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The history of place names
Textbook: p. 128
GoalKnow the origin and structure of place names.
New words
place name · joy nomihill · tepaprosperous (a part of town names) · obodspring (of water) · buloq
Explanation
Place names reflect the history of a people, the nature of the place and people’s life. Many names are made of two words, and their meaning can be found from their parts: Oqsuv — oq (white) + suv (water), Toshbuloq — tosh (stone) + buloq (spring), Qumqo‘rg‘on — qum (sand) + qo‘rg‘on (fortress), Yangiyer — yangi (new) + yer (land). Words like obod, yangi, tepa, qo‘rg‘on, kent, buloq are especially common in place names: Do‘stobod, Xalqobod, Oqtepa. For some ancient names scholars give different hypotheses of origin. Ask elders about the history of the name of your neighbourhood or village.
Worked examples
Oqsuv — oq + suv (white water); Do‘stobod — do‘st + obod (a prosperous place of friends).
Toshbuloq — tosh + buloq: the name of a spring on stony ground was given to the place.
Class activity
Find five place names in your region on a map and say what parts they are made from.
Practice
1
Which words is the name «Toshbuloq» made of?
Of the words tosh (stone) and buloq (spring).
2
Write two place names containing «obod».
E.g. Do‘stobod, Xalqobod.
3
What parts does «Oqsuv» consist of?
Oq and suv.
4
Why should we study place names?
Because they preserve the history and life of the people.