Доклады Международного конгресса ИИСАА. Т. 1

I. African Studies / Африканистика Доклады Международного конгресса по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки. Т. 1. 2020 31 1. Completely Nubian compounds were immediately accepted as non-alien, for example, Faraa Dúwwi ‘the old ( dúwwi ) tamarisk tree ( faraa )’. The ele- ments are Nubian words and the noun phrase is constructed according to Nubian grammar. 2. Toponyms may have had an origin in the mediaeval Nubian language (Old Nubian), for example, Dibéeree . The element dib may have retained a mediaeval pronunciation even though the corresponding word in present-day Nobíin Nubian speech had become díffi ‘castle’. Toponyms often preserve an earlier pronunciation, for example, Stanbridge ‘stone bridge’where stan for ‘stone’ reflects the Old English pronunciation stān . 1 It is considered non-alien. 3. Toponyms of uncertain etymology, for example, Ishkéed , 2 which has no obvi- ous etymology, but which conforms to Nubian phonology and is considered by its residents to be non-alien. 4. Even toponyms which were clearly Arabic, could be accepted as non-alien, for example, a place named for Shéeh Gurnéen, 3 who played an important role in the religious life of the local inhabitants until this ‘Muslim Shéeh’ was revealed by an archaeologist to have been a mediaeval Christian bishop . 5. Even Arabic names, 4 perceived not to have been very old, but acknowledged to have a major function in the social life of the local people, could be accepted as non-alien, for example, Wadi Hálfa. 5 The epithet Halfáwi has even become a term indicating the ethnic identity of an inhabitant of that region. 6 Sabbar considered the toponyms in each of these five categories to be non-alien. Even the last two examples that were clearly of Arabic origin were not considered to be exonyms. They had been domesticated. According to Sabbar, when the language of the home is endangered, toponymy is endangered and there is a negative impact on personal identity. 1 Ekwall E. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names. 4 th edition. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960. P. 437. 2 Sabbar A. The Toponymy of Ishkeed and the Revitalization of an Endangered Nubian Language. Oxford: Nubian Languages and Culture, 2017. P. 19. 3 The name of Shéeh Gurnéen has been spelt here according to its Nubian pronunciation rather than its Arabic etymology. 4 Wadi refers to a valley for a seasonal stream. Hálfa refers to the esparto grass that was found growing there. 5 The town name presents Wadi Hálfa as it is pronounced in Nubian speech with /á/ marking Nubian high tone. Sabbar decided to present the name as Wadi Hálfa as it may be heard in Nubian speech rather than Wādī Ḥalfā as it may be heard in Arabic. 6 Bell H. Nubian Perceptions of Exonyms and Endonyms // Woodman P. (ed.). The Great Toponymic Divide. Reflections on the definition and usage of endonyms and exonyms. Pro- ceedings of the 12 th UNGEGN Working Group on Exonyms Meeting Gdańsk, 16–18 May 2012. Warsaw, 2012. P. 100 ff.