Digital Atlas of the Toponyms of Trinidad and Tobago (DATTT)
Date
2019-03
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Abstract
This project aims to document the toponyms of Trinidad and Tobago, via a series of customised Google maps. The project was conceived of a) in honour of the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL) 2019, b) in response to a popular but erroneous map circulating on social media, and c) to graphically illustrate and further the research of scholars (such as Michael Anthony, Rawwida Baksh-Soodeen, Arie Boomert, Kemlin Laurence, CR Ottley, RW Thompson, Maureen Warner-Lewis, and Brinsley Samaroo) for academic and educational uses. While the diversity of the place names of Trinidad and Tobago is widely accepted, the actual depth of this diversity is not truly known. This project is expected to graphically account for and demonstrate the impact of a number of ethnolinguistic groups on Trinidad and Tobago's linguistic landscape, thus awakening a greater awareness of a fascinating phenomenon. In addition, the extent of intersecting and overlapping hybrid names, as well as little known etymologies will be uncovered (or where lost to history, documented or hypothesised). Underpinning this project is an appreciation and a sense of the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to make sense of a complex reality, often much taken for granted.
Description
This project aims to help students of the history, languages and cultures of Trinidad and Tobago to appreciate the diversity of our place names, and to visualise the locations of these names. This is a work in progress, only the Portuguese map being the most complete.
The ultimate aims are books, posters and an interactive website with pronunciations (transcriptions and sound clips), histories, etymologies (to come), cross referencing and more.
Maps are largely ethnolinguistic, each one further customised to reflect the reality of each group, colour coded, and pinned with different icons. They are numbered chronologically and entitled as follows:
Map 1: Amerindian Trinidad and Tobago: 110+ Toponyms (J.S. Ferreira - UWI, STA January 2019)
Map 2: Map 2: Cariban Trinidad and Tobago (J.S. Ferreira - UWI, STA, March 2019)
Map 3: Map 3: Arawakan Trinidad and Tobago (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 4: Map 4: Spanish and Spanish-Related Place Names in Trinidad (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 5A: French Place Names in Trinidad and Tobago (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 5B: Through French Creole (Patois) Eyes - T&T (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 6: British Place Names in Trinidad and Tobago (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 7: African and African-Related Place Names and Settlements in Trinidad and Tobago (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 8: Indic Place Names in Trinidad (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 9: Portuguese Street Names and Landmarks in Trinidad (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 10: Reminders of the Jewish Presence in Trinidad (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Map 11: Chinese Place Names and Places in Trinidad and Tobago (J.S. Ferreira, UWI STA, March 2019)
Date: 25 January 2019 - 25 January 2021
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1isTZ3_ZeQ3aNOns16MKQ362SwZzJo6xo
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1isTZ3_ZeQ3aNOns16MKQ362SwZzJo6xo