Versuch über Flußnamen (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, 88) (German Edition)

A river can have several names, one for its source, another for its middle part and a third for its mouth. It is even probable that all rivers once had more than one name and that only after their unity had been recognized one of the names took precedence over the others. lt is an established principle among modern etymologists that most ob- jects owe their name to the way they can be used by man. Perhaps this is also the case with proper names. If this principle is applied to river names the etymologist has to deal above all with the river as a source of food. The Germanie tribes and their neighbours usually caught the fish by some sort of fence or wattle which they put across the river. There are indeed obvious or at least recognizable relations between the name of a river and fences and wattles of all description: e. g. Wern, Varenne, Veken, Lahn, Main, Themse. Resurne Un fleuve peut avoir plusieurs noms. Les riverains ne s'interessent pas au fleuve tout entier, ils ne regardent que la partie pres de laquelle ils habitent. En ce monde il y a beaucoup d'objects naturels qui ont rec;u leur nom d'apres les desirs, les soucis, les jouissances de l'homme. L'homme en don- nant un nom aux objets ne les regarde pas mais - en tirant son profit - il les nomme d'apres son inter&t.