Talk by Randolph Quirk , Ph.D.
Reader in English
In the University of Durham
Some names, like Newcastle or South-end-on-Sea are self-explanatory. Others are not so obvious; their present-day spelling may even be misleading. The recently published ' English Place-Name Elements' by Professor A. H. Smith shows that there is a lot in place-names for everyone: the serious historian, historical geographer, linguist, folklorist, local antiquarian or just the inquisitive bed-time reader.'