What’s in a name? Page

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Introduction
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
William Shakespeare – Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)
Do not all charms fly
At the mere touch of cold philosophy?
There was an awful rainbow once in heaven:
We know her woof, her texture; she is given
In the dull catalogue of common things.
Philosophy will clip an Angel’s wings,
Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,
Empty the haunted air, and gnomed mine
Unweave a rainbow.
John Keats (31 Oct 1795 – 23 Feb 1821)
1. What do the two quotes above have in common? And what do they say about names? Does giving people or things names affect how we see them? You can answer these questions on the notice board at the end of this class.
2. All the names below are related to the weather.
Do you have any names in your language that are weather words?

Match the names to the languages.

Listening

Listen to Wind Aamot talking about his name and where he’s from.

Decide if the statemnets below are true or false.

Decide if the statements are true or false.

You Live WHERE?!

Australia may boast some of the funniest sounding place names in the world, but it doesn’t have a monopoly. Scattered across the globe are towns and villages with names so unfortunate that it’s hard not to feel sorry for the locals. 1. __________ , these places are ideal for a visit, especially if you’d like your smiling mug captured on camera next to a silly sign.

Muff

County Donegal, Ireland

Undeterred by a name that conjures up all sorts of hairy images, tonnes of people have been crossing the border from Northern Ireland in recent years to relocate to this once-sleepy village. 2. __________, Muff hasn’t lost its traditional soul. Each year, during the first week in August, residents celebrate the Muff Festival, which includes all kinds of parades, parties, copious beer consumption and a raft of bizarre competitions, like JCB heavy vehicle driving, pig racing and lorry pulling events.

Twatt

Orkney Islands, Scotland

3. __________ , the inhabitants of Twatt have become rather used to people laughing at them. This far-flung village off the north coast of Scotland featured at number four on the list of most vulgar sounding names in the book Rude Britain. Perhaps surprisingly, Bell End, Minge Lane and Cocks were ruled even cruder than Twatt, which also has a namesake on the Shetland Islands.

Titty Hill

Sussex, England

Although it’s just 40km from Portsmouth on England’s south coast, Titty Hill feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by a patchwork of fields, the tiny hamlet consists of a couple of houses and a farm called, appropriately enough, Titty Hill farm. 4. __________, Titty Hill is within easy driving distance of Thong in Kent and Shitterton in Dorset, but a fair way from Wetwang in Yorkshire.

placenames ‘Fucking’ was named after a local called ‘Focko’.

Dildo

Newfoundland, Canada

Dildo was founded in 1700 around fishing and whaling activities, with unsubstantiated rumours that its name came about because of the phallic-like shape of its harbour. 5. __________ , it’s recently become a magnet for tourists. The Dildo museum is popular for the replica of a 9.1m squid hauled from local waters in 1933.

Hell

Stordal, Norway

6. __________ , especially in winter when, with temperatures as low as minus 20°C, Hell literally does freeze over. An easy train ride from the major city of Trondheim on Norway’s fjord-peppered west coast, Hell was put on the map in 1990 when Mona Grudt, a green-eyed redhead, was the country’s Miss Universe representative. She billed herself as ‘the beauty queen from Hell’ — and lost.

Fucking

Tarsdorf, Austria

Arguably the world’s most shockingly-titled town, Fucking — 30km from Salzburg and apparently named after a sixth-century local called Focko — has been the centre of much controversy in recent years. 7. __________ , local authorities arranged a poll to ask the townspeople whether or not they should change their name. The stubborn lot gave a two-fingered salute, and a four-letter word response, to that little idea.

Abridged from an article by Steve McKenna – Website: http://travel.ninemsn.com.au/

Phrase Matching

A. Despite the population explosion

B. In a country that’s well known for its wealth of silly place names

C. After souvenir hunters kept stealing the signs

D. But if you’re looking for an amusing spot to add to your travel itinerary

E. This pleasant Norwegian village hardly lives up to its dastardly name

F. While unfounded rumours abound that this is Muff’s twin town

G. Although the inhabitants seem to be profiting from the attention

H. Consistently named among the prettiest towns in Canada

Order the sentences to the numbers in the article.

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