I’m currently writing a TOEFL textbook for Transglobal Prep school for some extra cash. Ironically I’ll be using the money I make to buy more overpriced textbooks for next semester in Print Futures (It’s going to be an awesome semester, I’m especially looking forward to the tech writing and document design courses).
One slightly interesting thing I discovered while researching the civil war, the American revolution and the tourist attractions of Illinois and Kentucky (don’t ask) was…toponymy. If you don’t know what that is, go to Wikipedia. Also on the Wiki, here is a real example (WARNING: offensive language) of an unusual place name.
I thought I’d start a toponym of the day, where I present the origins of a placename that I’ve come across in my research. Geeky, but what else can I do with all the useless facts that I’m learning?
Winnipeg, in Canada, owes its name to the Algonquins. Winnipig was the Algonquin word meaning dirty water, a possible non tribute to the Red River, which flows near Winnipeg (Source: Turnip Smith).
I checked this out, and according to the official Winnipeg website, “the name WINNIPEG has its origin in the Indian Cree name given to the lake 64kms north, meaning “Win”, muddy, “nipee”, water”.
Either way, Winnipeg means dirty water. Sorry guys.