Vol. 63 No. 1 (2015)
Research Article

In Search of Water: Hydrological Terms in Oman’s Toponyms

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  • Nafla S. Kharusi,
  • Amel Salman
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/0027773814Z.00000000094

Published 2015-03-01

Keywords

  • first name and surname attractiveness,
  • first name popularity,
  • surname frequency,
  • job market,
  • recruitment,
  • job interview,
  • discrimination
    • ...More
    Less

Copyright (c) 2015 Maney Publishing

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Abstract

This study investigates Arabic terms related to fresh water sources expressed in Oman’s toponyms. It presents their classification and discusses the semantic and structural properties of both the place names and the hydrological lexicon. A description of oasis agriculture among the inhabitants is also given as necessary background for understanding the importance of locating water and its effect on landscape delimitation and categorization. In an environment without permanent water bodies, the significance of this resource is reflected in the way people conceptualize their landscape, minutely classifying its hydrological features and expressing them in toponyms. Historically, their knowledge of water sources has contributed to better land use management and sustainability of Oman’s oasis agriculture.

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