Transcript The naming of seas, maritime features and currents

The naming of seas, maritime
features and currents
Mátyás MÁRTON and Gábor GERCSÁK
(Budapest, Hungary)
26 April 2007
Eötvös Loránd University
Major points of discussion
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Structure of names
Specific and generic elements
Word-for-word translations
General geographical attributes or cardinal
points as specific terms
• Identification of objects
• Examples in English, German and
Hungarian
Names and their origin
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Names of seas
Names of parts of seas
Names of sea currents
Names of undersea features
(Names of islands)
Word-for-word translations
• Sea: Black Sea – Schwarzes Meer –
Fekete-tenger
• Part of sea: Bay of Mexico – Golf von
Mexiko – Mexikói-öböl
• Sea current: Gulf Stream – Golfstrom –
Golf-áramlás
• Undersea feature: Guinea Rise –
Guineaschwelle – Guineai-hát
Generic terms
• Sea: Baltic Sea – Ostsee – Balti-tenger
(Keleti-tenger)
• Part of sea: Drake Passage – DrakeStraße – Drake-átjáró
• Sea current: Kuro Shio – Kuroschio –
Kuro-shio
• Undersea feature: Sunda Shelf –
Sundaschelf – Szunda-self
Specific terms
• Sea: White Sea – Weißes Meer – Fehértenger
• Part of sea: Bay of Biscay – Golf von
Biskaya – Vizcayai-öböl
♦ Perzsa-öböl (–1959)
♦ Perzsa (Arab)-öböl (1961–2001)
♦ Perzsa-öböl (2004–)
• Currents: Peru Current – Humboldstrom
– Perui (Humboldt)-áramlás
Specific terms of undersea
features describing the location
• Near to: Madagascar Basin –
Madagaskarbecken – Madagaszkárimedence
• Direction: South Honshu Ridge – SüdHonschurücken – Déli-Honshui-hátság
• Extension: Azores-Gibraltar Ridge –
Azorenschwelle – Azori–Gibraltári-hátság
Specific terms of undersea
features as "reminder names"
• Ship: Atlantis Seamount – Atlantis
Kuppe – Atlantis-fenékhegy
• Expedition: Northern Holiday Seamount
– ? – Northern Holiday-fenékhegy
• Institution: An Rise – ? – AN-hát
• Person: Gauss Seamount – ? – Gaussfenékhegy
"Inexpressive" terms in names
• General geographical attributes:
♦ Great – Groß – Nagy♦ New – Neu – Új♦ Mid – Mittel – Közép-
• Cardinal points:
♦ North – Nord – Észak♦ Southeast – Südost – Délkelet-
"Inexpressive" names
• Sea: North Sea – Nordsee – Északitenger
• Part of sea: Canal do Norte – Canal do
Norte – Északi-csatorna
• Sea current: Nord Cape Current –
Norwegischer Strom – Északi-fokiáramlás
• Undersea feature: East Cape Ridge – ?
– Keleti-foki-hátság
Translation of geographical names
in publications
• National Geographic World Atlas (2005, in
Hungarian from the German edition)
• Sea of Japan − Japán-tenger − East Sea
− ? (Inconsistent, but logical for Germans)
• Possible confusion with Ostsee (East Sea)
for the German readers and with the
outdated Keleti-tenger (= East Sea = Baltic
Sea) for Hungarian map users
• Extract