Origins of the Names of U.S. States
Etymologically the names by the U.S. States can be divided into 4 groups:
a) the names on the basis of known earlier geographical names, taken from the countries by the Old World to North America continent:
1. Maine– ancient French province, owned by Queen Henrietta-Mary, the wife of King Karl I, the King of England;
2. New Hampshire – Hampshire – a country in England;
3. New Jersey – Jersey – an island near England;
4. New York – York – a city in England;
5. New Mexico – Mexico (Span.);
b) the names formed on the basis of the European languages:
6. California – in 1769 Spanish Catholics called it “calor de forni” – “жаркая как печь”;
7. Colorado – Span. “coloured country”;
8. Montana – Span. “mountain country”;
9. Nevada – Span. “covered with snow”;
10. Rhod Island – Dutch. “a red island” (red clay);
11. Vermont – Fr. “green mountains”;
12. Indiana – Engl. “land of the Indians”;
13. Florida – Span. “цветущая”, it was discovered by Ponce de Leon on Easter Sunday, 1513, Pascua Florida, “Flowery Easter”;
14. Alaska – Rus. Version of Aleutian (Eskimo) word alakshak for peninsula;
15. Puerto Rico – Span. for “rich port”;
c) the names called in honour of historical persons:
16. Columbia (district of …) – in 1791, for Christopher Columbus;
17. Delaware – named for Lerd de la Warr, early governor of Virginia in the beginning XVII c.;
18. Georgia – for King George II of England;
19. Louisiana called by La Salle in 1682 for French King Louis XIV;
20. Washington – named after George Washington;
d) the names borrowed from the Indian languages:
21. Alabama – Indian for a tribe (яз. индейцев чокто – “расчищаю заросли”);
22. Arizona – Indian / Aztec “a small brook” – “маленький ручей” – ari zonac;
23. Arkanzas – Indian tribe Quapaw – Algonquin language;
24. Connecticut – Mohican “long river of pine-trees” – ”река песен”;
25. Idaho – from Eda hoe – “light on the mountain”;
26. Illinois – Algonquin “the stream of men” – “река людей”;
27. Iowa – Indian “here I rest”, “sleeping” – “спящие”;
28. Hawaii – native word for homeland Hawaiki;
29. Kansas – Sioux word for “south wind people”;
30. Kentucky – Indian Ken-tah-teh – “land of tomorrow”;
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31. Massachusetts – Algonquin “large hill small place”;
32. Michigan – Indian michi gama – “great water”, the name of tribe and place;
33. Minnesota – Sioux word meaning “sky-tinted water” of The Minnesota River – “небесно-голубая вода”;
34. Mississippi – Indian maesi sipu – “fish river”;
35. Missouri – Indian tribe name of the group Sioux;
36. Nebraska – Omaha word for “broad river”;
37. Dakotas (North and South) – Sioux word for “union” – “союз”, “friend”,”ally”;
38. Oklahoma – Choctaw word meaning “red men”;
39. Oregon – origin unknown – origanum (Indian – “шалфей”);
40. Tennessee – Tanasi – the name of Cherokee villages;
41. Texas – Indian Tejas – “friends”, “allies” – “союзники”,употреблялось как приветствие;
42. Utah – name of an Indian tribe Ute;
43. Wisconsin – Indian for “junction of rivers” – “слияние рек”;
44. Wyoming – Algonquin word for “mountains and valleys”;
45. Virginia – in honor of Queen Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen of England – “королева-девственница”;
46. Delaware – named for Lord De La Warr, early governor of Virginia;
47. North Carolina – in honor of King of England Karl I, divided into North and South Carolina in 1710;
48. South Carolina;
49. Maryland – for Queen Henrietta Maria, wife of Charles I of England;
50. Pennsylvania – William Penn, The Quaker, + Lat. “sylvania” – “woodland” – “лесная страна”;
Answer the questions:
1. How many groups can the USA state names be etymologically divided in?
2. What things are meant by the Indian names of the states?
3. What state names were called in honour of historical persons?
Task 1. Look at the map of the USA and find out all these names. What conclusion can you make after that?
UNIT 2 . THE USA GEOGRAPHY
Common Geographical Characteristics of the Country:
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Relief, Lakes, Rivers, Climate
The US lies in the central part of the North American continent with the Atlantic Ocean to the East, the Pacific to the west, Canada to the North, and Mexico and Gulf of Mexico to the South.
Relief. Nearly parallel with the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the Appalachian Mountains run from Alabama northeastward into Main. These mountains contain enormous quantities of easily accessible coal and iron (it explains the huge concentration of heavy industry along the lower region of the Great Lakes).
The heart of the US is a vast plain which is divided into two major parts: the wetter, eastern portion – the Great Plains, both of which have good soil. To the west of the Great Plains is the Cordillera, which accounts for 1/3 of the US. This region is subdivided into other regions.
On its eastern border The Rocky Mountains, stretching from Alaska down to Mexico rise sharply from the Great Plains. These mountains contain many important metals such as lead, uranium and gold.
The western edge of the Cordillera is characterized by the coastal chain of high mountains: the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades in the eastern part and the Coastal Ranges (Береговые хребты, Каскадные горы) long the western coast.
Lakes. Beyond the Appalachian River opens the Central Valley, drained by the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes. The region of 5 Great Lakes is in the north-eastern part of the country. The Lakes are: Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. There is the Niagara River and famous Niagara Falls.
Rivers. The Mississippi is one of the world’s great continental rivers. The waters of the Mississippi are gathered from 2/3-ds of the US. Together with the Missouri River (its chief western branch), the Mississippi flows some 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from its Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi is called “father of waters”. The Ohio and Tennessee are the Mississippi’s principal eastern tributaries.
All the waters east of the Rockies reach the Atlantic; all the waters west of the Rockies arrive at the Pacific. That is why the Rocky Mountains are known as the Continental Divide.
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The Colorado and the Columbia are the two great rivers of the Pacific Side. The Colorado is in the south, the Columbia drains the north.
The Rio Grand, nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km) long, a natural boundary between Mexico and the US.
The Yukon is the largest river in Alaska.
Climate. The US lies between the tropic of Cancer and 50 N latitude, a position that determine Arctic climates, to the high mountaintops and tropics, to a small part of southern Florida. The climate is temperate; the middle latitudes are characterized by extreme variations of temperature.
Since land heats and cods more rapidly places distant from ocean tend to have continental climates that is, they alternate between extremes of hot summers and cold winters (+49o C) and (-50oC), in contrast to the marine climates, which are more equable.
Air from the gulf of Mexico can flow northward across the Great Plains, but the continental Canadian air flows south by the same route, and since these two air masses differ, the collisions of ten produce tornadoes, blizzards, hailstorms and other spectacular meteorological displays.
Answer the questions:
1. What oceans is the USA washed up?
2. What is the heart of the USA?
3. What is to the west and to the east of the Great Plains?
4. What do the Rocky Mountains contain?
5. What are the high mountains coastal chains of the western edge of the Cordillera?
6. What rivers are the Mississippi’s principal eastern tributaries?
7. What rivers are the two great ones of the Pacific Side?
8. What river is the largest one in Alaska?
9. What is the cause of tornadoes, blizzards, hailstorms and other spectacular meteorological displays?
Place – Names in America
European place names appeared in America beginning with the 16th.c. when Europeans came to inhabit the New World. Some of the names that appeared on the map at that time were those of English and French kings and queens. Many names are taken from history and literature, from geology.
Along the east coast of the US, such English names as Plymouth, Cambridge, London, Boston can be found, also with prefix “new”: New England, New Britain, New York.
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The first people arrived in America from Holland and built the town New Amsterdam. But 40 years later, when Holland was at war with England, an English fleet under the command at the Duke of York occupied the town and re named it New York. This name has remained to this day. New York City – is a correct name, because there is a state New York. Washington D.C. differs from the state Washington.
The State of New York has Borodino. One of the hottest places in the California desert was called Siberia; it is humorous for those who know the geography of Russia.
There are 22 towns in the U.S. that are called London, or New London, 18 towns named Bristol, many named Chester, Vindsor or New Windsor.
There are towns named Philadelphia in 4 states, besides Philadelphia is the largest city in the state Pennsylvania.
Moscow can be found in 11 American states. In the mid 19th c. there emerged 5 or 6 Sevastopols on the map of the USA. Odessa is met 9 times and only 2 of these are situated on the seashore, the rest of them are inland towns.
All this explains the American tradition of writing the names of the state as well as the name of the city.
Answer the questions:
1. What is the origin of the place-names in America.
2. What famous European place-names can we find in the geographical map?
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