PLACE NAMES REFERRING TO FORESTS AND TREES IN THE CARPATHIAN BASIN (I)

Abstract

Hungarian place names often refer to a wide range of topics related to trees: distinctive tree species, forests; methods and traces of deforestation; forest animals, hunting, and other forest-related activities. These are discussed thematically and alphabetically, along with the localization and explanation of the related settlement names. – In the more mountainous central and peripheral regions of the Carpathian Basin place names referring to forests are more common, while the central areas are mainly used for food production. Place names in the lowland areas typically refer to water-loving species (borrowed from hydronyms) or planted orchards. If a dialect word appears in the place names of other regions, it suggests a once broader distribution. – Many old professions were also tied to the forest, and human activities significantly transformed the plant cover, leading to a reduction in forests. Historical linguistics primarily draws conclusions about these processes from place names, shedding light on what replaced the forests, and how the ancient forests were transformed into planted or coppiced woods.