A Toponymy Study of Place Names in Lebatukan Sub-district

Abstract

This study investigates toponymy known as place naming, associated with cultural and linguistic heritage, based on the history of the formation of place names in the area, that investigated in Lebatukan Sub-district. The people in Lebatukan Sub-district use Lamaholot Language with different dialects including Lamatuka dialect, Merdeka dialect and Lewoeleng dialect. Studying the place names in Lebatukan Sub-distirct can help to reveal toponym categories in naming places such as descriptive, associative, occurrent, evaluative, shift, indigenous, eponymous, and linguistic innovation. This study aims to find out the literal meanings of toponymy of place names in Lebatukan Sub-district and to identify the historical background of place names in Lebatukan District. The research is descriptive qualitative. Data were collected through documentation, interview, audio recording and note taking. The research stages include data collection and data analysis. The result shows that the naming of place in Lebatukan Sub-district is based on the dialect used and classified into the categories of toponym. The place names have meaning and historical background which can be seen through the characteristics, physical context, the incident/event associated, emotional reaction, shift, indigenous system, proper name, and linguistic forms.