2025, Volume 22, Issue 2
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Azibaoguanasi Williams BAATONUM TOPONYMY OF NIGERIA-BENIN BORDER AREA: NOTES ON THE METHODOLOGY OF COLLECTING TOPONYMIC DATA
For citation Received on 22 May 2024 Abstract: The collection of toponymic data can be a time-consuming, complex, and potentially unproductive process, particularly if not carefully managed. A key challenge lies in failing to engage community members who possess necessary knowledge, typically preserved through oral tradition. Such oversight may lead to inaccurate or disputed results. Identifying such key informants — bearers of historically rooted knowledge — can be especially challenging in unfamiliar sociocultural environments. This paper examines these methodological difficulties, with particular attention to locating informants, documenting toponymic information, and addressing potential resistance or unease among participants. The methodology discussed addresses several challenges inherent in oral history-based linguistic fieldwork. These include (but are not limited to): navigating unfamiliar environments; identifying suitable informants; forming focus groups; maintaining ethical standards to minimize suspicion; managing entry, presence, and departure from the field site; selecting appropriate informants for varying research contexts; and eliciting toponymic data. The article draws on the author’s fieldwork in Baruten, a region on the border between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin in West Africa, and presents part of the data collected. While the approach is grounded in this specific area, it is argued to be adaptable to a range of contexts. Although rural settings may facilitate the elicitation of toponymic legends, the method is equally applicable to urban toponymy and socio-onomastic studies, which often require a synchronic approach. Keywords: toponymy; oikonymy; Baatonum (Bariba) language; Baatombu people; methods of field linguistics; oral tradition; Baruten; Nigeria; Benin References Cahoon, B. M. (2021–2024). Traditional States of Nigeria. Retrieved from https://www.worldstatesmen.org/Nigeria_native.html Newman, P. (2007). A Hausa-English Dictionary. New Haven: Yale University* Press. Taylor, S. (2016). Methodologies in Place-name Research. In C. Hough (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Names and Naming (pp. 69–86). Oxford: Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199656431.013.17 Tent, J. (2015). Approaches to Research in Toponymy. Names, 63(2), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.1179/0027773814Z.000000000103 Schottman, W. (2000). Baatonu Personal Names from Birth to Death. Africa, 70(1), 79–106. https://doi.org/10.3366/afr.2000.70.1.79 Welmers, W. E. (1952). Notes on the Structure of Bariba. Language, 28(1), 82–103. Williams, A. (2023a). A Survey of Socio-Onomastic Features and Economic Values of Place Names of Baruten in Nigeria. Journal of West African Languages, 50, 145–156. Williams, A. (2023b). Personal Names and Power: Binary Personal Naming System of the Baatombu People in Nigeria and Republic of Benin. Onoma, 58, 305–324. https://doi.org/10.34158/ONOMA.58/2023/17 Wright, J. (1929). The Study of Place Names: Recent Work and Some Possibilities. Geographical Review, 19(1), 140–144.
* Признан нежелательной организацией на территории РФ.
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