Place-names and personal names in medieval Maghreb: some observations on Arabic and Berber in contact
Place-names and personal names in medieval Maghreb: some observations on Arabic and Berber in contact

Summary/Abstract: This brief paper aims to study some of the aspects of onomastics and toponymy inmedieval Maghreb using sources written in Arabic and Berber (10th–19th centuries).Three specific linguistic elements stand out: hybrid toponymic formations (Arabic andBerber), “cross-bred” anthroponyms and the contact between Islamic and Christianreligious topography. Among other points, we must insist on the importance of studyinga larger number of written sources in order to be able to build a sufficient bodyof evidence and hence more accurately portray the linguistic landscape of medievalMaghreb. This could be focussed on the detailed examination of the names of placesand people for instance, without forgetting the fundamental contributions of otherresearch instruments such as history and geography.

• Details
• Contents