Toponymy, Taxonomy and Place

Abstract

This article discusses the concepts of and differences between the French terms presqu'île (almost island) and péninsule (peninsula) and their toponymic uses. The discussion raises a number of questions including how and why particular places are named presqu'île or péninsule. We will first focus on examples located in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands and then in mainland France. These two case study areas are complementary. The first example, the Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean, has been the site of a recent attempt to normalise place-naming for the purpose of asserting sovereignty. The second one, the Cotentin, is a part of Normandy, whose long history of human inhabitation has provided several layers of toponymy. Finally we refer to the use of the term presqu'île in the context of urban riverfront revitalisation. In the latter usage, cities try to promote their locations by using the image of the peninsular 'almost island'. The reflections presented in the article show the complexity involved in naming and interpreting locations as either peninsulas or 'almost islands'.

Science and culture in the Kerguelen Islands: a relational approach to the spatial formation of a subantarctic archipelago

“…As all other subantarctic islands, the Kerguelen Islands were uninhabited at the time of their discovery. After a history of sealing and failed attempts at making the islands inhabitable through farming practices, the Kerguelen Islands became in 1949 a permanent scientific outpost for French polar research (Delépine, 1995;Fleury & Raoulx, 2016;Hince, 2008). These islands are some of the most remote on the planet and can only be reached by boat.…”

“…As pointed out earlier in this section, the Kerguelen Islands have had their fair share of inhabitation, and this is visible in their landscape. For instance, the archipelago is the site of contamination by invasive species (feral cats and rabbits notably), and there are many physical remnants of past attempts at introducing grazing cattle and developing an animal oil industry (Delépine 1995;Fleury & Raoulx, 2016;Hince, 2008). More recently, the Kerguelen Islands have emerged as a very tangible laboratory for French polar research, leaving traces of scientific exploration in the archipelago's landscape.…”

Absolute Waterfrontage: Road Networked Artificial Islands and Finger Island Canal Estates on Australia’s Gold Coast

“…In this manner they are, more accurately, presqu'îles -'almost islands' -and it is their 'almost-island-ness', that is their defining aspect in terms of the design and marketing of property lots and/or the residences that are constructed on them. Hayward As Fleury and Raoulx (2016) have identified, the French language offers two words that correspond to the English language term peninsula (an area of land largely surrounded by a body of water). The first, péninsule, is functionally equivalent to the English term, while the second, presquî'le (presqu -almost + île -island), has more specific meanings.…”