Livonian place name catalogue

The Livonian place name catalogue was presented at the Livonian Culture Days in Ventspils on 12 November 2024. The design is by Zane Ernštreite. The catalogue is published by the University of Latvia Livonian Institute in cooperation with the association Līvõd Īlma.

The catalogue is based on on the work compiled in the Livonian place name database at Livonian.tech, where it is constantly updated. The publication is the result of several years of work, and the working group has included a dozen compilers and researchers.

The catalogue mentions three authors: Valts Ernštreits, Pēteris Dambergs and Baiba Šuvcāne. The second author, Pēteris Dambergs (Livonian: Pētõr Damberg), is included the honour his contribution in collecting Livonian place names in the 1950s and 1960s. His work forms a significant part of the catalogue.

Catalogue

The catalogue is in Latvian and Livonian with the foreword translated into English. The introduction includes information on how to use the catalogue. This way, the catalogue serves not only Livonians and other Latvians interested in Livonian place names, but also the wider international audience.

The catalogue consists of three parts based on how the place names are indexed. Territorial indexing is the first and most detailed part. The second part is by object type, and the third is alphabetical ordering.

The most common appellative of the Livonian Coast is kōrand ‘homestead’, followed by vigā ‘coastal hollow’, tarā ‘homestead, field’, kāngar ‘sandy coastal hill’ and nīt ‘meadow’. These reflect the unique landscape of the Livonian Coast, and the traditional lifestyle of the Livonians. Also, dialectal differences between East and West Courland Livonian are reflected in the catalogue.

To order the catalogue, contact the Livonian Institute:
Email: liv@lu.lv
Phone: +371 26424566