International Council of Onomastic Sciences
Encyclopedia
The International Council of Onomastic Sciences (ICOS) is an international academic organization of scholars with a special interest in onomastics
, the scientific study of names (e.g. place-names, personal names, and proper names of all other kinds).
, brand-name creation, and many related topics in the naming of persons, places, institutions, works of art, and other miscellaneous objects. They are also involved in practical projects such as the international standardization of geographical names. The aim of ICOS (as opposed to the many national societies for name-study) is the advancement, representation and co-ordination of name-research on an international level and in an interdisciplinary context. To that end, it is engaged in the publication of research and the development of research tools as described below. The Council's members are drawn from disciplines such as linguistics
and philology
, history
, sociology
, anthropology
, psychology
, geography
and literary research. This organization has replaced the former International Committee of Onomastic Sciences, which was a closed society consisting exclusively of co-opted representatives of countries. The former body was therefore not open to individual scholars as the present one is.
The ISSN of ONOMA is 0078-463-X.
38: Onomastics in North America (2003)
39: Name studies and teaching (2004)
40: Literary onomastics (2005; still to appear)
1. to create an international bibliography of name-study
2. to help create an internationally-agreed technical terminology for name-study
2. Paris, 1947
3. Bruxelles [Brussels], 1949
4. Uppsala, 1952
5. Salamanca, 1955
6. München [Munich], 1958
7. Firenze [Florence], 1961
8. Amsterdam, 1963
9. London, 1966
10. Wien [Vienna], 1969
11. Sofia, 1972
12. Bern, 1975
13. Kraków, 1978
14. Ann Arbor, 1981
15. Leipzig, 1984
16. Québec, 1987
17. Helsinki, 1990
18. Trier, 1993
19. Aberdeen, 1996
20. Santiago de Compostela, 1999
21. Uppsala, 2002
22. Pisa, 2005
23. York University, Toronto, 2008
24. Barcelona 2011
The Proceedings of each Conference to no. 20, as well as those of no. 23, have been published. Three volumes of no. 21 have also been published, and the first of no. 22, and the rest are in preparation.
Dr Mats Wahlberg (Uppsala), 2002-5
Professor Maria Giovanna Arcamone (Pisa), 2005-8
External links:
International Council of Onomastic Sciences; ONOMA
External links to related organizations:
American Name Society; Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland
Internal links to related organizations:
American Name Society
Onomastics
Onomastics or onomatology is the study of proper names of all kinds and the origins of names. The words are from the Greek: "ὀνομαστικός" , "of or belonging to naming" and "ὀνοματολογία" , from "ὄνομα" "name". Toponymy or toponomastics, the study of place names, is one of the principal branches of...
, the scientific study of names (e.g. place-names, personal names, and proper names of all other kinds).
The work of the scholars of ICOS
Members research the origin and history of names, the personal name-systems used by different cultures, the demographic patterns of names in different societies, the use and significance of names of characters in literatureLiterature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, brand-name creation, and many related topics in the naming of persons, places, institutions, works of art, and other miscellaneous objects. They are also involved in practical projects such as the international standardization of geographical names. The aim of ICOS (as opposed to the many national societies for name-study) is the advancement, representation and co-ordination of name-research on an international level and in an interdisciplinary context. To that end, it is engaged in the publication of research and the development of research tools as described below. The Council's members are drawn from disciplines such as linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
and philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, geography
Geography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
and literary research. This organization has replaced the former International Committee of Onomastic Sciences, which was a closed society consisting exclusively of co-opted representatives of countries. The former body was therefore not open to individual scholars as the present one is.
ONOMA
ICOS publishes the annual journal ONOMA, which is its official publication. ONOMA is managed by a General Editor in conjunction with an Editorial Board. It contains topical research reports as well as basic theoretical articles concerning all areas of scholarly name research. Presently, each issue is thematic, and has a guest editor. ICOS also publishes an irregular newsletter.The ISSN of ONOMA is 0078-463-X.
Themes of recent issues of ONOMA
37: Nordic onomastics (2002)38: Onomastics in North America (2003)
39: Name studies and teaching (2004)
40: Literary onomastics (2005; still to appear)
Working groups
ICOS has two active working groups, striving:1. to create an international bibliography of name-study
2. to help create an internationally-agreed technical terminology for name-study
Congresses
The International Congress of Onomastic Sciences, which is normally held every three years, is a major academic conference organized on behalf of ICOS by one of its members. The General Assembly of ICOS, which also functions as its business meeting, and at which its officers are elected, is usually held at these congresses. The ordinary business of ICOS is transacted by the elected Board of Directors.List of Congresses of ICOS
1. Paris, 19382. Paris, 1947
3. Bruxelles [Brussels], 1949
4. Uppsala, 1952
5. Salamanca, 1955
6. München [Munich], 1958
7. Firenze [Florence], 1961
8. Amsterdam, 1963
9. London, 1966
10. Wien [Vienna], 1969
11. Sofia, 1972
12. Bern, 1975
13. Kraków, 1978
14. Ann Arbor, 1981
15. Leipzig, 1984
16. Québec, 1987
17. Helsinki, 1990
18. Trier, 1993
19. Aberdeen, 1996
20. Santiago de Compostela, 1999
21. Uppsala, 2002
22. Pisa, 2005
23. York University, Toronto, 2008
24. Barcelona 2011
The Proceedings of each Conference to no. 20, as well as those of no. 23, have been published. Three volumes of no. 21 have also been published, and the first of no. 22, and the rest are in preparation.
Recent Presidents of ICOS
Professor Isolde Hausner (Vienna), 1999-2002Dr Mats Wahlberg (Uppsala), 2002-5
Professor Maria Giovanna Arcamone (Pisa), 2005-8
Sources
There is no authoritative history of ICOS. This article is compiled from the Council's own records. The statutes may be viewed on the organization's web-site.External links:
International Council of Onomastic Sciences; ONOMA
External links to related organizations:
American Name Society; Society for Name Studies in Britain and Ireland
Internal links to related organizations:
American Name Society
American Name Society
The American Name Society, founded in 1951, is a learned society founded "to promote onomastics, the study of names and naming practices, both in the United States and abroad [and] to investigate cultural insights, settlement history, and linguistic characteristics revealed in names." Its...