Petit manuel du toponymiste occitan - Jean RIGOUSTE

Petit manuel du toponymiste occitan - Jean RIGOUSTE

(Occitan toponymist's handbook)

This book was born of two fairly clear observations.
The first is a strong interest in everything to do with our culture and identity, including the study of place and personal names. It's true that these names speak in Occitan, and reveal many things about our country and our ancestors.
The vast majority of researchers are self-taught, having trained themselves on their own, with the help of a few books, sometimes some advice, and a great deal of experience. A few courses did exist at certain universities, but they didn't last long, and few people were able to take them. As for good books on toponymy, they are sometimes hard to find and more often give the results of research than the method used to obtain them.
This is how the author came up with the idea of a simple, elementary handbook for those wishing to embark on the tortuous (and endless) paths of onomastics; a guide to avoid a few errors and pitfalls, a time-saving aid, an advisor to remind them of the essential caution. This little book is dedicated to all those interested in the study and origins of place names in Occitan-speaking regions. The author has kept it simple, reduced to basic knowledge and devoid of scholarly theories. He has also kept in mind that every day, the treasure trove of these ancient names, which still speak our language, diminishes and is lost. So there's work for everyone... and it's urgent!

Book in French, illustrated with numerous examples in Occitan, with glossary and alphabetical index of terms used.

Editions Novelum - IEO Perigord.

The author:

Born in 1938 into a Quercy family, Jean RIGOUSTE spoke Occitan with his parents from childhood. Agrégé de Lettres Classiques and holder of a DEA in Historical Geography, he taught French and Occitan in the Bordeaux academy. A teacher of modern literature at the lycées of Agen, Mérignac and Bergerac, he also worked at the IUFM d'Aquitaine and the University of Bordeaux III.
An Occitan pedagogue and linguist specializing in toponymy, he is the author of the Parli occitan learning method. He is one of the founders of the École Occitane d'Été. He has run various onomastics courses and written articles and columns on toponymy.