Toponymy in Lowland Scotland: depictions of linguistic heritage

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes a heritage approach to the geographical analysis of place-names. Variation between different authors' selection and interpretation of place-names is analysed, from a sample of place-name publications intended for academic and general readerships. The conclusion suggests that an orthodoxy in toponymic explanation and discourse influences these products. This is characterised by presumptions of Gaelic etymology and various acts of selectivity in the public presentation of the country's place-name heritage. The general acceptance of Gaelic-Highland cultural origins in the Lowlands is identified as a wider context to this perception.

KEY WORDS:

• Place-names
• Lowlands
• heritage approach