Complete ONE of the following Assessment Tasks:
Assessment Task 1:
1) Choose a place-name that begins with the same letter as your surname and has a corresponding dictionary entry in The Oxford Dictionary of British Place Names (2011) by A. D. Mills at: www.oxfordreference.com (see Name Studies).
2) Paraphrase Mills' account of the name's origins, and discuss the composition of the name in terms of its structure (for example, simplex, compound, hybrid), the feature(s) it denotes (habitative or topographical), and whether its component elements conform to expected patterns for place-names in the UK.
3) Research the origins and meaning of the name in a range of popular sources (these can include websites, magazines, tourist information guides, local history resources and other materials that take a ‘non-specialist' approach to names), and evaluate their treatment of the name's etymology and/or history. Your essay should take account of the purpose of the source text (for example, encouraging tourists to visit; documenting local history of the area, etc).
Assessment Task 2:
1) Choose a place in the UK that is known by more than one name (these can be historical names, modern nicknames, informal names, literary names, etc). At least one (the ‘official' modern map version) of the name should have a corresponding dictionary entry in The Oxford Dictionary of British Place-Names (2011) by A. D. Mills at: www.oxfordreference.com (see Name Studies).
2) Paraphrase Mills' account of the name's origins, and discuss the composition of the name in terms of its structure (for example, simplex, compound, hybrid), the feature(s) it denotes (habitative or topographical), and whether its component elements conform to expected patterns for place-names in the UK.
3) Compare and contrast the official name with the others that you have found. Discuss their structure, meaning, connotations, and where and how they have been used to identify the place. Your essay should take account of the names' historical, social and cultural significance, as appropriate to your chosen place.
Referencing and Secondary Sources: Your essay should make use of at least FOUR different recommended texts, and your bibliography should be referenced according to the guidelines for either currently acceptable style (MLA or Harvard).
Please note: some of the elements discussed in Mills (and other sources) may use symbols that are not found in the English alphabet. If you wish to use a font that allows you to represent these more accurately, you should find that either Arial Unicode MS or Lucida Sans Unicode will be useful. This is not essential for the essay; you are not being tested on your spelling of Old Norse, Welsh, Pictish, etc (!)