Jon Anderson wrote:

> I fully support that effort, and would also like to see the
> Chinookan:
>
> Klickitat - not Mt Adams
> Lillooet -- not Mt St Helens
> Wy'East--- not Mt Hood
>
> There are many others (Does anyone know the Kalapuyan or
> Mollalla name for Mt Jefferson in Oregon?).
>

These names are really neat, any ideas of what their meanings, literal or
otherwise are ?

Gaelic names for mountains etc, in Scotland apart from being totally
unpronouncable to english speakers - myself included, are remarkably
descriptive of the location, features and geology. Appreciation of the
landscape is greatly increased - especially when a book came out, a few years
ago, giving the english translations.

When the Ordnance Survey were updating their maps earlier in the century,
they went around Scotland asking the locals what the names of the various
features were. In the Highland & Islands, they went away with a song in their
hearts, after the locals had lovingly described all the landscape features in
Gaelic. It wasn't until years later and thousands and thousands of maps were
printed that somebody tried to translate some of the placenames - boy, did
they blush when they saw the results !!!!!!


Stuart MacKay