From Abundant Hagionymy to Dedicatory Suppletive Hieronymy. A Toponymic Strategy Used by Franco-Canadians in Saskatchewan
Toponymy plays an important role in declaring identity among groups with adjoining territories as well as with those sharing the same space. Affirmation of cultural and linguistic identity through toponymy can sometimes prove to be a delicate undertaking, however. Groups in contact with languages and cultures other than their own have at their disposal an array of denominative strategies both to highlight the unique features of the group to which they belong, and to conceal aspects likely to attract unwanted attention. The examples quoted in this article are drawn from a repertoire of close to 2500 toponyms, of native and French origin, from Saskatchewan. Although Catholic and French hieronymy was prominent in Saskatchewan during the period before colonization, it had – relatively speaking – declined significantly by the turn of the twentieth century. To offset the difficulties inherent to this kind of identity-bound denomination, in certain instances a dedicatory suppletive hieronymic approach was prefered.