br> | ||
'''Letters I and E''' | '''Letters I and E''' | ||
| Pos'''i'''n = Pos'''e'''n<br> | ||
'''Letters I and Ei ''' | '''Letters I and Ei ''' | ||
Kr'''i'''s = Kr'''ei'''s [district]<br> | |||
'''Letters I and Y''' | '''Letters I and Y''' | ||
Ba'''i'''ern = Ba'''y'''ern<br> | |||
Letters I and J | '''Letters I and J''' | ||
G'''i'''errup = G'''j'''errup<br> | |||
Letters J and Y <br> | '''Letters J and Y <br>''' | ||
Letters J and I <br> | |||
'''''Letters J and I <br>''''' | |||
<br> | <br> | ||
Letters K and C <br> | '''Letters K and C <br>''' | ||
'''Letters K and Ch''' | |||
Tü'''k'''skov = Tü'''ch'''schau, Schleswig-Holstein<br> | |||
Letters K and | '''Letters K and G''' | ||
A'''k'''litten, East Prussia = Au'''g'''litten, Ostpreussen<br> | |||
Letters | '''Letters Ks and X''' | ||
Roc'''ks'''heim = Ro'''x'''heim, Pfalz<br> | |||
Letters | '''Letters L and N <br>''' | ||
M N <br> | '''Letters M and N <br>''' | ||
N M <br> | '''Letters N and M <br>''' | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
O U | '''Letters O and U''' | ||
B'''oo'''kheim, Friberg = B'''u'''chheim, Freiburg, Baden<br> | |||
<br> | |||
'''Letters Ow and Au''' | |||
Schwies'''ow''' = Schwies'''au'''<br> | |||
<br> | |||
'''Letters P and B <br>''' | |||
<br> | <br> | ||
'''Letters Ph and F <br>''' | |||
<br> | <br> | ||
'''Letters p and ss '''(Transcribers mistakenly deciphered ß as p) | |||
Pru'''p'''ia [Pru'''ß'''ia]= Pru'''ss'''ia | |||
p | He'''p'''e [He'''ß'''e]= He'''ss'''en<br> | ||
Qu Kw <br> | '''Letters Qu and Kw <br>''' | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
Qu Kv | '''Letters Qu and Kv''' | ||
Quars - Kvaers [Danish]<br> | Quars - Kvaers [Danish]<br> | ||